How to Clean Your Camera Viewfinder

[@onikaimu]

Very informative video, Mike. I remember on a sunny day I had to use the viewfinder but there was a piece of dust. After cleaning the lens it was still there. Went home and cleaned the sensor but still it was there mocking me. Until I noticed it was on none of the pictures, cleaned the viewfinder and felt like a fool. Stay safe and hydrated.

[@mikesphotography]

Lol...I think we've all done this at some point! I remember getting some dirt on the mirror on one of my old DSLRs and it was so frustrating...I cleaned everything from the viewfinder to the sensor and it was still there! Took me a while to work out where it was... I hope everything is good with you Lance! 😁👍

[@michaelmckeag960]

Exactly the procedure I’ve been using for many years (but far too infrequently). Unlike many KZbin demos you cover all the nitty gritty details thoroughly. The details always matter.

[@michaelmckeag960]

BYW, greater cleaning frequency definitely required if the camera viewfinder (or microscope or telescope eyepiece) is used by someone who wears mascara. Might want to use disposable lab wipe in that case.

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks very much Michael. I always try to get all the details in there, nothing more, nothing less! I'll have to remember that next time I'm wearing mascara out on a shoot!! 😆😆 Thanks very much for the tip! 😁👍

[@OG-Everthing]

This is crazy !! I just had my first dust on my a6000 censer today for the first time and at the beginning I thought it was a dead pixel xD Thank for this video mike ! Love it

[@mikesphotography]

Dust on the sensor is a nightmare, I need to clean mine soon as I have a bit of dust in there from my sunrise shoot this morning. No worries, thanks so much for watching Mohamed! 😁👍

[@paulcollingridge8387]

Yes, tried loads of ways, settled on this. I also give the removable eye-cup a good wash in soapy water (and ensure it is dry) because it can get pretty yuk in sweaty weather

[@mikesphotography]

Good point Paul! That skin grease on the eye cover can build up quickly! Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@MrJohnnyMel]

Very useful, thanks, I put the cloth over the spout of the blower as I couldn't find a cotton bud, seemed effective, and fewer "tools"

[@LouiseMZeitlin]

Thank you so much, my view finder was so dirty ... this worked beautifully, I can see clearly now. :)

[@mikesphotography]

That's great to hear Louise! Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@petegerardini2455]

Next topic - I've already had my eye cover get lost rubbing against me walking against my body, with a7iii. Ordered replacement, but caught it almost falling off again. Used gaff tape to prevent it from falling off again by wrapping 4mm strip to bottom of eye cover then running couple centimeters under the rear screen. Others recommend to glue it, but i didn't want to go that way.

[@mikesphotography]

Hey Pete, Those eye covers are annoying! I bought a pack of 10 spares because it happens to me as well! I find when I have the camera on a shoulder sling with a big lens hanging from the lens mount, this is when I always lose that pesky cover ... especially when I am rushing around!

[@AnotherHYPEproductions]

Thank you, simple yet very important info😊. Appreciate your time✨️

[@edwardbarbieri5283]

Great tip and explanation, Mike. Also like the suggestion of washing the surround.

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks very much Edward! 😁👍

[@stephenwoodburn2970]

I am just happy that I never tried to clean the viewfinder, like a dozen time or so, thinking that I could not remove t rubber cover on my A7III... That would have been embarrassing. Thanks for the tips, Mike.

[@mikesphotography]

Haha! It is a revelation when you realise it comes off!! I remember doing that with one of my old canon cameras years ago...😆🤦🏻‍♂️

[@paulm8157]

Watch out, Mike. Q-tips is the trademark for cotton swabs, owned by Unilever. I believe it is still in effect and has not yet become a generic term. Been using distilled water or lens cleaning solution applied with cotton swab. (Recycled swabs from ear use just don’t work as well - windshield washer fluid also an option😁). At end of cleaning process, suggest checking diopter dial for any inadvertant movement - screen display should be in focus.

[@mikesphotography]

Ah damn it ... they might come after me and sue me for the millions I am making for a copy-write breach ... 🤦🏻 Good point with the diopter movement, it can be confusing the first time it moves and everything becomes blurry! As always thanks for watching dude 😁👍

[@SmolStufff]

From looking at my EVF just now it seems I never clean it. But I always tell myself I should use a small sensor cleaning swab after I'm done with the sensor. Since I always forget to actually do this I don't know if that works well, but it seems like it would. You would need sensor swabs that are small enough obviously. Regular full-frame swabs probably won't work. Either way. Your method seems as good as any and you don't have to waste any more sensor swabs.

[@mikesphotography]

It's one of those things that gets dirty over time and you hardly notice it...until it feels like you're looking through thick morning mist!! 😆 An aps-c sensor swab would work, but I prefer this way ... like you said, it saves on using up all the sensor swabs. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@akkarparkiamopas3401]

That L plate from Rogeti is really good for my photography, Thanks for recommendation . And I hope they will make it for a7iv as well

[@mikesphotography]

That's great to hear you got the rogeti L bracket. I hope it didn't take too long to be delivered! It's great that it's a one piece bracket as well...nice and strong. 😁👍

[@carlosdias1940]

Hi Mike! Great tips! Something worthwhile to invest! Cheers

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks very much Carlos! 😁👍

[@The-One-and-Only100]

How do you clean the inside of the kodak pony 135 model c viewfinder (i see white spots)

[@ConceptNewEra]

Wow. Incredible, I didn’t even know I needed this, now I’m going to do this right now because I can HAHA. 💯✔️🔥

[@mikesphotography]

Lol! it's one of those things that slowly gets dirty over time and you don't even notice it at first... Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@NikonD80Guy]

Mike…do you have a tutorial on the Rx10? Thanks.

[@mikesphotography]

Hi Jerry, I don't have one on that. What are you struggling with?

[@NikonD80Guy]

@@mikesphotography no struggle Mike. Just looking to supplement my a7iii. Will do some reading about it on line. Enjoy your videos and content.

[@bahipromedi6946]

Thanks man , sorry but in my nikon viewfinder i see some impurities inside it 🤔 How i can clean it plz

[@mikesphotography]

Sometimes dust can get inside the viewfinder and on to the prism. This would need a service from a Nikon specialist to remove.

[@davelong6727]

Thank you Mike sound advice

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks very much Dave! 😁👍

[@pratipkarmakar01]

Do minor scratches affect any visibility?

[@cxssetteman182]

Can I use the lens cleaning liquid too?

[@mikesphotography]

I don't see why not, just use it sparingly. 👍

[@Scotphotoamateur]

An APS-C sensor swab is great for cleaning my A7iii viewfinder

[@mikesphotography]

Now that's a good idea David! Might have to try that next time. 😁👍

[@miminuraisyahbintiamran8374]

Hiii do you know how to clean dust inside data display ?

[@nigelchase2407]

Mike, would you recommend cleaning the mirror with a cuetip as well.

[@chryseass.5143]

NO!

[@mikesphotography]

No, I'd use a blower on that holding the camera opening faced down, to get rid of the loose particles. If you have some tricky bits of dirt in there, I'd take it to a shop to get cleaned, or if there are no camera shops near by, I'd find out how the professionals do it and carefully follow their instructions...but only if you have a steady hand and a bit of confidence. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@liversonsilva5778]

A minha está com marcas de gordura e alguns pontos, não consegui remover com cotonetes, o que faço?

[@Ollimus]

Thank you

[@davidsundbaumphoto]

Mike! Thanks to you I bought an L bracket. And now i wonder how I managed to survive without it. 🙂

[@mikesphotography]

Haha! They are great aren't they, I always struggle with my A7C as it doesn't have one on it...it always makes switching so much easier!! Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@dharmeshsarvaiya1265]

accidently i remove viewfinder glass coting. what can ido?

[@Curtis-Randall]

This is pretty much how I clean mine as well!

[@mikesphotography]

Great to hear I'm not the only one that does it this way! Great minds think alike! 😁👍

[@ixoye56]

I use a small lenspen, much easier, and I would not recommend a blower, in that way you can blow dust inside the glass.

[@souvickmanna4184]

What should I do if dust is came inside viewfinder?

[@mikesphotography]

If it is bothersome enough, that's when it would be worth taking it to a specialist to get it cleaned professionally. 👍

[@PogU_4Life]

What if the dust is behind the viewfinder ?

[@mikesphotography]

Good question Paddy, if that is the case and you want to get rid of the dust, you need to take your camera into a verified repair shop to get it serviced.

[@thefaeryman]

I got the kit for cleaning sensor, but I still see the same dirt is sky shots

[@adamadamis]

Perhaps it's dust on the rear glass element of the lens?

[@thefaeryman]

@@adamadamis thought that too, but does it with all three lens I have, easier to just fix in ps, thanks though, I learn a lot from you

[@suzannemullaney3205]

Sometimes it takes a a few times before it gets clean. And there are a few steps you can take.

[@mikesphotography]

Like Suzanne said, sometimes it takes a few times before it is completely clean. It is annoying and can sometimes be quite stubborn ... I have to do mine soon as well as it's getting pretty dirty now. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@stevebergman8877]

You really need a lighted sensor loupe to do it properly. It's really hard to see all the dust without one. Even then it still takes me several swipes to get it all clean.

[@sidalimerzouk271]

I do this too , 👌🏻

[@mikesphotography]

Great to hear I'm not the only one that does it this way! Great minds think alike! 😁👍

[@christophzeidler9402]

Q-tip without a Lens cloth is totally fine.

[@GreenhornPhototaker]

Love when you bust out your Rx10.

[@mikesphotography]

Haha! Thanks very much!! It's such a great allrounder!! I had it out this morning as well when doing a sunrise shoot!! I love it for closeups of the sun!! Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@charlesnorwich5932]

Hi clean my viewfinder with a vacuum cleaner and the rest of the camera too, including the sensor 😄 you need to be careful, specially with the sensor 😄 don't touch it with your vacuum cleaner ever. If you are not a very careful person don't do it.

[@mikesphotography]

Lol ... I hope it isn't an industrial sized vacuum! I bet a small sized vacuum would work quite well with the loose bits of durst and dirt. 😁👍

[@charlesnorwich5932]

@@mikesphotography it is just a normal Dysan

[@ianrawlings2546]

Bloody funny.

[@ChrisPBacon-df3vn]

I've always cleaned my sister's with cloth and water. I guess I could try something here

[@mikesphotography]

A damp cloth will also work, as long as you don't go overboard with the water. 😁👍

[@raymondchan3587]

You should change to title to specify mirrrorless camaera viewfinder.

[@JosephGriffo-e4y]

Clean inside of viewfinder on the camera

[@ggstylz]

Of course if the inside has marks on it, you’d need to send camera away to have it dismantled for cleaning.

[@42Anthony42]

You forgot to mention that you need to apply a small amount of lens cleaning fluid to the lens cloth.

[@mikesphotography]

You don't always need to ... just if there are stubborn marks on the viewfinder.

[@Meth0z]

And here i was.. hoping this would be an actual cleaning of the viewfinder video.. :(

[@mikesphotography]

Umm... did you actually watch the video? I did clean the viewfinder showing how I do it, so I am not sure what you were actually expecting as I did exactly what I said I was doing in the title... 🤔

[@Meth0z]

@@mikesphotography I meant like cleaning the inside of the viewfinder.. I didn't know it when I wrote that message but I found the video I needed.. what I wanted was to clean the "focus screen".. which is part of the whole "viewfinder" is what's below the pentaprism and it what's actually usually dirty.. mine got dust and tiny hairs in after using an air blower on the sensor.. so I had to disassembly part of the viewfinder to get them out

[@justnoted2995]

It looks like you accidentally touched the cloth before cleaning the viewfinder lol

[@mikesphotography]

No one likes to touch cloth before the moment!! 😆

[@shibby_playz1972]

My dad took my phone to watch this

[@mikesphotography]

Haha! Did he mess up your home page results!? 😆 Tell your dad, thanks for watching! 😁👍

[@timporter8966]

My tip is cut a sensor cleaner down

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks for the tip Timmy! 👍

[@marcusdekker]

🤓

[@stuartbaines2843]

Sensorineural cleaning Swab you were using was too small it should be full width. One movement across on each side of swab. Viewfinder - just cotton buds around once each end. Microfibre method was poor. Blower before starting 👍

[@mikesphotography]

Even though I executed this so poorly in your eyes, it still resulted in a clean viewfinder ... but thanks for your feedback Stuart. 👍

[@Ry311GP]

Not sure if I can watch this very sensitive topic…..but I will try. I might un subbed if it polarizes my opinion too much. Haha

[@mikesphotography]

Is it the use of the word "Dirty" that offends you? 🤔 You crack me up dude!!! 😆😆😆

[@Ry311GP]

@@mikesphotography i can't always fan girl squeal on your comments :)

[@mikesphotography]

@@Ry311GP haha!!