In article
>Those little black dots you see through the viewfinder are probably
>on everyone's. Fortunately, they don't show up on the negative or slide.
>I'm not sure where they are, maybe on the mirror which flips up when
>the film is exposed to light. But I don't think you have to worry about
>them, assuming your photos come out well. I hope someone will explain
>this ubiquitous phenomenon.
>In article <5gab2t$oo9@News.Dal.Ca>, pli@is.dal.ca (Ping Li) wrote:
>
>> Hi, I am new in camera world. There is a black dot sport when I look
>> through my Minolta maxxum 450si view finder. It is not dust on the surface
>> of the view finder. I don't know where it comes from and don't know how to
>> clean it. Could you please give me some advice for removing that sport?
If the dust/dirt is visible in the finder, it is in one of three locations:
- if very sharp, it is on the "grind" side of the viewing screen, which,
unfortunately for cleaning ease [unless the screen is user-removeable],
is often the upper side of the screen in newer cameras.
- if fairly sharp, it is on the non-"grind" side of the screen, and it
may be possible to remove it with a VERY soft (very clean!) small brush
or a VERY gentle blowing with a hand syringe-type blower (blowing hard
into a VF area just about guarantees that dust will be blown in).
- if very soft-looking, it is on the underside surface of the pentaprism
(being able to clean the VF area without a repair is an excellent
arguement for having the interchangeable-screen feature...).
Prevention is the best way - never leave the body cavity uncovered
(except briefly, when changing lenses); never change lenses in a windy
area; keep the rear area of the lens clean; get in the habit of facing the open camera downward while changing lenses; NEVER blow into the body cavity
(unless you know what you are doing, the mirror is up, or the screen is
removeable).
Hope This Helps