Light leak in a Minolta XG-1?

[juan_c.]

<p>Hi<br>

I have a Minolta XG-1 that I LOVE! It is my first SLR. In any case, I think it has a light leak. Thing is that I can't really pin point where it is located. I redid the light seal sometime last year, but the leak still remains. What makes it harder to pinpoint is that it happens VERY randomly. Sometimes I only get one pic with it, and sometimes 7 or 8. It always seems to pop up in the same spot however. Here are pics from the most recent roll:<br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3580/3495176869_72e535cef0.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="342" /> <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3324/3495176827_c66628f131.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="342" /> <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3605/3495176755_b9a8fb4e92.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="339" /> <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3647/3495176791_cd716aed18.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="341" /><br>

The last one is the worst I have seen. Usually they care closer to the first 3 or fainter. Does anyone have any suggestions on where the leak might be located (assuming it is a leak)? <br>

Thanks for the help!</p>

[robert_paul1]

<p>Looks like you have a shutter problem. Try opening the back of your camer and point the camera towards a strong light source, while standing in a darken room. Try different shutter speeds and look at the shutter. If you see something unusual, you know your problem.</p>

[juan_c.]

<p>Um, after some closer examination, is it possible the light seal that is between the mirror and the focusing screen (when the mirror is flipped up) would cause this type of leak? I just noticed that that particular seal is a bit damaged. According the the directions I got, it said to leave the felt one (this particular seal) alone since it doesn't decay like the other foam seals, but this one looks pretty ratty. In a dark room, if I hold down the shutter in B mode and shine the flashlight into the bayonet mount, I can definitely see light (towards the right side of the viewfinder), even though the viewfinder should be totally dark. Am I right there, or am I totally of base? </p>

[robert_paul1]

<p>Juan, it sounds like you'v e got two problems now- 1) the defective shutter 2) the light leaking into your viewfinder.</p>

[juan_c.]

<p>Ok, I just tripped the shutter about 5 times per shutter speed, and it looked fine to me. I mean, I didnt see anything out of the ordinary. Everything seemed to be moving smoothly. I could be missing itsince I'm pretty new to this. Would you happen to have an idea what to look for?<br>

Dont relish the idea of getting rid of this camera:o(</p>

<p>About to change the mirror seal, though.</p>

[robert_paul1]

<p>Juan, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that your camera has a shutter that travels horizontally across the opening, rather than vertically. If your second problem (bad foam) was causing your light leak, the image would be bunched towards the edge, rather than across the negative. Your shutter is made of two cloth strips (the curtains). When you release the shutter, the first curtain opens, and then after a split second, the second shutter trips to shut off the light. I suspect that your camera's second curtain may be bouncing after it closes and is dragging the first shutter curtain part of the way back, until the second curtain releases it, and the second shutter opens a little more, and this is causing the leak. Or, the second curtain may be slightly slowed down causing an overexposure then quickly closing.</p>

<p>The bad foam may have dropped onto the edge (track) of the shutter and is the reason why the problem started. It is possibly that this gunk may come off if you trip the shutter several times. You'll need to have the foam replaced, and if the shutter problem hasn't cleared on it's own, you'll have to have the shutter cleaned.</p>

[jack_fisher1]

<p>Juan,<br>

If you have sticky light seals, look at the negatives. If the light streak is across the entire width of the film (more than the framed image, and into the perforated area) it will not be a shutter problem. Take a look at the door hinge light seal. It may be the culprit. To test, you might cover the hinge area on the outside of the camera with tape, and run a test in the sunshine to see if that may improve things. Then replace the gummy light seals. Just my thinking...<br>

Jack</p>