Dust in mirror, clean or leave it there?

[andrecb]

Hi

I don't know how, but my 1000D caught 2 dust grains in the mirror or focus glass, above the mirror.

the photos are clean, I only see the dots trough the viewfinder.

should I clean it or leave with it...?

[CaptainNH]

I'd clean it now, before it has chance to migrate to somewhere else.

Other than being annoying, it's not going to do any harm as long as it stays where it is. Problem is, it could easily move to your sensor where it will affect your images, plus it will be harder to get to to clean.

[andrecb]

thanks, I read in many places that its more risk to try to clean the focus mirror...

any tips on how to clean it, besides "very carefully"

[CaptainNH]

I would suggest you try a dust blower, such as the "Rockets" made by Giotto, to dislodge the dust. The general principle is, lens opening facing down (so the dust falls out), pump the blower a few times (to make sure that the blower is clean and not adding to your problem) then blow, making sure that the tip of the blower doesn't go much beyond the lens mounting ring.

If this doesn't work, it may be that the dust is sticky or greasy. If this is the case, you'll need to wipe if off, using special tools. You can do this yourself, but there is far more potential for damage if you don't know what you're doing. If you're not confident, I'd be taking along to a camera shop.

[andrecb]

thanks, i'll try the dust blower..

I'll post the results

[OsmosisStudios]

If you can see it in the viewfinder, is it blurry or sharp? If it's blurry, its on the mirror. If it's sharp, its up on your focusing screen. Either way, the method of removal is the same, it just depends on where you point the rocket blower.