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Photography Question 

Anne-Sophie Lenoir
 

olympus OM-1


i just bought a olympus OM-1, with a single lens 50mm. it appears to be in great condition, very clean and neat body. the problem is that when I look into the view finder, I can see stains. it looks like they are on the mirror, but I am not sure. is it possible to clean the camera, to take these stains away( they look like round aureoles, black on the outside and white on the inside, not like dust spots)and if not, are they going to appear on my photographs?
anxious to hear ur comments!:)
HELP!!!thanks


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January 14, 2006

 

Mark Feldstein
  Greetings Anne. If you're just looking at the mirror with the lens removed, what you're seeing may not be on the mirror itself, but on the focusing screen located above it. You might be describing either mold or a fungus that grew because of moisture while the camera was in storage. Check your lens for marks too.

If you've got the manual for the camera, it tells you how to push the release tab and drop the frame down that has the focusing screen. You can clean them, I recommend using ROR (Residual Oil Remover) on a couple of pieces of lens tissue, very very gently along with some compressed air from a can of something like Dustoff. ROR is probably the best lens cleaner i've ever used and is available from B&H at http://www.bhphotovideo.com. Be very careful reinserting the screen in the frame and pushing it up into the prism housing until it clicks and locks in place.

If you pull the focusing screen and the spots still appear on the mirror, THAT I wouldn't recommend you clean yourself. If you knock the mirror out of alignment, it could cause focusing problems. Take it to a camera store, drop a few bucks and get the entire body cleaned, lubed and adjusted. The OM-1 is a great camera.

No, these spots may be distracting but shouldn't appear on your images.
Take it light.
Mark


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January 14, 2006

 

Anne-Sophie Lenoir
  Thank u SO much, MARk:) I will bring it to the store then:) and no, these marks are not so distracting after all, I was justt worried about the picture...i can ignore them:) thanks again
Sophie


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January 15, 2006

 

Mark Feldstein
  Yep, just ignore them in terms of pix quality, but you might find the camera store has a focusing screen you like better. They're pretty easy to change once you see how to do it. But unless he's got very gentle paws, tell him to leave the mirror alone.

And...you're very welcome !!
Be well.
Mark


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January 15, 2006

 

Thomas N. Hawkins
  Hi Anne - If you find your Olympus needs servicing, you might try KEH.com. They are located in Atlanta, Ga. I have used them several times for service on my vintage Minolta equiptment and the do a good job. Reasonable price and fast turn around.

Tom


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January 22, 2006

 

Mark Feldstein
  Yeah, good point Tom. BTW, Keh gives $10 off your first repair. They're a very good shop for clean, lubes and adjustments (among other things).
Mark


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January 22, 2006

 
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