Viewfinder off center

heatherbc11

I need help.. I have tried finding my answer online with no luck..
when I look through my viewfinder and take a picture- the image is totally off center when I go to view it.
If I use the screen to take the photo it turns out totally normal.
The images are off center to the left and cut off if I use the viewfinder.

bruto

That sounds like a job for repair. If the image is OK with live view that pretty much isolates the problem to the viewfinder. But make sure that the image you're seeing in Live view is evenly focused and not distorted. If the lens itself is not skewed, I'm guessing either a mirror or a focusing screen issue. Is it possible the camera was dropped? If you have access to a second lens, I'd try that first, so as to eliminate all possibility that it's an off center lens.

I'm assuming for starters that when you look through the viewfinder there is no obvious distortion there, that you can see the whole screen, and read the information at the bottom, so the problem is not in the external viewfinder window.

For starters I'd take the lens off and look into the camera. You should see the mirror in its down position, and its bottom edge should be level with the rest of the camera. Above that you'll see the focusing screen, and that should also sit snugly, straight. If you switch to manual mode and turn the camera on, then activate the Live View, the mirror should flip up, and when it's up it should be basically invisible, with no odd angles.

In theory the focusing screen can be removed and if it's crooked perhaps put in straight, but I'm not sure just how the attachments look.

If you don't see anything odd in the mirror or screen, I'm guessing that the prism itself has become damaged or dislodged.

It's difficult to take a picture of this, but here, if the link works, should be one of the inside of a D3200. At the bottom you'll see the leading edge of the mirror. It is not supported but sits evenly. At the top just below the electrical contacts you'll see the focusing screen, surrounded by a foam strip. When the mirror is up, its leading edge will be against the foam, and the sensor will be exposed.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0iuedcao56ptpsv/d3200 mirror box.jpg?dl=0