Igor.Burshteyn
Well-known
Well. Nothing lasts forever - especially true of good things out there. Previous owner made a lot for my convinience - he installed Kiev 4 with rewind crank of 4AM style (but from some other camera), calibrated rangefinder. Beast worked just good - but eventually it developed light leak. Example is attached. If it happens it happens always on the same place - along bottom of the negative (light enters from the top where back attaches to the body?). Any idea from you gurus how to cure my little beast? I got used to its quirks and don't want to replace it (and I shot it more than my other cameras - Oly OM1 and minolta 800si)
V
varjag
Guest
ErnestoJL
Well-known
Igor, the only way to cure the leak is to locate exactly where the light comes in and then block it. To locate the it, first check if the camera remov. back is bent or distorted, check also if the foam or whatever material is used to make it tight is missing or distorted. To do it, get a small flashlight, wrap a decent amount of thick black rubber foam around it and remove the lens, next place the flashlight in the lens mount (the foam must be enough to hold it in place). Go to a darkroom (or whererever you no light coming in), put the shutter on B, turn on the f.light, and check with back in place if there is some leak. Allow ten minutes or so to get your eyes used to the darkness so you can see the leak. If you see nothing, check with back removed and shutter closed if the shutter metal curtain produces the leak. It might be a very tiny hole in it, hopefully not. Only cure available is to replace curtains, it is major surgery. May be some other remedy of which I do not know yet. If the foam is missing, you can either locate a suitable material to replace the original, or (I did it 25 years before) locate some wool thread (black) place three/four threads twisted in the slot and stick it with contact cement. Apply very low amount of cement unless you want the camera back permanently stuck. AFAIK, this is still OK and made the camera light tight within half an hour, and lasts today in good condition.
Hope you solve the problem. Good luck!
Hope you solve the problem. Good luck!
Igor.Burshteyn
Well-known
After I collected some information looks like kiev leaks due to improper seals. I will finish current film and inspect camera carefully. Thanks for your responses -problem with known solution is 90% solved problem 