On Wed, 5 Aug 1998 17:52:25 -0500, "Fred Whitlock" wrote:
>Kal wrote in message ...

>>How can I clean dusty mirror in the SLR? I've heard that it cannot be
>>touched under any circumstances - even with microfibre cloth. Any ideas?

>You need to be very, very careful if you touch it because the silvering is
>on the top of the mirror glass and not beneath it. I recommend you simply
>hit it with some compressed air. They sell cans of the stuff at your local
>camera store. Good shooting.

Um..., generally your advice is SO good...!
But with this one, I take exception...;-)
Blowing into the VF system is the quick way to
drive annoying dust onto the upper (inaccessible)
surface of the viewing screen - and it is then
removable only by a technician unless the viewing
screen is user-interchangeable. And that "canned
air" is still ozone-layer unfriendly, the can
claims notwithstanding... (a brushless large
bulb hand-blower [which *should* be available
at your local camera store, but often isn't
since it is so cheap and doesn't need
replenishment...;-]), does the blowing jobs
quite well, when appropriate...

Some (Nikon...) SLR mirrors can be cleaned
(but at the risk of adding a couple of fine
scratches) by breathing *up* onto the surface,
then wiping off the mist with a VERY lightly
applied fresh cotton swab, twirled slowly as
it is moved on the surface.