SLR CAMERA MIRRORS

[trev]

ANYONE KNOW THE BEST WAY TO CLEAN MIRRORS ON 35MM SLR CAMERAS?

[peterqd]

Very gently, because the silvering is on the top surface and scratches easily.

I clean mirrors the same way as focus screens:

1 A very soft dusting with squirrel-hair artist's paintbrush with the end of the vacuum cleaner hose close by. Often this is all that's required.

2 Wipe away any greasy marks and smears with a tiny piece of micro-fibre cloth (PecPads) dampened with a drop of Eclipse lens fluid. Use the cloth surface for one wipe only and then fold over. Allow surface to dry (2 seconds). Keep wiping until all smears and residue disappears. Use plastic tweezers or cover metal ends with electrical tape.

[themoleman342]

Distilled water and q-tip. Optical cleaning solutions tend to be too abrasive. And while micro-fiber is preferable, I've never found one that doesn't leave unsatisfactory smear marks.

But the collective wisdom of the camera community is right, don't touch it until you absolutely have to.

[trev]

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll leave well enough alone, the mirror isnt badly stained just looks like someone has spat on it