How do I clean a vintage 1970s nikkormat slr camera?

There is a lot of dirt, dust, and hairs on the mirror and on the viewfinder. I do not have the instruction manual on how to clean it. I am a beginner photographer and have no clue and I have never cleaned a camera before.How do I clean it safely? Please help I do not like taking photos with a camera with a dirty mirror and a viewfinder because the dirt shows up when I get the film developed. I also need to have the camera ready by sunday so I can take a photo of the youth choir at church. What will I need to clean it? I have looked on the internet and I cannot find instructions. I have only found instructions on how to clean digital nikkormat cameras.

The mirror and viewfinder are only used when you compose and focus a picture. Any dirt showing up on the pictures would be from the lens.

Go to a camera store and get a lens cleaning kit. They have lint-free cloths and the proper cleaning solution. For dust on the lens, get a blower brush. Clean the front and back elements of the lens. To clean the back element, just remove the lens from the camera, then gently clean it and pop it back on.

You can also use the blower brush to blow any loose dirt out of your camera. The lens cleaning solution and cloth can also be used on the viewfinder and mirror.

Oh yes, and make sure when you clean your camera to be very careful with the shutter. It's thin, and if you poke a hole in it, it will need to be replaced. You shouldn't need to clean the shutter, so just gently blow dirt off of it, and it will be fine.

I found a website that will help! http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-35mm-Film... (Even though it shows a Canon camera, it's the same procedure with a Nikon.)

ok this is what you do u need a can of compressed air and if you do not fell comfortable about doing it find a camera shop that will do it for you

Let me start by saying that nobody advises cleaning the mirror. Also a dirty mirror will never show on the film. If you have dirt showing on film then you have a dirty lens. The lens could have dirt inside the lens. I don't recommend trying to disassemble the lens to clean it. Take it in to a camera repair shop. Let me assure you that you can clean the mirror. You must be very careful. If you put to much pressure on the mirror it will break. Get yourself a blower brush if you don't have one. Blow the inside of the camera out with the blower brush, never use compressed air or canned air. Then use the brush very lightly to remove the rest of the dust. If you have a very light touch you can then use lens cleaner and tissue to clean the mirror. Make sure no big particles are on the mirror before using the tissue. The mirror scratches very easy. Don't try to clean the mirror very often, it was not designed or thought to be cleaned. Always keep a lens or body cap on the camera at all times. If you need a manual try this link. http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/har...

In a camera of this age, it is likely that the interior foam is also long past due for replacement, to the point of disintegrating.

That may be the source of a lot of the "dirt".

I would not advise using canned air. Only use a blower brush inside the mirror box.

As stated before, dirty mirror and viewing screens will only affect the image through the finder, not the image on film.

Dust on the mirror or viewfinder will not affect the image quality for the vast majority of film cameras. The mirror is lifted out of the optical path when you take a photo, and there are only the lens elements in the optical path. So what is important is that the lens itself is clean, and you can do this safely with a soft brush, suitable soft cloth or lens tissue, and lens cleaning solution. A blower would be handy, because it does not touch the lens surface, but a clean brush would still be okay.

You can used canned air, but there are risks. All the advice I have ever seen is NOT to use canned air on the mirror or focussing screen. The major issue I find is getting small amounts of the propellant smearing onto the surface being cleaned. This then has to be cleaned away, and for optical surfaces, you are then no better off than you were when you started.

Remember that the mirror has the reflective surface coated on the top surface and it is unprotected from scratching, etc if you try and clean it. If you need to, use a cotton bud or something similar and work very, very carefully with as little pressure as possible.

See the link below as well. It is about digital cameras, but other than some specific advice about storage media, the rest of the advice applies to film cameras too.

Dirt on the mirror and viewfinder will not show up on the film.

Leave it alone, use it as is on Sunday, then take it to a reputable camera repair shop and have them look at it.