Robert wrote in V4#305:
> I'm told it's unwise to clean the mirror or the screen but the Nikon
> rapair place in my area said just the opposite. I'm willing to bet
> that the mirror on the F5 can take a lot of punishment.
Dear Robert,
I'm really surprised by what your (authorized??) Nikon repair person
told you. You are a big gambler or a braver man than I. I've always
read and heard that the mirror on an SLR is VERY DELICATE, that the
"silvering" is directly ON the glass, making it EASY to scratch. From
personal experience, I found this to be true on my F2 a long time ago.
Maybe the F5 is different... but I'm not willing to try. Besides, a
little dirt on the mirror will not affect the brightness of your
veiwfinder noticeably.
On the other hand, even if you gouge out your camera's mirror while
cleaning, the scar will not show up on your negatives.
So, if you want to experiment, go ahaead and let us know your results.
More likely, dirt seen thru the viewfinder is on the focusing screen
which can be gently blown off or brushed off. You can easily remove the
screen for cleaning yourself.
