Hi--

>When I look at my camera with the lens off, I can clearly see the same
>mark on my mirror that I see through the viewfinder. Wouldn't the original
>poster have seen the same thing? I don't think he was asking what the
>abject was, only if he should return it. Mine is clearly a scratch.
"M. Noecker"

Hmmm... If the scratch is deep, AND up near the back so that it is near
the ground glass, MAYBE it could be imaged softly... But if you see a
sharp mark, it cannot be from the mirror, I think... The lens image
as it strikes the mirror is still well out of focus over most of the
mirror area, so the mirror image, as with the lens with a scratch or
dust on it, should not sharply image the mark - I suspect coincidence,
and that if you look carefully, you will detect a mark on the screen
also...
If the original poster's mirror clearly has a scratch on it not caused
by him, he should return it - but my guess is that the mark he sees
is not due to a mark on the mirror... ('course I could be wrong...;-).
David Ruether