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I picked up this Zenit EM the other day; I paid £1 for it at a carboot. It was thrown in a suitcase with a bunch of junk; I had to buy the case to buy the camera. Unfortunately this meant I didn’t have the opportunity to check it before bringing it home.
Pleasant surprise, it still fires. The body despite being a little dusty seems well looked after, so I mean £1 well spent. That said, when I look through the viewfinder there is a big brown/yellow streak running straight down the center; I have no idea what this is.
If it’s possible I’d like to clean it up/fix it; I mean if I mess up, there’s nothing lost really, as far as I can tell the camera is 10 a penny and I didn’t pay much for it. I’m looking for someone with a little more knowledge to tell me what the line is/might be and then help me find the resources I need to fix it.
Thanks
p.s. if the picture isn’t clear enough or more info is needed I can supply new pictures.
Also if fixing the camera is going to cost more than the price I paid for the camera, let me know. Likewise if the ‘damage’ is just cosmetic and won’t affect photo quality, let me know as well.
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Camera-Specific Properties: Camera Software Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Macintosh) Image-Specific Properties: Image Orientation Top, Left-Hand Horizontal Resolution 143 dpi Vertical Resolution 143 dpi Image Created 2017:07:24 13:37:22 Color Space Information Uncalibrated Image Width 2042 Image Height 1362
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Also, bonus gore. It's a picture of the suitcase I bought, looks like someone was throwing away their entire home darkroom. This was all included for the low-low price of £1
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>>3120039
Looks like a bit of a steal op, nice day work. The streak is probably just cosmetic, I would just shoot a roll with it and find out. Be gentle with your camera, old cameras tend to break for no reason whatsoever
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>>3120038
The mirror pentaprism is pressed down in place by a metal clamp and foam. After decades the foam turned into a sticky mush and the released compounds corrode the thin seam of the mirror coating, permanently destroying it. This seems to be worse in cameras kept in bad comditions - aside from replacing the prism (not difficult but needs a donor) or having the know-how to recoat it (wut) it's dead, Jim. Aside from an annoyance doesnt impact anything.
You should be more worried about the tiny viewfinder image coverage area messing up your framing. Check curtains for pinholes against a strong light and enjoy your barebones 1 quid slr.
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>>3120039
You could've honestly googled this, btw. Very popular fault. If that top left corner dev tank is complete that's a way better steal than the Zenit teebeeietch. Cool find, hope you have fun using the camera, helios lenses are sharpest around f5.6/f8 and have a significant focus shift - try to focus at the target aperture, not wide open, the iq gain is visible.
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>>3120038
Wtf is a car boot
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>>3120145
Leather boots that go over your tires in the winter so you have more traction. You can also get them with steel reinforcements if you drive on construction sites a lot
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>>3120145
It's a gathering of like minded people, often taking place on a Sunday morning, where folk dressed head to toe in camouflage suits sell shite to each other for rock bottom prices. No offence OP, I hope you have fun with the camera.
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>>3120175
I don't think I've ever heard a better description of a carboot. And yeah, looking forward to it.
>>3120144
>>3120141
>>3120099
Thanks for your help. I might look into replacing the prism as a fun little project, until then though I'm more than happy to work around it. I'll stick a roll in tomorrow and see how it goes.
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>>3120144
This. My Zenit has the same thing, it's not really a problem as far as using the camera goes.
Zenits are pure trash though, and the Helios is one of the biggest memes going. You would be better off with almost any other SLR/50mm combo. Doesn't mean it can't take fine photos, however.
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Camera-Specific Properties: Equipment Make Canon Camera Model Canon EOS 550D Camera Software Digital Photo Professional Image-Specific Properties: Image Orientation Top, Left-Hand Horizontal Resolution 350 dpi Vertical Resolution 350 dpi Image Created 2014:05:19 18:37:54 Exposure Time 0.7 sec F-Number f/5.6 Exposure Program Manual ISO Speed Rating 100 Lens Aperture f/5.7 Exposure Bias 0 EV Metering Mode Pattern Flash No Flash, Compulsory Focal Length 100.00 mm Color Space Information sRGB Image Width 900 Image Height 1350 Rendering Normal Exposure Mode Manual White Balance Manual Scene Capture Type Standard
Thread posts: 10
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