A bug in my camera...

G

George Bonanno

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Jul 7, 2006
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Really, no kidding... I was just taking pictures of a lady friend with my Nikon DSLR and I saw a small bug crawl across the screen in perfect focus. I freaked and put the camera down for the night. What I can’t figure out is was the bug crawling on the ground glass, the mirror or the rear eye piece ? And now what do I do ? Fumigate the camera or hope this little critter finds its way out ?
 
If the bug was in perfect focus I'd say s/he was on the upper surface of the focusing screen. There's no way you would see anything but a blob (if that) if was on the eyepiece or the mirror. Unfortunately the top of the focusing screen is probably the hardest place to get to unless it's of the interchangeable type. If it's still in there I'd recommend trying to release the screen catch and use a blower brush. If you fumigate the camera it's never getting out...

Good luck!
 
Take your lens off, shine a bright light into the camera, and leave it for a while. Hopefully the bug will find it's way out. I had an eyelash find it's way into the film gate once, where it put in appearance in every picture taken for a few rolls.

... no idea.
 
Maybe you could tempt it out —*in a sealed and very clean environment, take the lens off and put a bit of food in front of the mount. Leave the light on, and check back every few hours.

Though you do risk it taking bits of food back into the camera and making it its home, depending on what type of insect it is.

Alternatively, take the lens off and, in a dark room, shine a torch in front of the lens mount so that you have a spotlight. If it can see the light from inside the dark camera, it'll probably come out.
 
Interesting finding - deserving a "Biodiversity" thread if other cases are reported :)
Were you able to identify what kind of bug it was ? Could it damage the camera or interfere with the quality of the pictures ?
Regards
Joao
 
I saw a small bug moving slowly across the viewfinder in my Minolta SRT201 a few years ago. I did take the lens off and left it on a table for a day. I never saw it again, but I don't know if it left or died in there. I'm sure it didn't want to be in there either, so I agree with leaving a way for it to leave. Anyway, there's been no problem with the camera.
 
I dismantled a lazy-tongs Kodak of some sort (possibly a Jiffy 620, one I no longer have anyway) and found a dead carpet beetle larva in the viewfinder:
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/pictures/showphoto.php/photo/84778

I also have a Purma Special which had a lousy viewfinder. No, it's not a very good viewfinder, in fact it's awful, but to top it it also had a dead louse in it!

Still, at least mine were both dead...

Adrian
 
If this bug cannot be fixed with firmware update I would try fly sticker attached to the camera mount . Good luck
 
I had the pleasure of discovering a small nest of some type of disgusting mummified larvae under a shutter drum of my Graflex RB. I couldn't vacuum that crap out fast enough...
 
Thanks for the info and humor. What I’m going to do is remove the lens, memory card and battery. Then put the camera in a big gallon size Zip-Lock bag with a small piece of fly paper on the far end. Leave it under a florescent lamp for a day or two and see what happens. My fear is the bug getting into the shutter mechanism.
 
I've found bugs in leaf shutter mechs, but then they have large openings. Hope your little critter makes it out in one piece.

PF
 
It could be gone but try keeping the camera, without lens, in the bag for the next several days just to make sure.
 
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