I accidently touched the mirror :(

It should be fine. Just remember that the mirror isn't the sensor. I managed to get the mirror (and some of the pentaprism) covered in mud and rain one time and I just wiped it off.

If it's particularly dirty, just get a light cleaning solution like lens cleaning fluid and try to clean it up a bit.


The only concern may be the accuracy of the focusing. I'm honestly not certain how DSLRs actually focus, but because visibility is maintained through the viewfinder while it happens, I can only assume the mirror and pentaprism (certainly the mirror) are important in this process. The cleanliness of the mirror must affect the quality of the light going to the focus points. If images are going out of focus, it may be worth really checking that it's super clean. At that stage I would take it to a shop for a thorough cleaning if you can't do it at home.

What on earth were you doing to get mud and rain inside your camera!?!

ok, thx for the replies i'll make sure to invest in one of those too.

I honestly have no idea. I shooting a track day event outside, which explains the rain. A while later I started noticing smudges in the view finder and the pentaprism was dirty. The mist had condensed inside the camera too.

I'm quite impressed because I was changing lenses under a cover and I usually take great care of them.

Having been to a few motorsport events I get how rain could be a factor. You sure it was actual mud? Or just specs of dust/dirt (I'm visualising a great clump of mud right now)? Was the camera new when you got it?

If you ever shoot at night, don't put your camera away and expect to use it straight away the next day if its sunny. Absolute nightmare conditions for condensation

On most DSLRs there is a setting so you can lock the mirror for cleaning. If you can see marks through the viewfinder (first check that the marks aren't on the viewfinder or lens) lock the mirror and use a lens cleaning pens to clean it