On 23/01/2009 21:20, Tony Duell wrote:
And never use
IPA to clean the focus screen in your SLR camera. I had
to have a Pentax dismantled and the screen replaced after that one.
Thad depends on what the focussing screen is made of. Some of my cameras
are old enough to have real ground-glass screens, which are not attacked
by any common cleaning solvents. But the plastic ones used in more recent
cameras are very easy to damage. Having just looked at a Spotmatic, I can
confirm the focussing screen in that is plastic, and that it comes out
upwards arter removing the top plate and pentaprism, so it's not trivial
to replace.
The one I damaged wasn't a Spotmatic (though I do have one), it was my
trusty ME Super. The screen comes out the top much as a Spotmatic one
does, so I wasn't pleased with myself. In case you're wondering why the
solvent was there at all, it was a problem that many classiccmpers will
be familiar with: aged foam that had crumbled and gone gooey. It's used
for the light seals around the camera back and mirror box, and some from
the mirror box had found its way onto the screen.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York