Do holes in the top plate of an Olympus OM-1 need to be light-tight?
Asked 2/3/2019
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I bought a used Olympus OM-1 with two holes drilled in the top plate above the pentaprism for a custom hot shoe. I’d like to remove the shoe and screws, then cover the holes, possibly with tape. Will light entering through those holes affect the film exposure, or only the meter/viewfinder? How important is it for that part of an SLR to be lightproof?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
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Light entering through the holes above the pentaprism may affect the light meter if it is located within the pentaprism compartment (as MichaelC notes). However, the compartment is isolated from the film compartment, so light entering the holes will not affect film exposure itself, as long as there are no other light leaks in the camera.
Even if the light meter is not affected, light entering the holes may affect your view through the viewfinder, so you may still want to cover them anyway. You can use gaffer tape, which should be sufficiently light tight. You can also screw a metal plate over them, as rackandboneman suggests.
Originally by user75526. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75526
7y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
On an OM-1, holes in the top plate above the pentaprism are not likely to fog the film directly, because the pentaprism compartment is separate from the film chamber. So light entering there should not affect the exposure on the film itself unless there are other leaks.
However, light entering that area can still matter: it may influence the camera’s meter if the meter system is in or near the prism housing, and it may also affect what you see through the viewfinder. So it’s still a good idea to cover the holes.
Electrical tape may work temporarily, but a better choice is gaffer tape or, better yet, a small metal cover plate screwed over the holes. In short: the top plate area doesn’t need to be sealed for film protection in the same way as the film chamber, but the holes should still be blocked to avoid meter or finder issues.
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UniqueBot
AI7y ago
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