View finder has specs

Is there any way to clean your inner viewfinder? I have some specs that I can't get rid of from really dusty conditions. It seems like they can't be removed from the lower lens or they are inbetween the layers. My sensor is spotless and the textured lower part of the view finder cant seem to come clean Thanks friends.

If your lucky your focus screen is dusty, dust can also reside between the focus screen and the screen with the 9 points/circle or ........its in the pentaprism area.

After you unclip the focus screen you'll have access to the SI plate. To remove the plate you unscrew 2 philips screws. The SI plate is on top and the below it is the retaining bracket (clip for focus screen access door and 2 tabs that retain the shim that holds the "screen with 9 points and circle".There are shims between the focus screen and other screen.

After all that is removed your in the area where dust has accumulated. I used a rocket blower and its was useless. I took apart the camera again and used "dust off" keeping the can upright. Blew that area and every spec of dust in the viewfinder was gone.

I could have had it done by canon under warranty but I do not trust Canada's Mississauga's Canon Sun camera "authorized" monkeys.

I dont recommend doing it yourself. If you send it to Canon they will do the same as I did.

Its not difficult if you can handle small parts.Even if you mix the parts up (the viewfinder focus won't match the AF) its not hard to rearrange them 'till its right.
Just one word of warning -don't be tempted to use any cleaning fluid on the screen as this will almost certainly leave permanent swirl marks!

If it doesn't affect your photos, maybe just leave it as it is. But if it really distracts you, I think it might be better to send it to Canon service center than you DIY. Just my two cents.

Cheers!

Captain Kimo

I don't know where you are, but Canon service in New Jersey is superb. Don't know what the UPS charges would be, but it's better than screwing up your camera and then having to send it in.

did you try using a blower? that happened to me before, but i just used my air blower on the inside of the camera and it was fine after.

Well I took it apart and was pretty shocked on how easy it was to service. One thing that was tough was getting everything lint free when I put it back together. I used a can of dust free to blow everything off after it was cleaned. Its a lot better than it was, but I still have few specs. This really makes you appreciate having a perfectly clean view. I removed the focus screen and the, I think it called the SI plate? ...the one with the focus dots. Anyway there is another element above that I would like to clean. It seems q-tips do more harm than good with leaving fuzz behind. Anyone use any solution or cleaning tool to handle this? Man, cleaning the sensor is a joke compared to trying to get the viewfinder 100%