Vent: Mirror box alignment on vintage SLRs is way too fiddly...

You have to strip down the whole top plate just to tweak two tiny screws... and good luck if they're seized. It adds hours to a simple focus fix and tests my patience every time. Camera makers clearly didn't think about repairs when they buried those adjustments. Makes me wonder why I even take on these jobs anymore.

2 comments

2 Comments

hart.reese1d ago

That mirror box alignment issue is SO real. My friend battled a seized screw on his Olympus OM-1 for an entire afternoon. He used a tiny torch and it STILL wouldn't budge, just chewed up the head. Finally gave up and sold it for parts, he was that annoyed.

oscar_rivera951d ago

Is it really impossible to fix a seized screw like that? @hart.reese, your friend might have just needed the right approach instead of a torch. Plenty of people save cameras by using penetrating oil or a proper screwdriver set made for old gear. Even carefully applying heat with a soldering iron can work without wrecking the head. Selling a whole OM-1 for parts over one stubborn screw feels like giving up too easy. Those cameras are tough and usually worth the extra effort to repair.