A nice little starter camera from 1987 sold as faulty when actually its operation was just misunderstood. Not so much a fix, just a lesson in why you should read instruction manuals.
What the listing stated:
Nikon F-401 35mm SLR Film Camera Body Only – Spares or Repairs. Unsure why it won’t work, I bought brand new batteries and it doesn’t want to power on. No exterior damage or scratches to suggest it’s been dropped. Battery compartment is nice and clean. Any further queries feel free to ask. Thank you for browsing.
EBay
The camera I have purchased
Known pretty much as a dollar camera, it’s a Nikon but aimed at the entry level, and is of a plastic construction. The dollar tag is generally used to say just how cheaply available it is. I paid a bit more than a dollar, I paid £4:00GBP, after knocking the seller down from the £12:00GBP he was originally requesting. Still a bargain I believe, will be a nice little starter camera for someone if I can get it working.
Here’s a little about this camera:
The Nikon F-401 (N4004 in North America) was a beginner’s level, autofocus, 35mm, single-lens reflex (SLR) film camera built by Nikon and introduced in 1987.The camera represented one of Nikon’s first endeavours into consumer-based autofocus, as a follow-up to their first autofocus SLR in 1986, the Nikon F-501 (known as the N2020 in North America). The camera lacked many of the advanced features that more seasoned amateurs and professionals required, but it was a harbinger of the future as it included a pronounced, built-in grip as well as an integrated TTL Flash that is now commonplace on all but the most high-end SLR cameras.
The F-401 introduced the now common-place feature of using a thumbwheel instead of lens aperture ring to adjust the aperture. Furthermore, the camera’s lack of support for AI lenses meant that while all previous Nikon lenses could be mounted to the camera, none supported automatic exposure TTL metering.
An upgraded version the F-401S (also known as the N4004S) was released in April 1989. The F-401X (also known as the N5005) followed in September 1991.
By the 1990s, the F-401 was part of a lineup of autofocus consumer SLRs that included the more expensive Nikon F-601 and Nikon F-801.
Wikipedia
Looking on line at other F-401s that are for sale seems to highlight that power issues are a regular point of failure for these cameras. Let’s await its arrival so we can carry out a full assessment of this unit.
Assessment:
Here’s what has arrived today with the postman
The camera that arrived today
I’ve just sat at the kitchen table looking this camera over, and for £4:00GBP it’s a bargain. It’s very clean despite not having a body cap, there is only a tiny bit of paint damage near one of the strap connectors, apart from that this camera is in a very good (cosmetically) condition. A bit of a clean will take it to another level, however we will look at that once the fix has been done.
Fresh batteries installed
I have put 4 x AA batteries into the base of the camera and there appears to be no life in the camera. Contacts appear clean, the batteries are good, let’s take a deeper look into what the issue may be.
Repair:
As I always do with any camera I purchase, I like to ensure the lens barrel, mirror and curtain are protected. In this case I will therefore 3D print a suitable body cap, and a hot shoe cover. If I then have to start any in depth cleaning at least I won’t have to worry about any excess debris intruding into this area.
New body cap and hotshoe cover
The next thing I really study with any new camera that I obtain is the instruction manual. If some of the sellers actually did the same then they’d quickly realise, that sometimes there are no issues with the unit, it can really just be down to the quirkiness of the camera and how its controls work. Each camera brand differs slightly, so if you have no experience with a specific brand, it can quickly come across as the camera is not working. In a lot of cameras I deal with this is not the case. Knowledge really is king here.
And I suspect that this very camera may just well be a case of the sellers lack of operational knowledge.
I really feel like a fraud here, there is a button on the rear of the camera directly behind the shutter button. Here there is also a small slide switch. This combination of slide switch and button allows you to rewind the film when finished. The button appeared depressed, and when pushed a number of times along with moving the switch side to side the button then popped up and the camera kicked in to life.
Rewind slide and button. This was stuck down
A little contact cleaner placed behind the slide and down the side of the button ensured a free and easy operation. When the rewind procedure was used at least six times it has worked perfectly without issue.
When the rear of the camera is opened, the exposure counter resets as it should. When it is closed again and the shutter button is depressed, three quick fire actuations occur forwarding the film to its first exposure. All is working well.
Self timer operationalAll indications working
A Nikkor 28-100 lens on the front confirms all indications are working in the viewfinder, and auto focus appears to be just fine. All aspects of operation on the camera have been tested and everything is doing exactly what it should be doing. This camera was never broken. Its operation was just mis-understood.
Result:
£4:00GBP is a very good price to pay for a fully operational camera, even though it was purchased as a faulty item. Every camera i purchase, I always download a .pdf instruction manual file to store on my server. Nine times out of ten a brief read of just the setup information can sort out a myriad of issues, and if the seller had done the same they would have been able to up their sales prices accordingly. I’m not complaining though as I’m able to bag a bargain on many occasions.
Here’s how this little unloved piece of camera looks after I have sorted it out, cleaned it and paired it up with a suitable lens:
Looking fine and in full working order
To think if this camera had not been purchased it would have just been chucked in the waste. Instruction manuals are supplied for a reason, and it’s always wise to refer to one when things start to go wrong, nine times out of ten there isn’t a problem, just a minor misunderstanding.
Take it from me, instruction manuals are good. I have hundreds stored electronically referencing cameras I have had, through my hands over the past years.
Thanks for passing by, and as always it is very much appreciated.
Kodak, have overtaken Fujifilm in traditional camera film sales. Not surprising seeing Fuji have ceased production….sort of
Once again leading the way
Being an ex employer of Kodak, seeing headlines like this pleases me. Shame they are about 30 years late and Fujifilm have pretty much ceased production of their mainstream analogue films anyway.
Better late than never, things could have been so much different if they’d only moved with the times.
Kodak, directors had never really been that good at making a good high level decision. Just ask any of the thousands of good people laid off within the UK due to their poor mismanagement.
Another “K” mount camera, this time it’s a Pentax P30. A “Plastic fantastic” from 1985. Can I fixit? Should i fix it?
What the listing stated:
Pentax P30 35mm SLR Film Camera Body – Spares/ Repairs
The camera appears to be unresponsive upon testing.
EBay
Pentax P30
Here’s a little bit about this camera:
The Pentax P3 (US), P30 elsewhere, is a 35mm film SLR released by Pentax in 1985. The plastic body was a departure of the lineage that produced the ME and Super A; with a more amateurish camera. The P3 was a departure of the P5/50 as it returned to a speed dial instead of buttons.
It uses the KA-mount bayonet to convey aperture information and have P mode (Av when M or K series lenses are used) and can use any manual focus lens up to the FA series.
Viewfinder covers 92% of image with 0.82x magnification. Split-image matte focusing screen (horizontal)
The P3/30 uses a classic manual film advance lever with 130° throw.
It has program, manual, X and B exposure modes on a dial with speeds of 1 to 1/1000 sec. However on P mode exposures up to 8s have been observed. The X mode provides automation with some Pentax flashes. No exposure compensation is available, but the camera has an Exposure Lock button.
The meter is a center-weighted type with a range of 1 to 18 EV. A scale of speeds is shown in the viewfinder and LEDs show the selected and recommended (blinking) speeds.
Film speeds can’t be set manually, the P3/30 uses DX Encoding film with a ISOrange of 25 to 1600. There is a plastic window in the film door.
Self timer is in the main power switch for ~12s.
DOF Preview lever is located above the bayonet lock.
It uses two 1.5v SR44 or LR44 button batteries.
The US version is all black, while in the rest of the world it was dark gray
There are two revisions of the body, early versions can’t use a cable remote release, while late versions can.
A similar improved Pentax P30n/P3n/P30t became available three years later. This camera incorporated Aperture Priority exposure, and a diagonal focusing screen (P30t)
Camera-wiki.org
Another camera from the 80s – this one was 1985 when the manufacturers went plastic and the styling of the earlier cameras was starting to decline. Cameras were starting to look decidedly cheap and nasty, and this is probably the one that single-handedly punished Pentax, with a totally amateur looking camera, horrendous feedback at the time, and previously happy photographers were deserting Pentax for other manufacturers, who were offering better packages and capabilities at the time.
However this camera did have its fan base, and a lot of amateurs learnt their trade on these units due to their cost, and relatively low price for associated add ons such as lenses and flashes.
I never had one until now. I suspect the guy I usually buy from threw this in my direction, due to knowing he’d probably have issues selling it on. I’ve paid a total of £3:75GBP for this one. I think it’s worth it.
It’s the second “K” mount camera I’ve brought in two days. And guess what? I don’t have one of those lenses. Looks like I’m going to have to purchase one for my collection and for testing purposes.
Anyway, let’s await its arrival so we can assess its issues.
Assessment:
First things first, I’ve printed out a body cap on the 3D printer for when i complete the clean, allowing me to protect the mirror, shutter and lens chamber area.
A new body cap printed to protect the lens chamber
Overall the camera looks used, it’s in one piece meaning that everything is there that needs to be there but it does show signs of being a little bruised, battered and dirty.
Damaged around eye piecePaint chipsBumper is okDirty around lens ringEverything is thereDirt
All seals appear ok, the mirror bumper felt is in a good condition as well, and the film chamber is clean. Shutter appears to be operating just as it should.
The only real issue I can see is a build up of dust and dirt behind the viewing lens, though this won’t affect any pictures being taken, a clean would help the photographer get a clearer view of what they are focusing on.
Repair:
The description has stated that the camera is unresponsive. Well I’ve put batteries in place, switched the camera on and it is dead. But I can see an issue. The battery cap appears tarnished. A quick attack of the tarnishing with the grinding pen and a good wipe over with a cotton bud soaked in IPA soon sees to the tarnished battery cap. Hey presto, life is restored when batteries are put back into place. The meter inside is fine, and showing lights and indicating as it should, the light that flashes when the self timer operates is also ok. To me everything is indicating just fine. That’s all that was causing the unresponsiveness, the dirty contacts.
The next step didn’t really need to be done, however me being me I just couldn’t let it go. There is quite a bit of build up of dirt behind the viewing glass and I will have to get into the camera to access this. There is no other way.
Removal of the top of the camera requires the removal of six screws, the winder handle and a couple of securing bolts, you can then carefully lift the top clear being careful not to damage the two hot-shoe cables in the prism area.
Top offLook at the dirt build up
With the top off, a couple of more screws holding the viewer in place require removing to detach the viewer from the prism area. This then reveals a very dirty filtered triangular prism that has collected over forty years of airborne detritus. A simple clean with a swab is sufficient, followed by a good air blast to finish off. The small viewing lens has a similar clean and then the camera can be reassembled.
All electrics good and working
I’ve printed an eye cup to cover up that damages around the eyepiece, again it’s not really needed but just tidies the area up a bit.
New eyepiece printed
Just print a hotshoe cover for the top and that’s it all done.
Hot shoe cover
Finally it’s time for a good cleanup.
Result:
For an outlay of £3:75GBP this is a period and usable camera. Will I use it though? Probably not, I’ll probably pass this on to the hospice to get some money from, as to be quite honest I doubt I’ll be able to sell it on.
Looking tidy, and working
It’s a nice little learning camera, looks smart after a clean up, and has now had its life expectancy extended due to the easiest of repairs. I’ve said it before, how many similar units have just been disposed of due to only requiring a quick clean? Scandalous really.
Anyway, this one lives on. Someone will have a nice little camera what with the resurgence of film stock currently enjoying a second coming.
One more saved from landfill, small goals, small results.
Thanks for passing by, as always it is always very much appreciated.
I’ve been asked to give a little service to a friends old 35mm camera that he’s inherited. Mainly cleaning and making good. An old camera that deserves to maintain its originality.
I received this text message tonight from my nephew:
Hi, my mate “T”, has got an old camera from his sister, from a old antique store, he dunno a lot about it and was wondering if you did and if you’d have a look at it and see if it was in working order as he can’t figure much out about it, no worries if not tho 👍
Family
Now, I love these random out of the blue messages, to me it just says people have a trust in what I do, and I like that. And how can I turn down a request such as this. I’ve jumped on to it and said I’d give it a service and get it checked over and up and running, no cost, I just want to feature it within my blog site. The owner is also a youngster, just starting out in photography and has a thirst for knowledge of the traditional side of business, and wants to find out more about the old ways and how the trade used to operate. He wants to shoot film, and process it, and produce his own prints. I can help him do that. And I look forward to passing that knowledge on. In the meantime, this is the camera we are looking at, and wouldn’t it be just great to get it working and use it to get those results under tuition, that he wants to achieve.
This camera is really a rebadged Dacora Dignette produced in Western Germany for Ilford Uk.
Here’s a little history regarding the Ilford Sportsman camera range:
As the desire to own a 35mm camera blossomed within popular amateur photography during the latter 1950s, in part prompted by the more economical production of projectable colour transparencies on 35mm instead of roll film, Ilford Ltd must have been concerned that they did not have their own range of such cameras.
Kodak was importing their 35mm Retina/Retinette range from Kodak A.G. in Stuttgart, a factory they purchased in 1931, (originally the Nagel Camerawerks).
To provide a suitable ‘popularly priced’ 35mm camera, Ilford entered into an agreement with Herr Dangelmaier of the Dacora Kamerawerk, Reutlingen, near Stuttgart, (West) Germany. Dacora produced a simple 35mm camera, the Dacora Dignette, but rebadged it as an Ilford Sportsman for sale in the UK.
Ilford’s Sportsman cameras were a range of viewfinder- and rangefinder-cameras, made for Ilford in Germany by Dacora; the first was introduced in 1957. They were a cheaper alternative to the Kodak Retina and Retinette series for the newly-popular 35mm format at the time. The Sportsman cameras were rebadged versions of Dacora models, including the Dacora Dignette. There were a variety of shutters fitted, including Vario and Prontor mechanisms, housing a selection of lenses such as the Dacora Dignar, Steinheil Cassar and Isco Color-Isconar. The range included basic models, with the Vario shutter and Dacora lens, through fitted meters to sophisticated rangefinder cameras with light meter, Prontor 500LK shutter and Cassar lens.
There were five body styles; the last (Mk.5) introduced c.1967.
Wikipedia/photomemorabilia.co.uk
Ilford Sportsman Mk1 version – This is the actual camera coming to me for a service
This version dates from 1957 and is one of the later issued Mk1 versions of that year. It has the Vario shutter mechanism and the Dacora-Dignar lens. The badging indicates that this is a latter 1957 produced variant. The very early versions had the “Ilford” badge printed on the camera leatherette and I suspect this would have rubbed off due to hand positioning whilst photos were being taken. This is probably why the white badge on this variant was then applied. This camera retailed in 1957 at the princely sum of £13.87GBP.
I am now in possession of the original instructions that I will download and pass on to the owner, they are extremely basic instructions, befitting of the year of production.
Front page of instruction manual
Assessment:
The camera is in an overall good condition in an original Ilford leather case and I think this alone has helped keep the camera in good cosmetic condition. It winds fine, it shoots with a little bit of stickiness, but I believe this is on the exposure button only. The aperture leaves stick a little and respond slowly when you leave the shutter on a time exposure and move it through the whole range from f:3.5 to f:16. The focus ring seems to operate smoothly, and shutter speeds of B, 25, 50 and 200 seem to work, but occasionally stick. I suspect the shutter and its aperture leafs are dirty and are sticking, they probably need a clean.
Nice original caseInside backLens view from rearEmbossed backWorn neck strap
Now I’m not going to do too much to this camera and want it to retain its old character. The leatherette on a couple of parts of the body has lifted, I will probably leave this as it is, I will dismantle the lens turret as there is a general fog in the lens that I suspect may be fungus. I will give the whole unit a good clean and polish. There is a slight break in the leather strap, I shall repair this so as it doesn’t break. There really is nothing of concern that I can see that should be of detriment to the working of this camera. It just needs a clean, and that’s what it will get as I really want to maintain the character of this camera.
Repair:
To get to the lens and shutter area we have to start dismantling the lens turret, that starts with removing four of the tiniest screws you will ever find.
Four of the tiniest screws you will find
We now unscrew the first element, the outer one, and it’s clear to see that there is fungal scarring of the element.
Fungal scarring evident
Next we unscrew the next part of the lens barrel that gives me access to the inner lens element.
The inner of the lens turret
We can now reach in and delicately remove the inner element
Removal of the inner element
We now expose the shutter blades and underneath these we find the aperture blades.
Shutter bladesAperture blades
I start by giving these sections a clean with a a little “lighter fuel” to remove the old grease and oily deposits. With the shutter blades I clean them very carefully, let them dry a little and then fire the shutter a few times, I blow off any build up and do the process again until I’m satisfied they are free from any contaminants. Now putting the shutter on “B” setting, I open the lens and do the same with the aperture blades opening and closing them manually using the same process as with the shutter blades. Happy with how this has gone I now head onto the elements.
Using a mix of pure water and peroxide I use a small bud to coat both sides of the inner element to give it a clean, it is very dirty, no fungus on this element though, just years of dirt and grime.
Inner element was very dirty
The outer element was a different story, it had such bad fungus that the edges of the element had been etched by the fungus, as it had been there so long. I don’t think it will be too much of an issue through as a lot of it was removed. Below are two photos before and after, the after looks quite a bit better and when it was dried and polished it did look considerably better.
BeforeAfter, before rinsing and drying
Once cleaned I rinsed the elements off and dried them using a lint free cloth. A good blow with some air dispersed any loose dust or fluff, prior to reassembly.
Reassembly was simple and without issue, I cleaned as I went along replacing any grease and oil with fresh lubricant (sparingly of course).
Reassembled and ready for cleaning
Cleaning wise I’ve used IPA, detailing polish, cocktail sticks (to get into the nooks and crannies) and good old elbow grease. It’s looking good.
Leather strap repair
I’ve repaired the broken strap by just removing the damaged part and creating a new strap loop, it looks ok, but I’m working with a strap that’s almost 69 years old, very thin, and has seen better days, but it looks okay. There are loose bits on the case where the leather stitching has deteriorated, however leather work is not my forte, so I will be leaving this alone, letting it maintain its old appearance and patina if you like.
Result:
The result is that I have been able to maintain the original appearance of this camera, only carrying out a sympathetic maintenance regime, allowing the camera to be used as it should, but maintaining its age and individual characteristics.
That case with repaired strap
Must admit, it does look lovely
It’s been nice to just tidy up a camera and give it some attention, TLC if you like. These cameras are remarkably easy to maintain and operate, I’m sure a roll of film through it will give some superb results. The viewfinder is so clear now, the lens is clean and the shutter, aperture, and all buttons and levers are working just fine. It’s been a pleasure to work on this camera, and I sincerely hope that my friend is happy with the outcome. One thing you really struggle with though is the old musty smells these cameras carry with them. If I had a solution I could use to negate these aromas I’d probably be a rich man, or at least my wife would probably forgive for once, for bringing these aromas into the house.
Oh well, you can’t win them all.
Thank you for passing by, it’s always very much appreciated.
Always liked and wanted an Olympus OM10. 46 years later I now have one. Of course, it needed repair.
Much to the wife’s annoyance, and because I was feeling a little low and in need of some retail therapy, I’ve purchased this lovely little camera from the Barnardos charity. It looks like it’s been stored in a full Hoover bag, it is so dusty. It has a few dents and dinks, this one is going to be a challenge. I like challenges. I’ve paid the grand total of £17:67GBP for the camera and the standard Zuiko 50MM F1.8 Lens. I think that is an excellent price.
These cameras were produced between 1979 and 1987. I’m hoping I’ll be able to date this actual camera more accurately when I receive it.
This is what the original listing stated:
This listing is for a vintage Olympus OM-10 35mm Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) film camera, bundled with a Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 lens and a leather neck strap. This is a single bundle containing the camera body, lens, and strap, ideal for collectors or film photography enthusiasts.
UNTESTED. This sale is for spares/repairs. There are some marks and cosmetic imperfections. Please see images for more detail.
The standard untested post from the auction sites, but I’m not really bothered to be honest. It’s a charity, and I’m happy to pay for these items as the charity always benefits, and that’s all that matters to be honest.
I have some history around this camera and whenever I see one I think of Bruce Springsteen and here’s why.
1984, Bruce released this Album
Born in the USA was released in 1984, so I can kind of pinpoint the first time I’d ever really heard him, courtesy of my friend David K, when I used to live in a small town in Hertfordshire called Bushey. David had been a school friend, we were now in our mid to late teens, he was working in a restaurant whilst I was in a photographic lab. He introduced Bruce to me and for many months after he first purchased that album, we played it non stop and knew it off by heart, beat for beat, and word for word, we were totally smitten with it. It was the Bruce effect. At this time i would have been about 18-19 years old, and had a very basic Russian Zenit camera, it took some great photos. However, David had recently had a bonus payment at work and purchased himself the Olympus OM10. I was envious, who wouldn’t be? What a camera and this is where it all ties in with our hobby, we loved photography and used to always discuss it with Bruce in the background singing his heart out. It all ties in now, fantastic memories, and a single camera can bring back these memories. Amazing isn’t it?
Anyway here’s some pictures where you can see the amount of dirt, and what looks like some bumps on the outer edge of the lens.
Nice camera, few dinks and dents, and a lot of dirt
Here’s some information regarding this camera:
The OM10 was the first consumer OM series body. Launched in 1979 it accepted the full line of OM lenses and most of the OM accessories for a lower price. The lower price was reflected in the construction of this camera and the features available, however, it was still a very competent performer and it reflected the elegant lines established by the compact OM-1 and 2 designs. Early production runs of the OM10 have known malfunction issues with electronics, metering, and shutter magnets. Olympus later changed the shutter to a ‘Type II’ design to correct the latter problem.
In its standard configuration the OM10 offered aperture priority automatic exposure, simple and accurate enough for a consumer camera in most lighting situations. It also offered exposure compensation for more complicated lighting situations and for more advanced users. A small plug-in manual adaptor was available as an accessory to enable manual control of shutter speed. The manual adaptor is possibly not as easy to use as the typical shutter speed ring around the lens bayonet on the OM-1.
While not well known to consumers, the focusing screen for the OM10 is indeed interchangeable, though not as easily as the OM-1. It shares the same focusing screen as the OM-1, but the extra protruding tab needs to be cut off as the OM10 doesn’t have a placeholder for it.
The OM10 can accept all the lenses of the OM system.
The finder screen is fixed, as well as the back. It can accept the winder but not the motor drive. It existed in chrome and in black finish.
In 1980 the OM10 Quartz was released with a fixed databack (equivalent of a Recordata Back 3) to print the time or date on your pictures. The OM10 Quartz was only released in black finish.
The OM10 was sold in large quantities before production ceased in 1987 and many working examples are still being used today. Largely overlooked in favor of its more professional ‘single digit’ siblings, you can easily pick up a working example for $50. Try to find one that includes the manual adaptor though, as this accessory alone can fetch $30 at auction.
Camera-wiki.org
Assessment:
In a perfect world this camera would just need a clean. But this is me and to be honest I’d like a little bit more of a challenge, as a lot of the cameras I have worked with lately did not need a lot of maintenance because they’d been well looked after. This one may be different.
The camera that has been received
These cameras were renowned for electrical faults especially with their mirror motion magnets, very similar to the issues suffered on Canons earlier EOS cameras such as the 1N. But to be honest I am just surmising at this point as the camera is not yet in my hands. I need to be patient and await its arrival.
Well, it’s arrived so let’s have a look and see what’s good, what’s bad and what’s indifferent. It has dirt, yes, quite a bit of it, so it will require quite a deep clean as we need to get into all those little crevices, where the dust has settled.
Dirt in all the crevices
Cosmetically it looks really good with no dinks, dents or scratches, so that is very much a positive. It’s in not too bad a shape for being 46 years old.
The capstan to open the camera film door, along with the operation dial are a little loose, so they will require tightening.
Loose capstan and controller
Batteries are long dead, this camera requires two LR44 button batteries to do even the basics, I have tested the batteries with a multimeter and they are so low that they hardly register, they are very dead indeed. The good thing however is that they have not leaked in anyway and the battery chamber is clear of corrosion.
Battery chamber is clean
The mirror is stuck in the halfway position, this could be purely to do with there being no battery in the camera. It would be good to see with new batteries installed, if the mirror magnets would then kick in, and then they’d be no further issue. However, knowing my luck they are probably inoperable as well, we will just have to wait. And for this same reason the winder is also stuck, again the batteries may well solve this problem 🤞
Mirror trapped at the halfway point
Good news is though that the mirror and curtain are in really good condition, because the old lens has been kept in place preventing any contamination getting into that area.
Viewfinder looks clear apart from a little dust build up
However the lens, does appear to have fungus in it, and will require a clean at some point along the way.
Visible lens fungus
There are also a number of light seals that need replacing as they have perished.
Some light seals need replacing
To be quite honest, the easiest part of this camera to clean will be the standard plastic and rubber neck strap. This can just go in some warm soapy water to rejuvenate it. However, my first priority will be to get some batteries in place and see what occurs. I may have to rethink my approach to this camera dependent on the outcome of this simple action.
Repair:
Straight home and I’ve found a couple of LR44 batteries that had a little more power than the old ones. In they go….and nothing. There is a check position on the main dial that should light up and a buzzer should sound to confirm that there is sufficient power, obviously there isn’t in this case. I run all the other LR44 batteries I have through a tester ( I had a packet of 12 ) and they all show as low power, they’ve died during storage. I then pop over the road to see my brother in law who always has a good supply of batteries and bingo, he has a couple of spare LR44s.
We have the check light, and a little buzz…intermittently
With these in place I get an intermittent buzz and a light, it appears the capstan control and operation dial that I mentioned earlier was loose, and has intermittent contact issues, it will need removing and cleaning then reseating.
If I hold the capstan in place I do get a good signal, with both buzzer and light operating in the check position, and when I move the control to “On” position I can now cock the shutter lever. It will then fire but again only to the half way position as it did earlier. If I gently push the mirror down and let it spring back it will then fire. But you have to do this on every stroke of priming the advance lever. Not good.
This is pointing towards an issue with the magnets and I believe I’m almost there, and that’s when I have a eureka moment.
Eureka moment
In the bottom of the mirror and curtain bay on the base of the camera is where the mirror magnets are situated, along with a light sensor that takes a reading off the shutter curtain behind, that is checkerboard coloured. Something here didn’t look quite right for me as it did not look level, the base seemed quite uneven. I just simply put my finger in here, applied some light pressure on this base and it just clicked into position, nice and level and then the stuck mirror fired, just like that. Every single prime of the shutter and actuation since, has worked just perfectly, I wonder if this camera has been dropped at some time just knocking this part out of true configuration? Or has someone been here before me? I’m going to have to remove the base to check a few things anyway, so I can then make sure this issue doesn’t happen again. For now, I’m satisfied that the shutter and winder are working fine. I just need to make the contacts and the electrical continuity a little bit more reliable.
I’ve dismantled the faulty switch. Inside, the old tracks on the camera and the pickups on the switch were showing signs of tarnish so I used some contact cleaner go get these looking better. I’ve re assembled the switch and used a new circlip to hold it all together. It’s a lot more secure and responsive now with no interruption to the check signal. It’s quite solid as it always should be.
Capstan needs dismantling Circlip needs removing Those tarnished tracks
Here’s a small video regarding the switch repair.
Switch working as it should
With the switch sorted I’ve now removed the focus screen to give that a bit of a clean.
Focus screen removal, cleaning and replacement
And after this I have gradually started to remove the old light seals in preparation for their replacement. They really are in quite a bad way and creating a lot of dust and dirt as they degrade.
Old light seals removed and degraded Mirror damper seal removed
Now to get the remainder of the old seals removed, clean the troughs they sat in, and then put the new seals in place.
With some IPA, and a large bamboo stick it’s time to remove the old seals
Some seal cut to sizeDoor seal replacedTop seal installed Bottom seal installed
I’ve replaced all the seals on the camera body apart from the mirror damper. I need to get some adhesive first, to secure the plastic plate that sits above the damper. Hence I have to wait for this to be in place before I can finally put the damper in situ, i will do this in the next 24hrs.
Now, the plastic piece that covers the focussing screen access is now secured in place and the mirror damper has been installed, all light proofing has now been completed.
Mirror damper installed
The original lens that was suffering with fungus has been dismantled and given a clean, however because the top two optics are a sealed assembly, guess what? The fungus is within the sealed section and is unable to be accessed. Therefore the lens will never be cured of this issue, it has been improved by cleaning the other optics but it’s not in anyway good enough to use with film in the camera, I will therefore use the old lens purely for testing purposes, it works fine for that and will be just fine for testing other Olympus equipment. In the meantime I have purchased two further OM 50mm std lenses, one is an earlier “Silver nose” model with a single lens protective coating whilst the other is a later production “Black” MC (Multi coated) model. Both are in an excellent clean condition conducive for film photography.
The two new lenses – “Silver nose” to the right
I’m happy that the repairs have now been completed, all that is left now to do, is to give the unit a thorough clean, and to clean that original plastic/rubber camera strap with some warm water.
Result:
Here we present a fully cleaned and maintained Olympus OM10 35mm SLR camera from the 1980s looking quite resplendent after all the work on it has been completed.
All cleaned
Looking superb with a new lens
Looking fine from all angles
It’s been a lovely camera to work on. The make of this camera is superb, and back in the 80s Olympus were on a high note with the high end advertising, using many well known celebrities, and their cameras as a result became extremely popular. They are very well made and have stood the test of time. This one camera will go on to continue being used, and has many good years of life ahead of it. Another one saved from the scrap heap. As with all my cameras I have an immense backlog of units all awaiting the time when they have a roll of film run through them, and this one is no different. When I do pass a test roll through it I will post a link to the results here.
As always, thank you for passing by and glimpsing this post. It is always very much appreciated.
Learnings from testing an old camera with expired film stock
Earlier in November 2025 i repaired a Canon Eos 10 camera from the 1990s and then took it out to test it with a roll of Kodak 400 asa film. You can find the repair here: Canon EOS 10
Canon EOS 10
The caveat is that the film expired in 2005, 20 years ago. As a result I have overexposed it at 200 asa to compensate for the deterioration in sensitivity from such a long storage period. It may work, it may not, previous tests on a 200 asa film showed that a one stop over exposure was quite sufficient. Fingers crossed 🤞 on this one.
I don’t expect anything much, I expect quite a bit of grain and a definite colour hue over the entire roll. Who knows there may be nothing on it at all 🤷♂️
I’ve sent the roll off to our local photo guys in Leicester : Classic Photo Supplies and hopefully something will be on the medium res scans that i have requested. If there are pictures below, then there was some success, if not, enjoy the blackness.
Well, the scans are back and to be quite honest this one is a bit of a disaster. As stated the film is over 20 years out of date and there appears to be two problems here. Underexposure is one issue, I over exposed this by one stop but I don’t even think that is enough. If I’d overexposed at 2 stops though I might have improved the brightness, the already heavy grain would have been even more exaggerated. I think it’s fair to say this 400 asa old film stock I have is passed its time and not really fit for use.
Look at the grain at plus one stop overexposure
Hello what’s that line?
Heavy grain and a magenta cast
That shutter sync problem
Slower speed, shutter ok
So. Though the results were not good and I have now realised that this old stock film is probably best for me to use as test film only. There is heavy grain, a distinct cast over the film and a quite obvious shutter curtains sync issue. These frames above a shutter speed of 500 seem to be the issue, and that is where the shutter speed has not synced the curtain, it’s definitely running slow. The film has been beneficial in identifying an issue in this part of the camera. I will now do a CLA on this camera shutter assembly to try to remedy this issue. I wasn’t using flash here, it was a dull cold English Sunday afternoon.
This is an old camera that has been sitting idle for many years, it may sort itself out after a few more rolls of film, however I can do something about it now. And this is really a lesson to be learned for anyone buying old film cameras, they do need that little bit of tender loving care to get them back into a good working condition.
I’m pleased I’ve highlighted this issue, I will get the work done to improve the shutter sync and then run another roll of film through it.
Maybe now is the time to buy a shutter speed optical tester. That may save me a bit of expense on processing costs and will also allow me to make these checks before committing to film.
I now have a Canon AV1 with a shutter problem. Can I fix it? I’ll have a good go…
What the listing stated:
This camera is in very good overall condition. Some light signs of use but this is generally minor. The light meter is responsive when you press the shutter button down. However, the shutter will not fire. Spares or repairs only.
EBay
I’ve just paid £8:98GBP for this camera, and I believe this is a great price for a piece of camera history. The AV was introduced due to there being a demand for aperture priority at the time, whereas its Sibling, the AE1 was purely shutter priority. Later cameras would come to incorporate both systems. This one has a known problem with a stuck mirror – it won’t fire and I think I can easily sort this problem. Well I hope I can.
The Canon AV1 I have just purchased
Here’s a little information about this camera:
The Canon AV-1 is a 35 mm single-lens reflex camera with an FD lens mount, introduced by Canon Inc. in 1979.
The AV-1 is very similar to the 1976 AE-1 but provides aperture priority autoexposure rather than the AE-1’s shutter speed priority AE.The camera is not capable of fully manual exposure. Canon’s international distributors, particularly in the United States, had clamored for such a camera because competing brands offered mostly aperture-priority cameras and some preferred it. The AV in the name referred to the type of autoexposure; Av (Aperture Value) is a common abbreviation for aperture priority.
When this camera appeared, a new range of FD lenses was introduced, with instant mounting/unmounting of the lens. This is called the New FD mount and does away with the older type of mounting ring which was fitted on to the rear of the lens and was awkward to use and needed two hands, to a newer, easier system whereby the user lined up the red dot on the lens, with the red dot on the camera and simply turned the whole lens clockwise until it clicked into place.
All the other AE-1 accessories fit the AV-1.
Wikipedia
I’ve decided to collect all of the Canon “A”Series of cameras, and this adds to my current collection that consists of an A1 and an AE1. There were I believe, six cameras in this range and this current camera will be my fourth. Here’s a list of the “A” range of cameras below. I have highlighted with an asterisk all that I currently have at the date of this blog post being published:
The original listing description does not match the issues that I have found. It originally stated that the light meter is responsive, it isn’t. It also stated that the shutter does not fire, it does when a battery is installed. The battery level indicator in the viewfinder does work when the check button on the camera is depressed. However when you focus the camera and half depress the exposure button to get a meter reading, the needle in the viewfinder doesn’t respond, this is the only real issue I can see, I guess the seller must have been looking at another camera as he wrote the listing for this camera.
Battery level reading in the viewfinder
All settings appear to be working as they should, the “B”setting allows me to scroll through the “f” stop settings to see the aperture leaves working as they should. All “f” stop settings appear to work on the auto setting.
Camera appears tidy but grubby
It’s a smart little camera, this a tidy example of this version with no dents, dinks and just some very fine scrapes on the base as you’d expect from a camera fast approaching 46 years old (1979-2025). It’s a bit dirty and needs a good clean inside and out, the light seals are in a good state and not requiring replacement or repair just yet, however the mirror bumper has deteriorated and this will need replacement.
Mirror bumper needs replacement
The shutter curtain is in a good and untouched condition.
I’m going to research issues with the exposure indication, and I will incorporate my findings within the repair section.
Repair:
I thought, perhaps the camera is suffering from lack of use? It certainly is probably some considerable time since this camera was last used. Firstly I’ll try exercising all the controls that affect the exposure reading, including the mode dial, film speed dial, aperture ring, etc. I’ll work them backwards and forwards a few times to see if this helps to clean the variable resistor tracks inside from any surface contamination. When the FD lens is attached you must be mindful that the “A” setting on the lens is not used and that the f stop settings are used in a manual manner, lens auto is not a function on this camera.
Auto shutter on cameraDo not use the “A” setting on the lens. It doesn’t work
To be honest, this did seem to work sort of. The needle has moved off the bottom a bit. The ASA setting was on 100, so I put it up to 1600 as it is quite a dark day and the sensitivity of the light sensor would be reflected better at this setting. It moved a bit but I wasn’t totally convinced that this indication in the viewfinder reflected the true light situation.
I set a higher ASA for testing
There’s also a small, silver push-button just inside the lens mount at about the 4-5 o’clock position. If you press this in and release it a few times for the same reason, as exercising the dials as I did above, it is just like exercising a body part and keeping it supple. Leave items like this, designed for high usage redundant for a while and they soon seize up. it has also been known to assist with getting the needle indication working after a long lay off.
That silver button, highlighted
(A little bit of trivia here – this button is normally used for the lens to inform the body of the lens’s maximum aperture. This information isn’t needed on the AV-1, but Canon included it anyway for some reason, and it doesn’t affect the exposure.)
And combining these actions, moving the settings dial and the button inside the lens mount seems to have revitalised the light meter and I’m now quite confident that it is working as intended. It was just lazy due to low use and needed a bit of non invasive intervention to get it working again. And non invasive intervention is always a good thing. So with the setting back to 200ASA I was able to show the meter working in this very short and basic video below.
A brief video showing the meter needle moving
I’m confident that the metering issue is now sorted so let’s get that new mirror damper installed.
A lot of dirt came off of the area where the replacement damper had to go, it had completely deteriorated and took quite a bit of cleaning.
New damper in place Dirt that came off, and replacement damper ready to go into place
Now in place it has silenced the mirror movement somewhat, and will provide some longevity as it moves into the twilight of its years. It will be good for many more rolls of film yet. Whilst in the lens area I have cleaned the mirror and prism, and given the area a good blow through and put the lens back in place to seal it all up. It is now clean internally. I have a couple of body caps on order that will assist with storage when the lens is removed.
Just a final clean with some cockpit cleaner, and this camera has come up lovely, I’ve tested it on a Power winder “A” as well and it sounds just so good and “retro”. It’s perfect.
Result:
Well. I now have another lovely example of one of the Canon “A” range of cameras to add to my collection. This brings my current total to four out of the six available, two of which are still currently under repair. For less than £10:00GBP it is so easy to own a piece of photographic history. I have been lucky here that the work that had to be done was non intrusive, and to be quite honest was just basic everyday maintenance. The only real work of sorts was installing some mirror damper felt, of which I have plenty of stock. Cleaning was quite intensive but the overall result is amazing.
Front views after cleaning Looking amazing compared to what arrived
I will eventually run a roll of film through for a final quality check, however I have such a backlog it will take me a while. When I do however run that test roll I will post a link here:
Really pleased with this repair, and the fact that another lovely old camera has been saved from the scrap heap and been given a new lease of life.
Thanks as always for passing by. It is as always, very much appreciated.
A small piece regarding the Canon “A” series camera range. Development and technological advancement.
As i seem to be purchasing a number of the old “A” type camera bodies for repair, I have now decided to add the full range of “A” type cameras to my collection. I’m a tad biased as I have used Canon cameras right from the very start of my photographic education, in fact the first one i used was an A1 variant. I’ve put together the following piece to explain why these cameras were so popular, and to highlight their technological advancement along the way, the technology that influenced other manufacturers to up their game and give the consumer just what they wanted out of a camera, options and greater control.
My Canon A1
The Canon A-series of 35mm SLR cameras, produced from the mid-1970s through to the early 1980s, represents one of the most influential periods in Canon’s film-camera history. It began with the groundbreaking Canon AE-1 in 1976, a camera that reshaped the industry by integrating a microprocessor – the first mass-market SLR to do so. This innovation allowed Canon to simplify mechanical complexity and reduce manufacturing costs whilst offering features previously found only in higher-end professional bodies. The AE-1’s shutter-priority auto-exposure, bright viewfinder, and strong reliability made it both approachable for beginners and capable enough for enthusiasts, turning it into one of the best-selling SLRs of all time.
My AE-1
Canon quickly expanded the lineup to address different types of photographers and to test new electronics-driven features. The AT-1 provided a more affordable, all-manual alternative, whilst the AV-1 (1979) offered aperture-priority automation, catering to photographers who preferred creative control over depth of field. The flagship A-1 (1978) pushed the boundaries even further – it became the world’s first SLR to offer full programmed auto-exposure, alongside shutter priority, aperture priority, and manual modes. This versatility foreshadowed the automation and electronic sophistication that would dominate future camera generations.
My AV-1
In the early 1980s, Canon introduced the AE-1 Program, refining the original AE-1 with a more advanced program mode and improved ergonomics. The final notable entry, the AL-1, included an innovative Focus Assist system that used contrast-detection indicators to help users achieve sharp focus – an early technological step toward the autofocus systems that would soon reshape the industry.
Collectively, the Canon A-series brought electronic control, affordability, and ease of use into the mainstream, playing a key role in shifting photography toward the automated, electronically driven era. Decades later, these cameras remain admired for their durability, classic design, and the satisfying, hands-on shooting experience they continue to provide.
At the time of writing, i have in my possession three of the six variants that were produced, and presently I am scouring the sales platforms to acquire suitable candidates for the remaining parts of this collection, to work on. I will update via this site as and when i have another one of this series to feature in a post. My current collection consists of the cameras below marked with an asterisk:
My current cameras in the “A” range marked with an asterisk
I would like to obtain a special mount for this series of cameras so i can display them as a collective sample of this wonderful range. They will all of course, all be fully usable, not museum pieces.
A nice entry level camera, from the mid 90s, now back in working order
Here I have a very basic, entry level camera made by Canon. Produced between 1996-9 this camera is currentlybetween 26 – 29 years old. These cameras don’t have the traditional identification number printed within the film spool holder that the older cameras had, hence the precise manufacturing date is difficult to confirm.
Canon EOS 500N
This is a camera passed onto me by a good friend and professional photographer, Jon, as can be seen in this post: Cameras…i need more!
I believe this camera was previously used by a large photographic organisation, to teach staff and students wishing to learn traditional 35mm film photography techniques. It was a training camera, at entry level specs.
It is a very good example of this model of camera, and despite its simplicity, low cost appearance and feel, it is in a very good condition cosmetically.
Here’s a little information about this camera:
The Canon EOS 500N is also known as the EOS Rebel G in the Americas or the New EOS Kiss in Japan. Sometimes it’s referred to as the EOS Kiss 2 as it followed the release of the EOS Kiss in Japan. This camera was released in 1996 and replaced the EOS 500. The Japanese version of the camera had the date back as standard. Its successor was the EOS-300 / REBEL2000 / Kiss III, released in 1999.
The body of the Rebel G is plastic, weighing 370 g (13 oz). The only colors available were black or a mix of silver and black. The Rebel G has an EF lens mount making it compatible with any EF lens. The viewfinder offers a 0.7x magnification, 90% coverage, center auto focus, wide auto focus and many more. The Rebel G shooting modes consisted of 6 basic modes, full auto, portrait, landscape, macro, sports and night scene. It also has 5 advanced modes, P, Av, Tv, M, A-DEP. These modes would continue on in the Rebel G series. The camera features a built in flash, and can shoot at 1 fps. The fastest shutter speed with flash was measured at 1/90 of a second.
A few new features include compatibility with ETTL type flash. It still has the same 1/90 of a sec sync speed of the previous model, but when equipped with a Canon Speedlight such as the 380EX, 220EX it can be used at 1/2000 of a sec. Focus has improved a bit as as a AF assist light is now available. Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) can be use from -2 to ++2 in 1/2 stop increments. The command dial now has an easier to access night scene mode. The body is able to use the BP-8 vertical grip that can also accept four AA batteries.
Camera-Wiki.org / Wikipedia
Assessment:
As Stated, this camera is in a good cosmetic condition with no sign of dents, dinks or wear. Considering this was a camera used in training I can only presume the students were extremely careful and respectful, or it was lightly used. Having worked with some of these students myself, i very much suspect, it’s more than likely going to be the latter option.
There is another such unit I have of this very same camera however that is damaged with a faulty screen that requires replacement and that will be dealt with in a future post. Meanwhile, let’s get back to this one.
A sticker on the rear
There is an old ownership sticker on the rear and this is one of those old vinyl type ones that will be able to be removed, but just may take a little while, as they are brittle and break off into lots of little pieces that go everywhere.
The battery chamber is clean and there are no signs of contamination. The screen is clear and does not show any bleed, though I haven’t powered it up just yet.
Clean battery chamberNo screen bleed
The film chamber, back pressure plate and shutter curtain all appear to be in good order. Again I will further test this when I put some batteries in and run a dummy film to check transport.
Curtain and film chamber appear fine Back pressure plate and door working fine
The unit is quite grubby and dusty, the mirror is dirty and the prism is as well. initially all looks good. Batteries, and the dummy film might tell us something different.
Repair:
Let’s get that sticker off the rear, a little soak in IPA to soften things up, and then using a small plastic modelling spatula to gently get under the label, I was able to remove the sticker relatively easily. If I’d used the metallic option I may well have scratched the casing. I’m happy that this option has worked well for me. A final clean at the end with some car cockpit cleaner should bring the detail out nicely.
Sticker now removed
Let’s get some power in, and fire this unit up. It takes two CR123A 3v lithium batteries.
CR123A batteries
We have power
Batteries in, and everything lights up, all menus function and as stated earlier their is no bleed from the LCD screen.
I load the film in and it instantly winds the whole film on to the take up spool. Here on the display, you can see that this roll is 24 exp and it has wound fully on to the take up spool. I fire off these 24 exposures to check the shutter and that fires fine, film transport also works well and the final rewind of the film at the end also works. In a nutshell, this camera works!
Film in and film out
I clean the prism and the mirror with a soft swab and you can just see the dust and dirt lift. A final brush over with a bulb blower completes this task. The internals are now clean.
It just needs a very thorough exterior clean and polish.
Result:
I’ve cleaned the exterior and used some ceramic cockpit polish to finish it off, I must admit it’s looking very good.
Here I have a nice little camera packed with features that will make a great camera for someone to learn the basics of traditional photography with. However, it’s remaining in my collection for the while.
Looking clean and presentable
From all angles a lovely clean example, operating just as it should
I’ve cleaned the camera throughout and used compressed air to finish the clean prior to sealing it from the elements. It’s yet another camera that I need to test, another one that needs to have a film put through it for its final test, however I am 100% confident of it’s capabilities and the fact that it operates just fine and all its settings, buttons and controls are doing exactly what they should. When I do get to put a film through, I will link to it here.
Another successful restoration and return to use of another old camera that had been put to one side. Not that this one really required a lot of attention, just a bit of servicing and tlc.
Thanks for passing by. It’s always very much appreciated.
Cleaning, repair and maintenance of an old Canon EOS 30 35mm SLR
I’m calling this camera my EOS Dirty, it really is suffering a bad case of the sticky rubber syndrome that was widely experienced on cameras of this era, where the Vulcanised rubber used in its construction, had a falling out with its own internal polymers, and they then decided to part company. Creating a sticky mess. This camera is currently 25 years old, originally manufactured in the year 2000.
A lovely lump of a camera
My hand, simply after handling this camera for no more than a minute.
That said, it’s a lovely camera with a lot of features, this was pretty much one of the last 35mm cameras that Canon produced, and they threw a lot of R&D into these units prior to producing its “D” Digital offering, hence it was packed with lots of pre “D” technology. It has “Eye” control, the Eye Control focusing feature makes selective focusing quicker for many. It uses IR to detect eye movements to determine focusing areas. Up to 5 eye presets can be stored for different users. I wonder if that still works?
This dirty sticky pup, needs some heavy cleaning
Here is some information, about this camera:
The EOS 30 (or Elan 7 / Elan 7e / EOS 7 / EOS 33 in different global markets) is a Canon autofocus 35mm SLR camera that uses the Canon EF lens mount. The camera was introduced in 2000.
There are three main auto focusing modes. Automatic, manual selection focusing, and Eye Control (EOS 30, EOS Elan 7E). It was given the 7 name because it has 7 auto focus points in manual selection mode. The Eye Control focusing feature makes selective focusing quicker for many. It uses IR to detect eye movements to determine focusing areas. Up to 5 eye presets can be stored for different users. Some users with corrective lenses may experience problems using this feature. The shutter speed ranges from 30 sec. to 1/4000 sec. in 1/2-stop increments with bulb. X-sync at 1/125 sec.
Metering modes use a TTL max. aperture metering with a 35-zone silicon photocell. The included modes are evaluative, partial and center-weighted averaging metering. The measurement range is from 1 to 20 EV (at 20-degree with 50mm f/1.4 lens, at ISO 100). The ISO can be set automatically with DX-coded film at ISO 25 to 5000. Exposure compensation can be adjusted from +/-2 stops in 1/2-steps.
Exposure modes available include Program mode, shutter priority, aperture priority, Depth-of-field, Auto, scene modes with (Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Scene), manual exposure and bulb mode. Flash exposure includes modes for E-TTL, A-TTL and TTL program flash modes. The motor drive is capable of up to 4 fps. The finder has dioptre adjustments built-in with settings from -2.5 to +0.5 dpt. Two CR123A batteries power the camera.
If equipped, the QD (Quartz Date) / Date back require the use of one CR2025 coin type battery. Imprint display modes include M/D/Y, D/M/Y, Y/M/D, D/H/M and off. The last date the unit can imprint is Dec. 31, 2019
Camera wiki.org
Assessment:
As stated in the sections above, the biggest problem with this camera is its stickiness, and to be honest that is not really a problem. I have cleaned many of these in the past and this one will be no different. Here’s a post I wrote a while back about sticky camera bodies: Sticky, Rubber camera grips
This really does feel like a lot of camera. You can see the digital “thought” that the development guys introduced into this camera in preparation for the arrival of its “Digital” brothers and sisters, I’m going to have to do a bit more reading up on its full operation and capabilities. This camera is in very good condition, no dinks, dents and very few scuffs, all doors are functional and when a battery is installed (a 2CR5 – 6v lithium) everything lights up, and appears to do what it should. I will check this thoroughly though later.
The horrendously sticky areasRear Mode dialScreen
The battery chamber is clear of any contamination, and looks nice, the mirror will need cleaning and the area within it will need a blow through, the shutter curtain seems to be working well at this stage. I will test it more after the clean.
Clean battery barrel Dusty mirror and curtain chamber
So. Let’s get on with the repair and maintenance.
Repair:
I’ve started the clean of the rubber and it is filthy. The amount of black that came off on the first clean has required me to get another cloth as it really is that bad. Another two applications and the cloth is a lot cleaner, it has removed a massive amount of goo and dirt and feels a lot better to the touch, and my hands are staying clean and that’s a good sign. I will give a final clean with the car cockpit polish that should finish it off nicely.
Looks beautiful after a proper clean
I’ve cleaned the mirror and prism above using a swab and the effect is instantaneous, there was a lot of dust here. Opening the curtain in a “B” setting I gave the whole interior a good blast with compressed air that has left the chamber as free of dust and contaminants as I can get it. With the curtain back down, a bulb blower and brush is all that was needed to complete the task. A lens mount cover is now in place to prevent anymore dirt getting in.
Transport tested
I’ve put in one of my old test films to check the camera’s function, and it’s transport & rewind, and I’m pleased to say this works just fine. At a shutter speed of 4000 I’ve never heard such a sweet sounding camera. This really feels like a lovely camera that I can’t wait to take out and run a film through.
All functions and options tested via the display screen
Going through the function screen, there are no bad pixels and all options are available. I have tested the eye control function and programmed my own profile into the camera, it does seem to be working, it might be a little hit and miss, I programmed it very quickly so maybe I just have to read up on it more, just to tweak its use as such.
All rear sub menus working, and buttons operable
All sub menus on the rear of the camera are operable and all buttons and dials are doing what they should. This camera is ready to go, and is in a perfect working order.
Result:
She’s a beauty
Canon EOS 30
This camera was probably discarded to one side when the sticky grip problem started to rear its ugly head. It really is a shame that this happens, it’s such a simple problem to eradicate. This is an absolutely superb camera and packed with technology that would eventually have gone on to be incorporated into the soon to appear professional digital offerings from Canon. For 35mm photography this was a perfect swan song, 35mm photography had peaked with this range of cameras and Canon had perfectly produced cameras that in effect had pushed this theme of photography to its highest level. It was the best of the rest at the time.
This camera deserves some respect, it feels superb in the hand, looks good, sounds terrific and performs exceptionally well. There will always be the haters out there, there always will be. But as you will have gathered, I don’t really report badly of any of my cameras as I truly love them all. They are superb items of modern and semi modern technology that have captured history. They just deserve to be preserved and protected and most of all enjoyed.
I will shortly be posting some pictures from this camera that can be found here:
Thank you for passing by, as always it is very much appreciated.
Foxes Den 
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