D7000 viewfinder problem

[ElizabethAtkinson]

A week and half ago I finally got a new Nikon D7000 and had a play with it today and noticed two spots on the viewfinder (one inside the bracket and the other towards the left hand corner). I changed lens to make sure it wasn't dust on the lens but the spots were still present. From what I can see, there is no spot or mark present on the photos I took today, so am unsure what the marks could be.

Please can someone advise me what to do as I am totally new to this sort of thing. (BTW, I purchased the camera on Ebay (not a shop front) and if I was to return it I would need to post it).

Thanks from a very sad Liz :(

[ricktas]

probably just some dust on the mirror or viewfinder screen. Nothing to worry about. Trying to clean it (without experience) can damage the mirror, or also just move the dust to another part of the camera where it become really annoying (like on the sensor).

[Cage]

Don't know your camera, but check your manual for 'Dust Removal'.

My K5, which has the same sensor, has a built in dust removal facility, and I'll be surprised if your D7000 doesn't have the same ability.

[farmer_rob]

Possibly dust or marks on the mirror, or on the focussing screen. I'd guess that a professional clean may fix it up. At least it is not on the images.

Is the camera new or secondhand? If new, i'd definitely be back in touch with the seller.

Added: the d7000 has a dust removal system, but this applies to the sensor, not the mirror/viewfinder.

[Lance B]

If you can see it when you look through the viewfinder, then it won't affect your images as the dust spot is either on the mirror or on the focus screen. Sometimes, you can get rid of it by removing the lens, using a hand bulb blower and giving it a few puffs into the mirror box chamber whilst holding the camera face down so that when you have dislodged the particle, it falls out rather than back into the chamber.

However, if you are not confident in doing this yourself, just take it to your favourite camera store and ask if they can have it professionally done. The thing is, it won't affect your images but having said that, it can be annoying and if you're like me, you'd like to have a clean screen!

[arthurking83]

Firstly don't be sad .. it's an easy fix.
Easy fix that is, if you feel confident to do it. Otherwise leave it as is.

If the dust spots in the vf are behind the matte screen, then it's a harder job to clean it out .. you need to remove the matte screen to do this properly.
If the dust is within the mirror box, ie. on the mirror or on the vf screen but on the mirror box side, then as Lance said .. use a blower to puff it out.

Never wipe the mirror, or inside the mirror box area with something like a cloth .. even a lens cloth.
The mirror has very fragile markings on it which could be damaged.
Of course now having said that, you can actually do it if there is a stubborn mark on it without damage(I have).

it's simply one of those jobs that is not recommended.

You can also use a very soft brush, such as a Copperhill sensor brush, which is totally safe, or even a standard blower bulb brush which is quite safe to use as well.
Although I've found both the blower and the brush method to be generally useless.

I use canned air .. it's the most effective way to clean out both the viewfinder and the mirror and mirror box.

You can very easily remove the viewfinder matte screen, as it's held in place by a hinged clip .. but the matte screen is made of a very soft plastic material.
One slip, off the clip and onto the matte screen ..... and the matte screen is damaged forever .. although they can be replaced easily enough.

If you do attempt to open up the viewfinder yourself.. and I believe that if you can sew, knit or crochet .. then you can clean out a vf screen too! .. just be aware that you need to do it in a still environment to do it well. If air is circulating around the room, dust will surely blow into the area affected.
It's the same with sensor cleaning .. you don't need a clean room, simply no air circulation to blow more dust onto the affected surfaces.

I've done an info piece on how to change viewfinder screens .. do a search for Katzeye focus screen or something.

recently I go an old banger film camera to play with ($10! :D) .. the vf screen was totally disgusting .. not just a spot or two, but completely covered in dust and filth, where it was unusable.
The hard parts was getting the camera apart to clean it out. Cleaned it out, now, but the camera was so hard to pull apart .. booby trapped in a sense .. that I had to snap the film winding lever off to get it apart. If I ever get time to get it fixed, I will .. but modern cameras seem to be so much easier to 'service' nowadays than they used to in the old days.

I wouldn't bother returning it to get it 'fixed' either.

It's a five min job that would take forever to get it there, get it fixed and returned .. better off just putting up with it.

[ElizabethAtkinson]

Thank you all for responding. Rather than risk further damage I decided to send it back to NSW to get the particles removed. It cost me $45 to cover insurance etc. but I think it will be well worth it.

Thanks again all.