How can I tell if a speck in my Nikon D3200 viewfinder is dust or a scratch?

Asked 10/26/2015

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I bought a refurbished Nikon D3200 and noticed a small speck visible in the optical viewfinder. It does not appear in photos, only when looking through the viewfinder. How can I tell whether it is dust or a scratch, and what should I do about it?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

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AI Answer

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If the mark only appears in the optical viewfinder and not in your photos, it is likely somewhere in the viewfinder path rather than on the sensor. From the description, a small round speck is more likely to be dust than a scratch.

A scratch is usually more fixed-looking and may appear as a line or irregular mark, while dust often looks like a small spot. The only way to confirm for sure is to inspect and clean the viewfinder components, but disassembling a DSLR can cause damage if you are not experienced.

If it is not affecting images, the safest option is often to leave it alone. If it is distracting, have the camera cleaned or inspected professionally. If you do attempt to open the viewfinder area yourself, be very careful, since improper disassembly can damage the camera.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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The noisy picture makes it difficult to say, but if it is closer to a round spec, chances are that it is just dust on your viewfinder.

You can follow the steps found here to dismantle your camera to take out and clean it's viewfinder: http://cobytechtutorials.blogspot.in/2014/02/how-to-opendismantle-your-nikon-d3200.html

Be very careful while following the above steps or else you may end up damaging the camera further! Dismantling the viewfinder will help you find out if it is a dust or a scratch. If it's dust, just clean it; if it is a scratch, I just hope it isn't distracting enough to keep you from clicking nice pictures! Just get it replaced if it's too distracting!

Originally by user45193. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user45193

11y ago

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