Is a few specks (two) of dust in viewfinder normal for a new 5dmkii?

[BigSky20]

I just bought a new canon 5d mk ii and it came with two specks of dust in the viewfinder. I know DSLRs are prone to dust, but I did not expect a couple out of the gate. Did anybody else have a similar experience? If so, did you learn to live with them or exchange for a new one?

It sure does take awesome pics though!

 

[hanschien]

I just bought a new canon 5d mk ii and it came with two specks of dust in the viewfinder. I know DSLRs are prone to dust, but I did not expect a couple out of the gate. Did anybody else have a similar experience? If so, did you learn to live with them or exchange for a new one?

It sure does take awesome pics though!

If you still see specks of dust after swapping to a different lens, the dust is most likely on the mirror mechanism and will not show up in your pictures.

 

[zachsilvey]

It could just be dust on the mirror, it probably got there during lens change. If you have an air blower you could gently blow air on the mirror and see if you can dislodge the dust just make sure you don't do it in a dusty environment otherwise you are just going to introduce more dust. To be completely honest a speck or two of dust in the viewfinder really isn't a big deal at all.

 

[BigSky20]

Thank you. I will try a blower. Really annoying that a $2800 camera comes with dust in the viewfinder.

 

[fiercetiger224]

The dust is either on the mirror or the focus screen. Make sure when you blow it with a blower that you don't accidently touch the focus screen, as you can scratch it. You'll have to live with the dust specks on your 5DII.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Hmmm...are you sure the dust isn't on the viewfinder's glass? I am not certain about your camera, but I can remove the eyepiece and easily dust-off the glass with a lens brush. Never use pressurized air; a lens brush that includes a rubber bulb to blow air on the glass may do the trick.

 

[fiercetiger224]

Hmmm...are you sure the dust isn't on the viewfinder's glass? I am not certain about your camera, but I can remove the eyepiece and easily dust-off the glass with a lens brush. Never use pressurized air; a lens brush that includes a rubber bulb to blow air on the glass may do the trick.

No it's not the viewfinder's glass. Full-frame camera's are more prone to displaying dust from the mirror/focus screen, due to the viewfinder being bigger due to wider coverage.

On my first week with my 5DII, it was dust free. The week after when I started changing lenses like crazy, I gathered a few dust specs. I thought I had gotten dust in the viewfinder, so I cleaned it and no change...Someone with a 5D told me it could be the mirror and/or focus screen, so I go out and buy a blower, and blow the inside out. And guess what? I accidently scratch my focus screen on the first blow, and you could see it in the viewfinder! I was freaking out naturally, but found out that the focus screen could be switched out. I got rid of some of the dust in the process though.

I ended up grabbing a new grid-line focus screen for the camera, and it's been awesome. Much better than the stock focus screen.

 

[Ruahrc]

Well I'd say it's more the fact that dust on the viewfinder glass is not what your eye is focusing on when looking through the VF thus you don't really see it, whereas dust on the mirror/focus screen is projected in focus into the viewfinder therefore its easy to spot.

The only inherent disadvantage that FF mirrors/viewfinders have over crop bodies is the increased probability of attracting dust onto a physically larger mirror.

P.S. how do you scratch your focus screen? I have brushed dust off my D80 mirror and focus screen many times using a soft lenspen brush and never had a problem...

 

[fiercetiger224]

Well I'd say it's more the fact that dust on the viewfinder glass is not what your eye is focusing on when looking through the VF thus you don't really see it, whereas dust on the mirror/focus screen is projected in focus into the viewfinder therefore its easy to spot.

The only inherent disadvantage that FF mirrors/viewfinders have over crop bodies is the increased probability of attracting dust onto a physically larger mirror.

P.S. how do you scratch your focus screen? I have brushed dust off my D80 mirror and focus screen many times using a soft lenspen brush and never had a problem...

Scratched it by poking in the blower too far into the camera, and accidently hit the edge of the blower tube on the focus screen. Oh well, at least it made me get a better focus screen.