APS-C sensor swab for cleaning film cameras

Robin Guymer · May 29, 2017

I have tried a few different ways to clean the mirror, viewfinder and prism mirrors on my old cameras with varying results. Purchased a pack of these APS-C sensor swabs for the digital back on my Nikon FE as the sensor gets a lot of dust on it so close to the shutter of the FE. So test tried a new swab on an old dusty Minolta MG1. It cleaned the mirror to perfection, removes all the dust spots on both sides of the viewfinder and cleaned up the prism mirrors with no damage at all. Have since used it on my other better quality SLR cameras and found it works a treat. Once finished with the internals, the swab is excellent for cleaning the external as it removes grime from those hard to get to crevices & between dials.

What other methods do you find useful for cleaning the mirror & viewfinder & prism internals?

AgX · May 29, 2017

I use wet patches cut from a folded soft paper tissue.

Oanh Dang · Jul 9, 2017

Hey guys. Im a new member. I just bought a film camera, its Minolta Srt201. I want to ask how to clean the sensor. Since there're a couple of dusty dots and i tried to use a Q-tips to clean but they're still there. Does anyone know how to get rid of those dots? Thank you so much.

fdonadio · Jul 9, 2017

Welcome to APUG! What do you mean by "clean the sensor"?

Oanh Dang · Jul 9, 2017

As i am taking pictures, there're a couple of dirty dots when i look through the viewfinder. I tried to clean both the mirror (is it the sensor?) and the viewfinder and everything but doesnt work. What should i do so that the dirty dots dissapear?

Truzi · Jul 9, 2017

Oanh Dang said:
Hey guys. Im a new member. I just bought a film camera, its Minolta Srt201. I want to ask how to clean the sensor. Since there're a couple of dusty dots and i tried to use a Q-tips to clean but they're still there. Does anyone know how to get rid of those dots? Thank you so much.

The mirror is not a sensor - your camera has no sensor, just film. The mirror moves out of the way to expose the film. Only you (not the film) sees what is on the mirror and/or prism (viewfinder).
The dots may be annoying, but are only a real concern if they are on the lens - and even then might not be noticeable.

Basically, you have to find out if the dots are on the lens or not.

Oanh Dang · Jul 9, 2017

I cleaned everything, in and out. But it doesnt seem to work.

Oanh Dang · Jul 9, 2017

Truzi said:
The mirror is not a sensor - your camera has no sensor, just film. The mirror moves out of the way to expose the film. Only you (not the film) sees what is on the mirror and/or prism (viewfinder).
The dots may be annoying, but are only a real concern if they are on the lens - and even then might not be noticeable.

Basically, you have to find out if the dots are on the lens or not.

Thank you for your reply. As i noticed, the dots are not on the lens. I took everything off, only the body remained and the dots are still there. I dont know what to do, its very annoying. And one more thing, i asked the old owner of the camera and he told me to clean the sensor.

MattKing · Jul 9, 2017

Welcome to APUG.
Have you searched the internet for a manual for your camera? Mike Butkus' manual site probably has one. If you download one of those (I'd suggest paying his requested donation) and familiarize yourself with the diagrams and names of the parts of your camera, it will make it easier to help you.
The "dots" are most likely dust on the ground glass viewing screen that is at the bottom of the pentaprism (above the mirror).
I don't recall, but I don't believe that your camera has user interchangeable viewing screens. So if the dust isn't on the bottom of the screen it would require partial dis-assembly of the camera - not a good idea for anyone without experience.

Truzi · Jul 9, 2017

Based on your first post, I get the impression this may be your first film camera - forgive me if I am incorrect in assuming you are new to film.

Basically, a Film SLR works the same as a Digital SLR. The digital camera has a sensor behind a shutter. The film camera instead has film. What kind of film have you loaded, or are you just testing at this point? I'm not sure why the seller would suggest cleaning the "sensor" of a film camera, unless he was unfamiliar with it himself.

Here are a couple links (again, my apologies if you know this already):
http://www.mediacollege.com/photography/camera/slr/

Since the dots are there with the lens off, the problem is either on the mirror or somewhere in the prism (viewfinder). It's also possible some of the mirror's reflective surface flaked off. You can see from the illustration in the first link, however, that those dots are likely not in the path to the film.

I know it's annoying - my 35mm SLR has a similar problem, but it does not show up on the images.
Whether the seller described it accurately is a separate issue.

Think of it like having a scratch on your smart phone's screen. It's annoying to look at, but since its not on the lens, it will not show in the pictures you take.

Oanh Dang · Jul 10, 2017

Truzi said:
Based on your first post, I get the impression this may be your first film camera - forgive me if I am incorrect in assuming you are new to film.

Basically, a Film SLR works the same as a Digital SLR. The digital camera has a sensor behind a shutter. The film camera instead has film. What kind of film have you loaded, or are you just testing at this point? I'm not sure why the seller would suggest cleaning the "sensor" of a film camera, unless he was unfamiliar with it himself.

Here are a couple links (again, my apologies if you know this already):
http://www.mediacollege.com/photography/camera/slr/

Since the dots are there with the lens off, the problem is either on the mirror or somewhere in the prism (viewfinder). It's also possible some of the mirror's reflective surface flaked off. You can see from the illustration in the first link, however, that those dots are likely not in the path to the film.

I know it's annoying - my 35mm SLR has a similar problem, but it does not show up on the images.
Whether the seller described it accurately is a separate issue.

Think of it like having a scratch on your smart phone's screen. It's annoying to look at, but since its not on the lens, it will not show in the pictures you take.

hello Truzi, you were right, im totally new to photography and wanna try a film camera since im a crazy fan of vintage stuff. Thank you for your reply. I'll look it up and try to figure out how to clean the dirty dots. As long as they do not appear on the photos, its fine. Once again thank you everyone for explaining.

APS-C sensor swab for cleaning film cameras

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