# Dirt inside viewfinder prism box.



## Cheekysascha (Jun 30, 2016)

Hey everyone, so all 3 of my cameras ( 2 1dx and 5ds) have managed to get dirt inside the viewfinder box, and I i've brought it to CPS but was told they would need to take apart the entire camera and was wondering if it's common to get this problem? I owned two 5d mark 3's before this and never had this problem, and I used to switch lenses ALOT back then compared to now where I barely take off my 24mm 1.4 ii prime off the 5ds etc..


I know the 1DX is supposed to have problems with sensor dirt but I never heard of dirt/dust problems inside the viewfinder.

Does anyone else get dirt/dust in their camera viewfinders?


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## j-nord (Jun 30, 2016)

I believe I have some in my 6D.


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## rfdesigner (Jun 30, 2016)

If you have a removable focus screen then dirt can get between te focus screen and the prism. The screen can be removed and a blower used to eject the dust. But only use a proper tool to remove the screen otherwise you risk damaging it.

I've replaced my focus screen for a Eg-S fine ground one, so I know there's a potential gap there, and I do have dirt trapped in that spot on my old 30D.

I'm not sure if either the 1DX or the 5Ds have removable focus screens.


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## bgateb (Jun 30, 2016)

One of my older 5D3's had some small specks of dust in the prism box (probably blown up there with the rocket blower over time) -- it doesn't have a user-removable focusing screen like the older bodies (and i'd suspect it's the same case with the 1DX and 5Ds) -- I had to send it off to Canon to get cleaned.


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## tolusina (Jun 30, 2016)

j-nord said:


> I believe I have some in my 6D.


Focusing screen replacement;
https://youtu.be/EiifCxqZPD4?t=4m


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jun 30, 2016)

Its common, I'm not sure if my 5D MK III has any, but Its annoying until you learn to ignore it.


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 1, 2016)

tolusina said:


> j-nord said:
> 
> 
> > I believe I have some in my 6D.
> ...



Possibly. However, sometimes the dust particles work their way up into the prism housing, and replacing the focusing screen is ineffective. 

If the dust is 'sharp', i.e. in focus, it's probably on one side of the focusing screen or the other (or immediately behind the eyepiece). It it's somewhat OOF, it's more likely up in the housing, meaning the prism housing has to be disassembled to clean it, which is not an easy – or cheap – process (IIRC, some people with dust up there while in warranty reported that Canon just replaced the prism assembly rather than cleaning it).


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 1, 2016)

neuroanatomist said:


> tolusina said:
> 
> 
> > j-nord said:
> ...



The dust gets above the prism. Some think its above the focus screen or on it until cleaning or replacing the focus screen does not work. 

I have a copy of the canon service manual for the original 5D. There are two small holes that can be accessed which are used to blow out dust from that area. You have to do a lot of disassembly to get to them. I don't know if those holes were kept in the design of later models.

A screen shot of the diagram is attached. As you can see, there is not much left to disassemble. The cleaning holes have blue circles around them.


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## arthurbikemad (Jul 1, 2016)

Took mine apart  thought I'd give her a clean up over lunch 







Tell you what, I have worked with all sorts of electronics in the last 30 years, since I were a lad. Phones, laptops, welders you name it, BUT.... if you want to see where your money goes when you buy a DSLR take one apart!

For me they are the most complex electronic/mechanical device I have ever worked with, each section is relatively simple, mirror box, shutter, card unit and so on but bringing it all together...well! Lets just say the fixings alone take some time to remove, next time you pay for a service or repair you may well have a different opinion of what value for money is after you have done a few yourself.

My old Nikon, 500,000 shutter clicks and the old girl had enough:-




You get great value when you buy a DSLR imo.









Oh, and I shoot Canon now lol


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## Hector1970 (Jul 1, 2016)

I have this in my 5D3 and my 5DSR.
I was surprised how fast it happened with the 5DSR.
I was hoping it might be a simple fix but appears not. Is it using a blower drives the dust up there.


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## Zv (Jul 1, 2016)

I had two small insects inside my viewfinder (freaked me out a little at first!) and wasn't quite sure exactly where they were so I removed the focusing screen and gave it a little blowing via rocket blower. Got rid of the bugs but now I have two or three black blobs in the viewfinder instead and no amount of blowing makes it better. 

The blobs are really annoying but reading this thread I think it's best if I leave it. Was going to take it in for cleaning but if it is inside the prism box, which I suspect it is, then it sounds like an unnecessary and expensive cleaning job. 

Curse those little insects! A camera is no place for bugs!!


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## arthurbikemad (Jul 1, 2016)

Zv said:


> *I had two small insects inside my viewfinder*
> 
> Curse those little insects! A camera is no place for bugs!!



You say that I had one inside my display (PC LCD)! It had somehow got between the layers of LCD and the illumination, turns out it was a tiny thunderfly, was crawling around in there for a few days before OCD got the better of me and I removed him!




Here he is inside the display!




Here he is on the end of my pick tool! TINY!

Personally the one place I would not use a blower is inside the camera, it is amazing how a spec of dust can be FIXED by static or tiny abrasions that will hold it firm for years, the blower blasts them all over the place, I have a TINY hose that connects to a vacuum that can be used to remove small specs of dust, its my OCD that drives me to remove things like the fly inside my LCD, if you can live with them then perhaps you can avoid making things worse by trying to remove them, dust is every where, its taken me a long time to learn to live with it in regards to my camera gear. Not that I have any


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## Zv (Jul 1, 2016)

arthurbikemad said:


> Zv said:
> 
> 
> > *I had two small insects inside my viewfinder*
> ...



I can live with it, it's just distracting as the it's the same size as one of the AF points. I knew the moment I removed my focusing screen there would be something that would get stuck on it. Just so annoying that it was so perfectly clean before and now it just looks horrible. I'm a bit of a clean freak (possible beginnings of OCD, my mother has it ... but I'm getting OT now ...) so I know how you feel. I probably would have torn that LCD screen apart too! 

Tiny vacuum hose you say? I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought of doing something similar but was too afraid to try it. I tend to make things worse when I try to fix them!


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## lion rock (Jul 1, 2016)

Kind of an expensive lunch, don't you think?
Hope the taste was every bit good!

Yes, disassembly is always easy. Re-assembling is difficult, having too many left over parts,  :-[ ???.
-r



arthurbikemad said:


> Took mine apart  thought I'd give her a clean up over lunch
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Cheekysascha (Jul 1, 2016)

Hector1970 said:


> I have this in my 5D3 and my 5DSR.
> I was surprised how fast it happened with the 5DSR.
> I was hoping it might be a simple fix but appears not. Is it using a blower drives the dust up there.



Maybe it's a fault in the 5DS/R line or something they changed, my 5DS has dirt up there the day after I bought it and took it out of the box :/


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## Cheekysascha (Jul 1, 2016)

neuroanatomist said:


> tolusina said:
> 
> 
> > j-nord said:
> ...




Yeah it's out of focus for mine, guess it's inside the housing then, at least it won't effect image quality it's just annoying to see it in there I guess :/


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## Valvebounce (Jul 2, 2016)

Hi lion rock. 
I feel you need enlightening on this subject, these bits are not left over, at wort they are saved, you have proved that they are not needed, therefore you are better at this (whatever this may be, camera, car, etc) than the manufacturer, you have reduced weight and cost in one fell swoop. ;D ;D ;D 8)

Cheers, Graham. 



lion rock said:


> Yes, disassembly is always easy. Re-assembling is difficult, having too many left over parts,  :-[ ???.
> -r


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## lion rock (Jul 2, 2016)

Dear Graham,
I am enlightened. Most certainly, the reduced weight and the lessened mechanical parts wil make it easier to carry and function better. Now why can't I think of that? :  ;D
Thanks for making me happier.
-r


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## R1-7D (Jul 3, 2016)

Cheekysascha said:


> Hey everyone, so all 3 of my cameras ( 2 1dx and 5ds) have managed to get dirt inside the viewfinder box, and I i've brought it to CPS but was told they would need to take apart the entire camera and was wondering if it's common to get this problem? I owned two 5d mark 3's before this and never had this problem, and I used to switch lenses ALOT back then compared to now where I barely take off my 24mm 1.4 ii prime off the 5ds etc..
> 
> 
> I know the 1DX is supposed to have problems with sensor dirt but I never heard of dirt/dust problems inside the viewfinder.
> ...




Dust in viewfinders on modern Canon cameras is just a facet of life, unfortunately. I've had two 1D X's and both developed dust in the viewfinder. The first 1D X was so bad that I had to send it to Canon because it threw so much junk in the viewfinder it looked like heavy vignetting in the corners. I don't know whether it was oil splatter or if it was something wearing internally. Canon ended up replacing the whole pentaprism under warranty, an $800 repair. Later Canon replaced the whole camera for various other reasons.

The second 1D X also developed a few black specks over time, but it was no where as bad as the first camera. 

If the dust you see in the viewfinder (with the battery installed) is slightly greyish and not well-defined (kind of like a light grey blur), then the dust is simply on the bottom of the focusing screen. Take the screen out and blow some air on it from a rocket blower.

If you pull the battery out of your cameras and look through the viewfinder and see well-defined black specks then the dust is actually inside of the pentaprism and there's nothing you can do about it. 

If you see really well defined black specks while the battery is still in the camera and providing enough electrical current to illuminate the superimposed plate, then the dust is either on the bottom of the pentaprism or it's on the top side of the focusing screen. On your 1D X's you could try taking out the focus screen and giving the focusing screen a few puffs of air. That might do the trick; if it doesn't, then you're out of luck unless you want to have the whole camera taken apart. I assure you, it's not worth it. Even if you do send it to Canon for such a cleaning, it will still come back with dust in there, or it might come back even worse. Again, trust me, life is too short... What ever you do, do not blow any air inside the camera to try and remove the dust. It just moves it around or adds more. 

My 1D X Mark II shipped with one black spec inside the pentaprism (I can see it with the battery out), and it's since developed four other tiny spots on either the top-side of the focus screen, or the bottom of the pentaprism that I can see in really bright light (but not if the battery is out). 

I'm currently renting a 5DSr for Canada Day long weekend and the unit I received also has a ton of black spots in the pentaprism. 

Like I said, it's just a facet of life. Ignore it. It doesn't affect the image quality. I'm a perfectionist and it used to concern me because I take really good care of my gear. Now I don't care because it's out of my control. Just enjoy taking photos.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 3, 2016)

BTW, DSLR's are not the first to have dust in the viewfinder. I have a collection of about 50 film SLR's, most have dust as well. I can clean my old Nikon F with the removable finder.

Even worse were the old TLR's, and cameras like the Hasselblads where dust can accumulate everywhere.
The problem is solved entirely with my G1X II


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