In a message dated 12/26/1999 11:22:33 PM Mountain Standard Time,
siddim01@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
> Hi. The new OM-1n I bought seems to have a brighter screen than the one in
> my older OM-1n.
You may well have a different type of screen which you can check as someone
else described in another post but its also possible that your focusing
screen and bottom of the prism on your first, dimmer, OM1n was just filthy.
I've pulled the focus screen out of some flea market OM1s that where probably
dimmed out at least a stop or more from haze of the ages. The focus screens
are made of plastic and are easy to scratch but you can clean them under
running water using some dish washing liquid. Just run water on them for a
while to get any gritty stuff washed away, then apply a drop of something
like Dawn liquid to the still wet screen, both sides, then *gently* rub the
screens with your baby soft fingers all the while under the running warm
water. When the soap's all gone, give it a good rinse both sides while
holding it at its edges, blot the big drops up with a tissue but don't
actually wipe the surface, just blot. I've had good luck just setting the
screen on edge to finish drying or blowing the thing dry with compressed air
(or Dust Off in a can). If you live in a area with really crappy tap water
that leaves spots then you might try dunking the screen in some distilled
water or some other designer bottled water from some exotic corner of the
world so it will dry spot free.
The underside of the prism can also have significant haze on it, which can be
cleaned with the usual lens cleaning solutions and techniques but be aware on
OM1,2 types that there is an exposed meter needle down there in the corner of
the prism, normally covered by the focus screen. Don't try to clean that
little corner, just leave it alone else you will feel John H. cringing at the
thought of what you are trying to do ;^)
Reinstall the focus screen after giving it one last dusting with the
compressed air and you may well notice a much brighter viewfinder. Works for
me.
BTW, the mirror can be hazed over and cause noticeable dimming of the
viewfinder image as well. I recall that John H. recently described how to
clean a really dirty mirror, you might check the archives for that post.
Regards,
Carl Turner
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