How do you clean dust from the prism...or can you...?

[s. roche]

I just got the Olympus OM 1 MD that I purchased from ebay. The

description was accurate. There is a hint of dust visible through

the viewfinder on the prism--it seems caught on the bottom...

 

Is there a way to clear this out? (Without taking it to a camera

store to dismantle...)

 

While it doesn't seem to affect the function of the camera, it is a

tad distracting.

 

Thanks!

[skipper34]

Stacy, I too have had dust and such on the prism of my OM's in the past. A trip to the camera shop for a CLA always did wonders.

[s. roche]

Hi Bruce--

Really?! A CLA will make that much of a difference?

[alan_chan4]

If they are visible when viewing through the viewfinder, instead of looking at it, the dust is being trapped between the pentaprism and the focus screen. Just remove the screen and blow the dust off will do. If you are bothered by the dust trapped between the pentaprism and the eyepiece (invisible when looking through the viewfinder), the top of the camera must be removed for the cleaning. It's a job for professional however.

[steve_levine]

Carefully use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the dust in the mirror box.

[alan_chan4]

Don't do it! It will kill the camera instead of sucking out trapped dust.

[klix]

Since it is a new (to you) camera from ebay, it would be a good idea anyway to get a CLA done, to ensure shutter speeds are accurate, the body's light-tight, etc... Yes, a CLA should get that dust out -- but make sure you mention is to whoever's doing the CLA to make sure they get out what's annoying you.

 

KL

[s. roche]

Well, I took the camera to a local shop today and I'm just sick about this...it's not dust. It's fungus. :(

 

The tech seemed to think I still got a good camera as everything else is functional, but I'm so upset about it. It could have took the seller so little time to have it checked out and find it out...

 

I'm so bummed.

 

Wondering if anyone may be interested (ebay) in buying it for parts--I couldn't in good conscience try to sell it w/out telling the truth about the fungus. I may try that eventually...

 

I've learned my lesson. I'll never buy another item like this from ebay.

[rjacksonphoto]

Have you contacted the seller to see what his response is? You should probably give him a chance. It sounds like you weren't aware it was fungus and he may not have been, either.

 

Otherwise, are you sure this is a lost cause? Do you live in a high humidity area? I'm not sure fungus is going to progress if you live somewhere like the U.S. Southwest. I think UV light might be an effective remedy.

 

How obtrusive is it? You realize it won't show up on the photos, right?

 

I've successfully purchased tons of camera equipment on Ebay-- I wouldn't rule it out as a source for good equipment based on this one experience.

[rjacksonphoto]

This might help:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00FFdK&tag=

[skipper34]

Stacy, I wouldn't be all that bummed about it, like R said, it won't affect your pictures in the least. There are ways to deal with fungus if you can get at it. See what the repair shop has to say about it. All is not lost, you still have a real great manual camera there. I just sold the last of my OM stuff today. Served me well for over 30 years, now I am all digital. But I really loved my OM and Zuiko gear.

[s. roche]

Hi Guys--

 

I came here to let you know what happened with the camera--and R has suggested I do what I did last night. :)

 

I contacted the seller to let him know what I found. I remembered he was selling other camera equipment, and I thought he should be aware in the event he encountered something similar with other items.

 

Just as you said, R--he had no idea that what he described as dirt or dust was fungus. He was surprised and offered to take the camera back for a refund.

 

I wasn't expecting such an outcome, but this is what happened!

 

Oh, and thanks so much for the link to the thread, R.

 

Bruce--I agree, the Olympus is a great camera. It must have been hard for you to sell all of yours and go digital. Well, maybe not--digital may be more convenient for your business. Thank you for your feedback, supportive words and advice on the situation. I do appreciate it.

[skipper34]

Stacy, actually it really wasn't all that hard on myself personally, it was hard trying to find buyers. There are some folks like yourself who want to get into photography the right way, that is, by learning with film instead of digital capture. Not that you can't learn with digital, I just feel that starting out with film lets you actually learn about quality of light, metering, etc. No, my heart wasn't broken by seeing the OM stuff leave, in fact I still have a cherished Zuiko lens which I use for wildlife(birds mostly)the 350mm f2.8. Along with the dedicated OM1.4X teleconverter it is a dynamite set-up on my Canon 20D. I use a lens adapter from Cameraquest and shoot in AV(aperature priority)mode. That way I don't have to use stop-down metering as the camera recognizes the aperature of the lens and then sets the correct shutter speed. I shoot this combo wide-open mostly for the great bokeh that the lens produces. And it is razor sharp even at that large aperature. I believe it is on a par with the Canon big glass, the only drawback is I have to focus manually. Sometimes that is a real problem with such a thin DOF at f4. Someday when the wife and the checkbook permit I'll swap it out for the Canon 500 IS. Now that is one piece of work lens.