cleaning the viewfinder of a konica s3

[Xax]

hi

so i purchased my first fixed lens rangefinder, a konica s3... in the ebay description it says that half of the viewfinder is fogged...

is there a chance to clean it myself?

or do i have to replace the mirror or the glass probably?

thakns a lot for any input on that matter

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Chances are the fog is on the glass of the viewfinder, not the semi-silvered beamsplitter. The viewfinder glass can be cleaned. It is necessary to remove the top plate on the camera to get to the glass. I've used Q-Tips wrapped in lens cleaning paper for mine. The front optics have "just enough" room to carefully slide some lens cleaning paper in between the elements. This is where most of the haze was on my S3. As I recall, pay special attension to the rewind knob, try to keep it in one piece as it comes off. The mechanism to keep the lever tensioned was a real pain.

A professional CLA will run $70 for this camera, worth considering.