What's the best way to clean a fingerprint from a SLR mirror?

[E. von Hoegh]

I am amazed by the number of people who have had to remove finger prints from mirror on this thread. For almost 60 years with Nikons, Leicaflex, Pentax Hasselblad and Canon I never had the experience nor can I remember anyone who had fingerprints on mirror. I suppose it’s possible to encounter on used equipment. Doesn’t it require some conscious effort to poke finger into camera body and make a print on mirror?

Yes. The scope of ignorance is limitless. I think I've had to clean perhaps six or eight mirrors in 35mm SLRS, all on cameras that were mishandled or somehow neglected. The slrs I use, the mirrors never seem to get dirty beyond the odd speck of dust which I usually ignore.

 

[Alan Gales]

Yes. The scope of ignorance is limitless. I think I've had to clean perhaps six or eight mirrors in 35mm SLRS, all on cameras that were mishandled or somehow neglected. The slrs I use, the mirrors never seem to get dirty beyond the odd speck of dust which I usually ignore.

Yeah, I've seen dust on mirrors. Never a fingerprint though! I've sold a lot of used cameras. I just very carefully and very gently used a blower brush if there was a lot of dust. This was rare but some people must store their cameras without a lens attached or plastic cap over the lens opening.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I am amazed by the number of people who have had to remove finger prints from mirror on this thread. For almost 60 years with Nikons, Leicaflex, Pentax Hasselblad and Canon I never had the experience nor can I remember anyone who had fingerprints on mirror. I suppose it’s possible to encounter on used equipment. Doesn’t it require some conscious effort to poke finger into camera body and make a print on mirror?

Not if you have a camera with removable view screens. These things can be rather fiddly to change. I haven't managed to do it but I can see why it can happen.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

... I suppose it’s possible to encounter on used equipment. Doesn’t it require some conscious effort to poke finger into camera body and make a print on mirror?

At swap meets I see hundreds of cameras with lenses removed and laying mount-up on the tables; sometimes the cameras are just tossed into a box. No care whatsoever.

I appreciate those vendors who either keep their cameras under glass or at least use a body cap or lens with lens cap.

 

[Alan Gales]

At swap meets I see hundreds of cameras with lenses removed and laying mount-up on the tables; sometimes the cameras are just tossed into a box. No care whatsoever.

I appreciate those vendors who either keep their cameras under glass or at least use a body cap or lens with lens cap.

Yeah, I've seen that too. It's always been cheaper 35mm cameras at least. Fortunately, I've never seen any Contax's, Leica's or the better Nikon's treated that way. Still, I can't see treating any camera that way unless it's maybe a parts camera.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I am amazed by the number of people who have had to remove finger prints from mirror on this thread. For almost 60 years with Nikons, Leicaflex, Pentax Hasselblad and Canon I never had the experience nor can I remember anyone who had fingerprints on mirror. I suppose it’s possible to encounter on used equipment. Doesn’t it require some conscious effort to poke finger into camera body and make a print on mirror?

It takes a special talent for put a finger print on the mirror.

 

[MattKing]

It takes a special talent for put a finger print on the mirror.

You clearly have never changed a viewing screen on an Olympus OM or similar camera!
Or have never handed a camera to a potential customer in a camera store!

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Proper cameras provide screen access by allowing the finder to be removed.

 

[chip j]

I suppose Leica "R" cameras are not "proper", then.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

I suppose Leica "R" cameras are not "proper", then.

They're terrible. Simply terrible.

 

[guangong]

You clearly have never changed a viewing screen on an Olympus OM or similar camera!
Or have never handed a camera to a potential customer in a camera store!

Depends on the camera store and the sophistication of the customers. Know many people who once worked for a high quality camera store and I never heard them mention this as a problem.

 

[jim10219]

How about a digital sensor cleaning wipe? Either that or a microfiber cloth and some isopropyl alcohol.

I wouldn't worry too much about the mirror. First, it won't effect the image. Second, scratches, dust, or fingerprints won't really matter unless they get really bad. And third, if worse comes to worse, they're not too hard to replace. The 50/50 beam splitter mirrors in rangefinders can be tough to find, but first surface mirrors aren't too expensive or difficult to locate.

 

[Alan Gales]

Depends on the camera store and the sophistication of the customers. Know many people who once worked for a high quality camera store and I never heard them mention this as a problem.

I worked at a Venture store in the Camera and Sporting Goods Department in the 80's. Venture was similar to Target today. You had to closely watch a few of the customers with the SLR's. They had no idea how to operate them or that you don't touch mirrors or shutters. Fortunately, it was a rare occasion that I had to show one to a moron. Most people were more intelligent.

Now let's talk about the occasinal rare idiot that wanted to handle the guns I sold. "I guess it isn't possible for me to load this in the store?".

We kept our guns behind the counter or locked up in the stockroom. I believe it was a Target store here in St. Louis that had their guns locked in a rack but where customers could touch them. Once a customer loaded a shotgun with a shell and fired it off though the ceiling tiles.

 

[Billy Axeman]

After two weeks of waiting I'm so anxious to know WHAT chip j has done, and HOW he has done it, and what the RESULTS are. Has he indeed removed the FINGERPRINT from the mirror? YES! That would be fantastic! Or has he scratched it slightly, or touched the ground glass with a cotton swab, and perhaps scratched it too trying to remove it (with the wrong tool), in the process stirring up more dust and trying to blow it away with a ROCKET BLOWER, and then touching the shutter out of whack with his little pinkie because the back door was left open, and then the shutter was stuck halfway testing its workings. HECK! I don't dare to think about the consequences, please keep us updated, don't be shy we all want to help you.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

You know, you could remove the fingerprint with an oxyacetylene torch. Use a lean flame...

 

[E. von Hoegh]

They're terrible. Simply terrible.

View attachment 189017

I agree.

Tell you what, send me one of those SLs and I'll split the postage with you.

 

[MattKing]

Depends on the camera store and the sophistication of the customers. Know many people who once worked for a high quality camera store and I never heard them mention this as a problem.

I worked for a number of stores/departments when I was in retail (some full time, some part time as a student, some during the summer while attending university). They were all of "good quality" - even the ones in a department store - but I don't know whether an incident with someone accidentally depositing a finger print on a mirror would make my list of "horror stories" that needed to be shared with the world.
When you are behind the counter, you really don't have any way to gauge the "sophistication" of any customer unless and until you get to know them. Even in the most specialized of those stores, we dealt with lots of people who were inexperienced.
Even some of the "sophisticated" customers tended to the clumsy - especially when in the midst of the excitement of handling a new (to them) SLR.
And of course, there is simply bad luck, which tends to be more frequently encountered when one is handling unfamiliar equipment.

 

[chip j]

Mr.Axeman, I've been too busy selling & shipping my G1 outfit & dealing w/numerous other photo and audio issues to hit the mirror yet, (plus I sleep most of the day due to my many pills), but will post on what happens w/it. Thanks, Chip

 

[Sirius Glass]

I suppose Leica "R" cameras are not "proper", then.

They're terrible. Simply terrible.

View attachment 189017

Gee I would not have rated them that high.

 

[chip j]

HA!!

 

[chip j]

YEA! Cleaned the fingerprint completely off w/ the soaked paper towel/isopropyl alcohol method. Used a little too much alcohol which left a slight haze, but I gently polished that off w/a cotton ball held by tweezers. Also replaced the foam seals, another first for me. Thanks, everyone!

 

[OlyMan]

Good work. I always did think some replies here weren't half making a mountain out of a molehill. You were only wanting to know how to remove a finger print off a camera mirror, not how to perform a triple heart bypass on an ant. Beyond using basic common sense it takes a special kind of person to completely screw it up.

 

[Sirius Glass]

YEA! Cleaned the fingerprint completely off w/ the soaked paper towel/isopropyl alcohol method. Used a little too much alcohol which left a slight haze, but I gently polished that off w/a cotton ball held by tweezers. Also replaced the foam seals, another first for me. Thanks, everyone!

It is good to see that your got your money's worth from your APUG Photrio subscription.

 

[chip j]

Yes, I sold quite a bit of stuff here on APUG, so my subscription has paid for itself. Running ou of things to sell, though.