Help fixing light leak issues

john.margetts said:
Look for black. That white on the pictures will be black (or dark, at least) on the negatives - does the black extend past the edge of the picture on the negative?
Click to expand...

The black area does indeed extend beyond the image, Miles Whitehead this means it's a light leak issue.
However, having an investigate at the moment, some ideas:
1. The pressure plate looks like it's not lying flat properly, the side where the light leaks are coming in is the side the pressure plate is protruding slightly
2. Along the top of the door, right at the top edge it looks like the camera has been bumped and the metal has indented a little bit
3. There doesn't appear to be any light seals at all

So I can replace the light seals, I suppose, but if it's the door or the slightly wonky pressure plate, that's more complex.
 
LonerMatt said:
The black area does indeed extend beyond the image, Miles Whitehead this means it's a light leak issue.
However, having an investigate at the moment, some ideas:
1. The pressure plate looks like it's not lying flat properly, the side where the light leaks are coming in is the side the pressure plate is protruding slightly
2. Along the top of the door, right at the top edge it looks like the camera has been bumped and the metal has indented a little bit
3. There doesn't appear to be any light seals at all

So I can replace the light seals, I suppose, but if it's the door or the slightly wonky pressure plate, that's more complex.
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest the pressure plate but thought it unlikely that anyone else would do the same (and as it turned out, daft) thing that I did. I put the door from an OM2 on my OM1 as I liked having a film memo holder into which I could insert the cardboard end of a film box. Unfortunately although the door did fit, the pressure plate is a different size and location and fouled two of the little silver coloured screws at the corners of the film gate, meaning that it didn't sit flat at one end. I don't suppose you have done something similar have you?

One solution would be to remove the two screws and fill the holes left, the other solution is to put the proper film door without the memo holder back on the camera. You can't take the pressure plate off one door and put it on the other, as that doesn't fit either.

Until I came across a post on a photo forum somewhere describing this problem and cause, I assumed that Zuiko lenses were crap as my photographs were sometimes slightly out of focus. How wrong I was!
 
Nowt wrong with Zuiko lenses- it tends to be the photographer :)
 
What ever youur problem turns out to be All Om1 camers will need the light seals replaced by now. Mine was one of the last made , and I replaced them ten years ago. The same is true of all old olympus cameras like the Xa and Xa2 which I did at the same time.
 
Not to mention the risk of deteriorating foam eating away at the silvering on the prism. Most OM1's had it fitted.
 
Send it to Michael Spencer. See my earlier post. He's Olympus specialist. Got loads of spares.
 
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