D50 viewfinder scratched, help!

I was cleaning the sensor of my D50 when I somehow managed to scratch
the glass directly above it which ( I think) is the viewfinder. I still
dont know how this happened, but but it happened. Now, when I look
through the viewfinder, I can see those marks clearly, but they DO NOT
appear on the picture that the camera takes, which is a HUGE relief.

Does anyone know how what I can do to fix this, how serious teh damage
will be and what t might cost to fix it? Since this does not impact the
pictures, I am in no hurry, but I do feel uneasy knowing that my
beautiful toy is damaged,

Thanks!

In article .com,
wrote:

but I do feel uneasy knowing that my
beautiful toy is damaged,


Not to sound cold but get over it. It was made to be used and now
it most certainly is. It used to be that film cameras had a life
expectancy of 20 years, now its six months. Just be glad you
didn't scratch the sensor. I gave up trying to clean sensors after the
first unsuccessful attempts and 40$ worth of swabs now I send the
cameras back to Nikon Its worth 200 a year to have them deal with it.
--
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President,
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong,
is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable
to the American public."--Theodore Roosevelt, May 7, 1918

greg_____photo(dot)com

wrote:
I was cleaning the sensor of my D50 when I somehow managed to scratch
the glass directly above it which ( I think) is the viewfinder. I still
dont know how this happened, but but it happened. Now, when I look
through the viewfinder, I can see those marks clearly, but they DO NOT
appear on the picture that the camera takes, which is a HUGE relief.

Does anyone know how what I can do to fix this, how serious teh damage
will be and what t might cost to fix it? Since this does not impact the
pictures, I am in no hurry, but I do feel uneasy knowing that my
beautiful toy is damaged,

You can get custom replacement focus screens for a D70 for about $100,
not sure if that would fit a D50 but I wouldn't worry about it & would
just live with the scratch.

Little Green Eyed Dragon wrote:
In article .com,
wrote:


but I do feel uneasy knowing that my
beautiful toy is damaged,



Not to sound cold but get over it.

Yeah, I would say just get used to it, too. Sounds like you he
scratched the focusing screen. The focusing screen on the Digital Rebel
that I sold to my friend was pretty thrashed due to my poking around
around in it after buying a Rebel XT but he didn't mind. After a couple
of days of use he doesn't even notice it any more.

Greg
--
"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 11:25:04 -0800, Paul Furman
wrote:

wrote:
I was cleaning the sensor of my D50 when I somehow managed to scratch
the glass directly above it which ( I think) is the viewfinder. I still
dont know how this happened, but but it happened. Now, when I look
through the viewfinder, I can see those marks clearly, but they DO NOT
appear on the picture that the camera takes, which is a HUGE relief.

Does anyone know how what I can do to fix this, how serious teh damage
will be and what t might cost to fix it? Since this does not impact the
pictures, I am in no hurry, but I do feel uneasy knowing that my
beautiful toy is damaged,

You can get custom replacement focus screens for a D70 for about $100,
not sure if that would fit a D50 but I wouldn't worry about it & would
just live with the scratch.

Is the screen glass or plastic? $100 for a screen? At that kind of
price you'd think the whole camera should have cost $9000.
-Rich

Rich wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 11:25:04 -0800, Paul Furman
wrote:


wrote:

I was cleaning the sensor of my D50 when I somehow managed to scratch
the glass directly above it which ( I think) is the viewfinder. I still
dont know how this happened, but but it happened. Now, when I look
through the viewfinder, I can see those marks clearly, but they DO NOT
appear on the picture that the camera takes, which is a HUGE relief.

Does anyone know how what I can do to fix this, how serious teh damage
will be and what t might cost to fix it? Since this does not impact the
pictures, I am in no hurry, but I do feel uneasy knowing that my
beautiful toy is damaged,

You can get custom replacement focus screens for a D70 for about $100,
not sure if that would fit a D50 but I wouldn't worry about it & would
just live with the scratch.


Is the screen glass or plastic? $100 for a screen? At that kind of
price you'd think the whole camera should have cost $9000.
-Rich

I don't know, includes a split screen focus aid:
http://www.katzeyeoptics.com

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 14:38:33 -0800, Paul Furman
wrote:

Rich wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 11:25:04 -0800, Paul Furman
wrote:


wrote:

I was cleaning the sensor of my D50 when I somehow managed to scratch
the glass directly above it which ( I think) is the viewfinder. I still
dont know how this happened, but but it happened. Now, when I look
through the viewfinder, I can see those marks clearly, but they DO NOT
appear on the picture that the camera takes, which is a HUGE relief.

Does anyone know how what I can do to fix this, how serious teh damage
will be and what t might cost to fix it? Since this does not impact the
pictures, I am in no hurry, but I do feel uneasy knowing that my
beautiful toy is damaged,

You can get custom replacement focus screens for a D70 for about $100,
not sure if that would fit a D50 but I wouldn't worry about it & would
just live with the scratch.


Is the screen glass or plastic? $100 for a screen? At that kind of
price you'd think the whole camera should have cost $9000.
-Rich

I don't know, includes a split screen focus aid:
http://www.katzeyeoptics.com

It is an interesting aftermarket product. Like the old Beattie
"Intensescreens." I wonder what happened to the mainstream providers
like Canon, etc? I remember Olympus had something like 10-14 screens
for their SLRs.
-Rich

Little Green Eyed Dragon wrote:
It used to be that film cameras had a life
expectancy of 20 years, now its six months.

If your film or digital cameras die after 6 months, you are doing
something quite wrong.

-Wolfgang

In article ,
Wolfgang Weisselberg wrote:

Little Green Eyed Dragon wrote:
It used to be that film cameras had a life
expectancy of 20 years, now its six months.

If your film or digital cameras die after 6 months, you are doing
something quite wrong.

-Wolfgang

That was not the implication, the implication is
that the manufacturers obsolete the equipment
on a very shorter order.



--
Would thou choose to meet a rat eating dragon, or
a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere
in the middle. "Me who is part taoist and part Christian".

In oups.com,
scribed:
I was cleaning the sensor of my D50 when I somehow managed to scratch
the glass directly above it which ( I think) is the viewfinder. I still
dont know how this happened, but but it happened. Now, when I look
through the viewfinder, I can see those marks clearly, but they DO NOT
appear on the picture that the camera takes, which is a HUGE relief.

Does anyone know how what I can do to fix this, how serious teh damage
will be and what t might cost to fix it? Since this does not impact the
pictures, I am in no hurry, but I do feel uneasy knowing that my
beautiful toy is damaged,

Thanks!

Are you sure you scratched it and not just smeared it?
Does it resemble this at all? (Top right pic on that page)
http://www.cameralabs.com/workshops/dslr_dust/

Nigel