You may ask yourself why you would need to use one of these when you could just as easily use a can of compressed air or a simple air pump. The first answer is that compressed air is normally too powerful, and even when used gently there is a chance of residue spray. A tiny drop of residue on the Viewfinder Screen or the Mirror could be irreversible. As for an air pump the design of the Rocket Air Blaster is the key. The unique design allows for blowing without forward suction, instead the suction occurs at the rear. This way the camera internals and dust particles are never sucked into the pump.

All it took were a few pumps of air directed towards the Viewfinder Screen and the Mirror to solve my issue. Be very gentle with air blasts at first, making sure not to touch internal parts with the nozzle. Face the opening of the camera towards the floor so any dust particles can fall out.

I bought the medium sized Air Blaster at a local Samy’s Camera Shop for $16 but I’m sure you can find a cheaper price if you shop around. I had a stroke of OCD and impatience when I saw the specks of dust in my viewfinder which led to the quick purchase. Samy’s also has their own generic branded Air Blaster but I opted for the real thing. Again, it may sound a bit silly but it works!

*If you find that your spots are not coming off it is possible you have dust inside of the Viewfinder Prism or on the top side of the Viewfinder Screen. In this case it is recommended that you get this cleaned by a professional. I still don’t know how anything would get in there since it’s all supposed to be closed up tight.

Blank version here.

I just got my first Digital SLR last week and already I can say it’s a steal for the price. I bought it for $430 but I’ve seen it as low as $400 shipped. The Canon XS is the entry level model of Canon DSLRs but it has most of the functionality you’d expect from it’s bigger brother the Canon XSi. This is a great introductory camera for anyone moving from a “Point-and-Shoot” to a DSLR.

The first feature I’d like to mention is the Canon 18-50mm EF-S IS II kit lens that comes packaged with the product. You won’t get much zoom out of it but the picture quality is quite good. This can be attributed to its built in Image Stabilizer. Secondly the availability of “Live View” is a great addition which brings live camera feed to the LCD much like a “Point-and-Shoot”. The addition of “Live View” makes the Canon XS a great transition camera, a feature which the last generation of DSLRs has lacked. Some might look down upon the 7-point AutoFocus but believe me its generally enough.

I took the following photos over the weekend, one in front of my house and the other in our hotel room.