Panic! New slr cam and goo inside?

Leheaven · Mar 21, 2015

Hey! Thanks for looking and hopefully responding!
Yesterday, I received a canon av-1 slr camera..yay. It works great. While out taking pics yesterday a black thing appeared in my viewfinder. I took off the lens to see what it was and it was the foam light seal stuff and goo. The light seal was coming off. Prob is it went onto the microprism (think that's what it's called) I wiped it off but now when I look through the viewfinder I can see the marks from it.

What can I use to clean it and will it affect my photos?

I'm a complete beginner with an slr cam, I've always wanted to learn the basics and recently started darkroom classes etc I'm afraid now I've ruined my new cam!

Designer · Mar 21, 2015

Foreign material on the prism will not affect your photos.

Treat it just as you would a lens, using care to not oversaturate the glass of the prism with cleaning fluid. Put a tiny amount of fluid on a swab and gently work from the edges toward the middle to avoid spreading the goo toward the edges.

tirediron · Mar 21, 2015

You can also try Iso. alcohol, using a small amount on a medical swab if the adhesive proves problematic. How much of the light seal has been lost? If it's the whole thing, or a significant portion, you're may see blown are over-exposed areas on your prints.

Leheaven · Mar 21, 2015

Thanks for answering! I'll try it with the swabs and things. Hopefully it will come off.

I've lost the whole light seal so I'm going to order some on eBay. Other than that the camera is in great shape. I can't wait to see how the photos turn out. Most of them should be okay I'd say, it was only the last few prints really that the light seal was gone for.