Journal #7697

I hate dirty focusing screens, but also make sure it's the screen and not the entire viewfinder assembly, may have to pop out the screen and use some very light dust blower.

I can not for the life of me understand how so much shit accumulated INSIDE the viewfinder of my 850 without me ever changing the lens or exposing it to the elements.

Really, it's surprising. Makes one start to appreciate the famous weather sealing on the 7D and above.

I advice you not to clean it yourself if possible, unless you're very sure of what you're doing.

After almost 2 years since I bought my Coolpix P100(It has now advanced 2 generations(P510)), I started noticing dust particles INSiDE the lens assembly. How the fuck is that possible?! It looks tightly sealed!

[writing this from android during math class]

@Striker: that's the difference between the new, shiny, quickly-assembled lenses and a 40-year-old Carl Zeiss or Leica lens. I once had a Carl Zeiss in my hands, made in the seventies, and was still perfectly clean on the inside. Those ol' Germans knew how to make lenses.

Btw, I have a micro 4/3, so I'm not a big pro in DSLRs, but isn't it possible to blow a bit of compressed air - that you normally use to clean the inside of your PC - onto the mirror, that would go up to the viewfinder? Maybe that would save you the dissembly.

But it is still a Nikon. They praise their high quality optics.

Not really, with a DSLR the viewfinder is completely blocked by the focusing screen, best you could try to do without removing the screen is trying in vain to push the nozzle around the very thin edges, but that's like trying to pump water through a closed door's jamb.

It's really not at all difficult to disassemble it, the focusing screen just pops right out and back in, the only problem with doing so is you need an extremely clean and dust-free room or you're just going to introduce a fuckton more shit into your viewfinder assembly.

To Diso: If you're certain it's the focusing screen instead of the viewfinder assembly, I say go for it. It only takes a couple seconds to remove it and put the new on in so you're really not likely to introduce a lot of dust or dirt unless you're in the worst conditions imaginable.
Lucky you that it only costs 5$, my Rebel G would have a new screen by now but the screens cost 45 fucking dollars. Keeping in mind the Rebel G is cheap consumer shit.

@Taylor: You don't blow compressed air onto the mirror or focusing screen, for two reasons: The first being that cans of compressed air also contain things that are not air and you might be blowing moisture onto it. The second being that high-speed air + moisture + whatever else was in the can can erode the highly sensitive mirror or focusing screen.

@Crollapse: I'm almost certain it's the focusing screen. And the focusing screen is the only thing I'm cleaning. I am ABSOLUTELY NOT EVER touching the prism for ANY reason. I'd rather ship it to Canon Japan.

$45 for a focusing screen? Could it be out of production or something?

Yeah, it's an oldass camera and apparently it's not easy to find. No wonder, it's got pretty good functionality on it but it's plastic shit, with a viewfinder equally as plastic.