Stain on reflex mirror

[sauvern]

Hi all,

Need advice regarding the cleaning of my camera's (Canon 400D) reflex mirror.
There is a small stain on my reflex mirror and when i tried to wipe it off with a soft cloth, it actually cause the stain to expand.
May I know how do i remove this stain?

Lastly how do i check if will affect the quality of my photos? I tried taking photos and examining it, but cannot see any distinct differences.

[fitzy]

It won't affect picture quality unless it on the sensor which is behind the mirror. As for cleaning of reflect mirror i'm not sure.

[Octarine]

Be careful with cleaning the mirror. AFAIK, the semi-reflecting (and quite delicate) surface is at the front - opposite to your bathroom mirror. If not sure you better check with CSC. A big stain might affect the metering or focusing since it changes the optical characteristics and the light forwarded to the respective sensors.

[Dream Merchant]

If you're not sure of what you're doing, and how delicate the mirror carriage can be, bring it down to a service center to get it cleaned if it bugs you. It will not have negative impact on your photos unless the smudge is intefeering with AF or metering.

Basically, the last thing you want to do is put pressure on the mirror. If you really want to clean it yourself, use a clean swab soaked in an optical cleaner that contains isopropyl alcohol or one of the appropriate Eclipse products, and without putting pressure on the mirror, swab it gently till the smudge comes off. Don't soak the swab unti it drips.

IF you really don't want to DIY, and don't want to go to a service center, I'll gladly do it for you for one kopi and prata and zero liabilities.

[Agenda]

Originally Posted by Dream Merchant I'll gladly do it for you for one kopi and prata and zero liabilities.

[Dream Merchant]

Originally Posted by Agenda

Kopi and prata explensif mah?

[huggable]

What did you use to wipe the mirror? Not an expert in this field, but I'd think that using a slight alcohol-based solvent would do. Anything stronger and it might damage the mirror coating.

Originally Posted by sauvern Hi all, Need advice regarding the cleaning of my camera's (Canon 400D) reflex mirror. There is a small stain on my reflex mirror and when i tried to wipe it off with a soft cloth, it actually cause the stain to expand. May I know how do i remove this stain? Lastly how do i check if will affect the quality of my photos? I tried taking photos and examining it, but cannot see any distinct differences.

[spheredome]

Buy a small tip lenspen and clean the smudge away gently. Never clean the mirror with lens liquid or any kind as it cause serious stains that very hard to clean.

[catchlights]

Originally Posted by Dream Merchant If you're not sure of what you're doing, and how delicate the mirror carriage can be, bring it down to a service center to get it cleaned if it bugs you. It will not have negative impact on your photos unless the smudge is intefeering with AF or metering. Basically, the last thing you want to do is put pressure on the mirror. If you really want to clean it yourself, use a clean swab soaked in an optical cleaner that contains isopropyl alcohol or one of the appropriate Eclipse products, and without putting pressure on the mirror, swab it gently till the smudge comes off. Don't soak the swab unti it drips. IF you really don't want to DIY, and don't want to go to a service center, I'll gladly do it for you for one kopi and prata and zero liabilities.

lol, kopi and prata are cheap, zero liabilities is expensive.

[night86mare]

1) does it affect your camera's ability to take pictures?

2) is it hindering your ability to take pictures?

if no for both,

not itchy don't scratch.

[+evenstar]

never try to clean the internals of your camera with a cloth. i tried that once and regretted it as i introduced more dust into the mirror area instead of cleaning it.

leave the cleaning to professionals at CSC

[Dream Merchant]

Originally Posted by catchlights lol, kopi and prata are cheap, zero liabilities is expensive.

FOC - 0 Liabilities
$10 - $1 liability
$100 - $10 liability plus early bird special, add $2!

[camoptics]

Mirror is normally the inner surface. If not serious, do not clean it. Otherwise, introduce more stain or water mark on the surface.

[Octarine]

Originally Posted by camoptics Mirror is normally the inner surface. If not serious, do not clean it. Otherwise, introduce more stain or water mark on the surface.

Digging up old threads?
What do you mean by 'inner surface'? Unlike with your bathroom mirror the reflecting layer of the camera mirror is not covered by glass but is the upper layer.

[ZerocoolAstra]

Originally Posted by camoptics Mirror is normally the inner surface. If not serious, do not clean it. Otherwise, introduce more stain or water mark on the surface.

hahah if the reflective surface was covered by another glass layer, can simply use bathroom mirror to replace!!!

[catchlights]

Originally Posted by camoptics Mirror is normally the inner surface. If not serious, do not clean it. Otherwise, introduce more stain or water mark on the surface.

YES, that is truth for most household mirror.

BUT for the mirror in SLR camera, the coating is at the front, not behind the glass.