How to Replace Vintage Camera Light Seals 

There were a few cameras I passed up a few years ago because the light seals were gone. I also spent a lot of time looking for a camera store in my area, and by area, I mean 200 to 300 miles, and no one would do it. This video really is a lot of help, because it never occurred to me to do it myself, or that I might be able to do it myself. Thanks for the video.

Tim, great instructional video on a common topic, well done. I've followed the same method with just about every film camera I've owned. May I offer some tips? Firstly I work with a strong light source, in my case a head torch and clean my glasses so I can see! Secondly, it's critical that the shutter on a focal plane type camera is protected, with a piece of stiff card taped in place, also on lens shutter cameras. No glue needed on the long narrow channels, just 'stuff' it in nice and straight. The mirror box needs extra care not to scratch the surface of the mirror nor allow any 'gunk' to adhere to it. I place a folded card over the mirror while I work in that area. Craft shops are the best place to find the items needed. Again, a very clear and concise video, thanks.

Ohio here. Thanks for posting. Now I know what to do with my Canon AE1 and Pentax K1000.

Thanks man! Just found my uncle's old Yashica from the 80's, and was kinda worried I wouldn't be able to shoot it if the light seals were busted, so this is really helpful!

Very cool seeing you restore the dinosaurs.

Thanks! Great knowledge and demonstration of doing the things ~ The canon rangefinder is also a very nice rig!

Very helpful, thanks, Tim. I have a Canonet I'm going to re-seal. Also have a couple of Zorki rangefinders. It will be fun to shoot with them. Keep up the fine work!

Lacquer thinner and a clean brush and toothpicks. The chemical does all the work! Also an inspection mirror from autozone (its on a ball joint on the end of an extending antenna rod) helps to see inside the front of the lens mount. Makes the job much easier.

Thank you sir. I now feel confident in trying to fix my old COSINA CT 1G fully manual SLR my favourite camera. Which I've got 24mm 28mm 50mm 135mm and a 70-210mm 1:3.8-4 TAMRON lense all PK fit. prefer it even to my very expensive Nikon digital SLR cameras. Thanks again for a fantastic tutorial

These are easy cameras to do. The hard ones are SLR's with the very thin channels. You can't cut the foam thin enough or get it orientated in the channel correctly. Its easier to use 2mm macrame cotton. This is similar to what old camera manufacturers used to use. It does need glued at the ends, but the rest of it hold in on its own.

Sweet! I just picked up a Minolta XE-7 and I want to replace the seals. they charge $90 for that job at a repair shop near by which I'm not sure if its worth it on that camera. So I'll give it a go myself! I have a spare XE-7 for parts so I'll try it on that one first to see how it goes :)

Thank you for this intersting video from Spain .

New Sub. Thanks Tim. Great video, very thorough and helpful 👍

Excellent tutorial! I made some testshots with a Zenit ET from 1993 and it turned out it has a light leak. I checked in the back and the lens of the camera and it turns out it needs a light seal cleaning & replacement. I have learned something new today, thank you!

good stuff. all the other videos on this are way too short and there isn't much knowledge to be gleamed. thanks for the thorough walk through!

The STX1 was my very first camera and the reason I bought it was because I was still at school and working on Saturdays so thats all i could afford and was envious of my cousin who had the OM10 but I always wanted a Nikon. Roll on 40 years and I've now got the Nikons that I wanted during the 80's the, FA, FE2, FM2 and F100 and a D850 for any digital work, but I'll gladly take another STX1 it was a great wee camera only let down with the slow top shutter speed.

Great video, Tim. Right now I'm shooting a test roll on a Pentax ME Super that I just got, and the mirror damper is self destructing, so suspect I will need to replace all the light seals too. You've given me the confidence to do it myself!

Every once in a while my Canon AE-1 will have a light leak, so it may be worthwhile to replace them. This will be very helpful. Greetings from Parma!

so simple, which is nice

Nice. Thanks for this.

helpful man, thank you!

Very very good video

This was perfect. Just picked up a Ricoh 500, and it looks like the light seals are crumbled

that was handy,, i just ordered some foam for my AT-1, and i suppose several others need it. , ( several folks have given me there old film cameras)

Thanks!

thanks for sharing

Ohio! I learned a lot thanks!

Great video. That GOO GONE doesn’t affect the finish or damage any thing? Thank you 🙏

Hi, nice video. How do you determine which thickness of foam to use for each location of the camera? And is the foam material the same between the mirror bumper and light seals?

This is almost perfect for me, almost so I have a question. I recently purchased a Minolta X-700. I had asked about the condition of the seals prior to bidding but seller was ignorant about them. I got the camera and sure enough all the seals needed to be replaced before I put film in it. My question arises about the dampening seal you spoke of in the front of the camera. As is common in older camera's you get black spots as you look through view finder. After some research I determined that the black spots I was seeing was caused by the decay of the dampening seal. It would be much easier to see in video than in written instruction how to pull out the area that contains the decayed seal I see in view finder, clean it off, replace it then replace the seal. I hope I have been clear enough for you to understand exactly what I'm referring to. I ordered 2mm sticky back foam for seal replacement that should be here soon but need help with the above mentioned if you can, thank you.

Thanks for uploading. My Fujica ST801 needs some new light seals. Which thickness do you use? I can't measure, since they are pretty much gone

Hi Tim, the foam by the mirror inside the camera on the AE-1 I bought is pretty worn down. If it’s not replaced will it cause light leaks or how will it effect the picture if left alone?

👍 i never got on with the craft self adhesive foam. I find it can come away easily from the channels after a few uses..what stuff do you use? Perhaps the stuff i get in the UK isn't ideal. Thanks.

Hmmmm i have a Minolta XG-1 with a line of gunk running through the prism.... Im guessing that's whats left of the mirror foam...

Hi! Recently I git my hands on a Yashica Fx-7 and wanted to restore it my self. As an amateur with his first analogue camera, do you think I am capable of replacing the light seals? Because it also needs more cleaning besides the seals and I don't want to mess up xD thank you!

I haven't been able to find any adhesive foam, just the regular kind. Do you recon i could use contact cement to glue it on or something?

Does the canonet need that foam on the lens?

What's the best thickness of foam , Regards Robert.

What kind/size of foam sheet did you use? Thank you.

How did you like the goo gone? A worthwhile replacement to the alcohol?

I know that a couple cameras used black cord/yarn as light seals in the deep grooves - I wonder if this is worth doing as well on other SLRs?

How can you find the original thickness of these seals?

would plastic work better than wood tools?

Close the shutter curtain man

I would be concerned about the quality of anything I bought at a “craft” crap store.

6 to 12 months maximum you will need to do them all again with that type of foam. 🙄