Dust in my pictures and on the mirror

Jojellybean

First, I have a huge speck of dust when I look through the viewfinder, but it's not in the picture.

I have this speck of dust and dirt, and it's not going away.

Thanks, God Bless.

bruto

If it's in the viewfinder but not on the picture (a good thing) the dust is probably on the mirror, or above the mirror on the focusing screen. Be very, very careful cleaning the mirror or the bottom of the viewfinder screen, both of which are very easy to scratch. If you can see dust, try flicking it off with a soft brush. Viewfinder dust, while a big annoyance, does not affect the image, since the mirror flips out of the way when you pull the trigger.

The viewfinder mirror is a "front surface" mirror, so when you touch the mirror you are touching the coating (easy to scratch).

Most sources I've seen recommend against canned air for this job, because it can blow dirt deep into the camera. Better a flaw in the viewfinder than inside where the temperamental Nikon pixies live.

ohyeahar

Is the dust just on the viewfinder? If it’s on the outside of the viewfinder, remove the eyepiece and you should be able to just wipe it off with a q-tip or something. If it’s on the inside, then you’re out of luck.

Is the dust on the mirror? Can you see it when you unmount the lens and look at the mirror itself? Try using an air blower.

I’ve read an interesting way to get dust off the mirror which is to use a static-charged q-tip to lift the dust off the mirror. Get a clean and dry q-tip. Charge it by rubbing it on your shirt. Then hover it close to the dust on your mirror. Don’t think this would work if you’re in a humid environment though.

If you search online for “how to clean dslr mirror”, there’s a lot of tutorials. If you don’t feel comfortable with them, you’ll have to send it in to Nikon for servicing, or you can just leave it since it doesn’t really affect your images.