Minolta X-700 | Replacing Foam Seals Tutorial | DIY #011

Summary

In this video, the host repairs a Minolta X700 camera sent in by a customer who experienced yellow streaks on film, a common issue due to deteriorating foam seals. The camera, a flagship model from 1981, is meticulously inspected, with a focus on its foam seals, mirror bumper, and shutter mechanism. The host replaces the gummy, disintegrating foam with new, resilient foam imported from Japan, ensuring light sealing and camera functionality. The video offers a historical perspective on the camera and practical advice for owners of classic SLR cameras.

Takeaways

• 📷 The video discusses a repair of a Minolta X700 camera, which was experiencing yellow streaks on film due to deteriorated foam seals.
• 🧩 The camera, manufactured in 1981, was a flagship model of Minolta, featuring advanced options for its time.
• 🔧 The repair process involves replacing the foam seals around the film door, which are crucial for light sealing and preventing film damage.
• 🔬 The video provides a detailed look at the camera's interior, showcasing the foam seal condition and the steps taken to replace them.
• 📸 The camera's functionality, including program mode, aperture priority mode, and manual mode, is briefly discussed, highlighting its versatility.
• 🔩 The repairman shares historical context, noting his experience with the camera model since its release and common issues encountered.
• 🛠️ The video demonstrates the removal of rust from the camera's flash shoe and the cleaning of the pressure plate to maintain the camera's condition.
• 🔍 The serial number and the 'pass' sticker on the camera are highlighted, indicating the camera's age and the owner's care.
• 💡 The importance of the mirror bumper is explained, as its deterioration can lead to camera damage and light leaks.
• 🌟 The video concludes with a demonstration of the newly replaced foam seals, emphasizing the improved condition and functionality of the camera.

Q & A

What issue did the customer report with their Minolta X700 camera?

The customer reported yellow streaks on the film, which is indicative of light leaks.

What part of the camera typically causes light leaks in classic cameras like the Minolta X700?

Light leaks in classic cameras are often caused by the foam around the film door deteriorating.

How long has the repairman been repairing cameras before the Minolta X700 was released?

The repairman had been repairing cameras for about three years before the Minolta X700 was released.

What was the Minolta X700 known for in 1981?

In 1981, the Minolta X700 was the flagship model of Minolta, featuring all the premium features and considered their best model at the time.

Why was the Minolta X700 not the repairman's favorite model despite its premium status?

The repairman saw many Minolta X700 cameras that were broken and needed repair, indicating that it might not have been as reliable as other models from a repair perspective.

What are the different modes available on the Minolta X700?

The Minolta X700 has Program mode, Aperture Priority mode, and Manual mode, catering to different levels of photographic expertise.

What does the 'ASA' setting on the camera do?

The 'ASA' setting on the camera allows the user to override the exposure settings, adding or subtracting a stop of light as needed.

Why does the repairman find the brass-colored parts on the camera interesting?

The brass-colored parts are interesting because they are a result of rust removal, which caused the chrome to come off, revealing the underlying brass.

What does the repairman discuss regarding the camera's serial number?

The repairman finds the camera's serial number fascinating and enjoys seeing the history and details that come with it, such as the 'pass' sticker indicating the camera's past condition.

What is the purpose of the mirror bumper in the camera?

The mirror bumper in the camera serves to cushion the mirror when it moves to the top. Without it, the mirror could hit the metal, potentially causing blur or damage over time.

What is the repairman's process for replacing the deteriorated foam seals in the camera?

The repairman replaces the deteriorated foam seals by carefully cutting new foam to size, applying it to the necessary areas, and ensuring it adheres correctly without causing further issues.

Outlines

00:00

📷 Introduction to Camera Repair

The video begins with the host welcoming viewers and introducing a repair task on a Minolta X700 camera, which was experiencing yellow streaks on film due to deteriorating foam seals around the film door. The camera, manufactured in 1981, is a classic model that the host is very familiar with, having repaired cameras since 1978. The video promises to show the condition of the foam seals before and after replacement, as well as provide some history about the camera. The Minolta X700 was the flagship model of its time, featuring various modes including program, aperture priority, and manual. The host discusses the camera's features, its serial number, and the significance of a pass sticker from 1981, indicating the camera's age and usage.

05:04

🔍 Closer Look at the Camera's Condition

The host examines the camera's exterior, noting signs of wear such as 'brassing' where the paint has worn off to reveal the brass underneath. This is a common issue with the camera model, particularly in the bottom corners where it's frequently handled. The camera's top and bottom covers are made of plastic with a brass laminate, which was a design choice to prevent easy scratching. The host also discusses the camera's battery holder and the importance of the foam seals, which have become gummy and are causing light leaks that affect the film. The condition of the seals is shown, and the host explains the need to replace them to prevent further damage and light leaks.

10:04

🛠️ Addressing the Mirror Bumper and Light Leaks

The video continues with the host addressing the camera's mirror bumper, which has deteriorated and is allowing light to leak into the camera body. This can cause blur and damage the camera over time. The host demonstrates how the old foam from the mirror bumper can fall into the camera's mechanisms, potentially causing further issues. The host uses a toothpick and a screwdriver to carefully remove the old foam and prepare the area for new foam installation. The importance of replacing the mirror bumper foam is emphasized to maintain the camera's functionality and prevent light leaks.

15:06

🔧 Replacing the Foam Seals and Mirror Bumper

After a break, the host returns to show the replacement process of the foam seals and mirror bumper. New foam, imported from Japan, is used to replace the old, deteriorated seals. The host demonstrates the installation process, highlighting the difficulty of applying the adhesive-backed foam into the camera's channels without it sticking to the sides. The video shows the camera's improved condition with the new foam in place, comparing it to the old, yellowed foam. The host also replaces the screen, which was dirty, and discusses the difference between the original foam and domestic foam alternatives.

20:07

🎥 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In the final part of the video, the host concludes the repair process and shares the final results. The camera's foam seals have been replaced, and the mirror bumper has been restored, addressing the issues that were causing light leaks and affecting the film quality. The host reflects on the repair process, noting the time and care required to replace the foam seals, especially in the camera's channels. The video serves as a guide for anyone with a similar camera model to assess the condition of their foam seals and consider necessary repairs to maintain their camera's performance.

Keywords

💡Minolta X700

The Minolta X700 is a 35mm film single-lens reflex camera that was manufactured by Minolta in the early 1980s. It was known for its quality and was a flagship model for the brand at the time. In the video, the camera is the central object being repaired, and the script discusses its features and issues commonly encountered with this model.

💡Yellow Streaks

Yellow streaks on film are a common issue that can occur due to light leaks in a camera. In the context of the video, the customer's Minolta X700 was experiencing this problem, which the repairman attributes to the deteriorated foam seals around the film door.

💡Foam Seals

Foam seals are a critical component in cameras, used to prevent light leaks that can affect the quality of photographs. The video script describes how the foam seals in the Minolta X700 had become gummy and were falling apart, leading to the yellow streaks on the film.

💡Camera Repair

Camera repair refers to the process of fixing or restoring a camera to its proper working condition. The video script details the repair process of the Minolta X700, including the replacement of foam seals and other maintenance tasks.

💡Light Leaks

Light leaks occur when unintended light enters the camera and exposes the film or sensor, causing anomalies in the final image. The video discusses how light leaks are often the result of worn or damaged foam seals, which is the issue being addressed in the repair.

💡Program Mode

Program mode in a camera is an automatic setting where the camera determines the best combination of aperture and shutter speed for the given lighting conditions. The script mentions that the Minolta X700 had a program mode, which was considered good enough for general use.

💡Aperture Priority

Aperture priority is a semi-automatic mode in cameras where the photographer selects the aperture, and the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed to achieve the correct exposure. The video script indicates that the Minolta X700 had this mode for photographers who wanted more control over depth of field.

💡Manual Mode

Manual mode in a camera allows the photographer to manually set both the aperture and shutter speed, giving full control over the exposure settings. The script briefly mentions that the Minolta X700 had a manual mode, although the repairman did not prefer it as much as the aperture priority mode.

💡Exposure Compensation

Exposure compensation is a feature that allows the photographer to adjust the exposure beyond the camera's automatic settings, making the image lighter or darker. The video script describes how the Minolta X700 had a feature to override the exposure, which could be used to add or subtract a stop of light.

💡Shutter

The shutter in a camera is the mechanism that controls the amount of light that reaches the film or sensor by opening and closing at specific speeds. The video script discusses the shutter mechanism of the Minolta X700 and how the deteriorated foam from the mirror bumper could potentially cause issues with it.

💡Mirror Bumper

The mirror bumper is a foam padding inside the camera that cushions the mirror when it flips up to expose the film or sensor. The script explains that the mirror bumper in the Minolta X700 had deteriorated, which could lead to blur in photos and potential damage to the camera.

Highlights

The customer's Minolta X700 camera was experiencing yellow streaks on film, likely due to deteriorated foam around the film door.

The camera, made in 1981, was a flagship model of Minolta with advanced features for its time.

The repairman had been repairing cameras since 1978, giving him extensive experience with models like the X700.

The camera's foam seals were visibly gummy and falling apart, causing light leaks that affected film quality.

The camera's interior was examined, revealing the condition of the foam seals and the need for replacement.

The repair process included a detailed look at the camera's mirror bumper, which was also deteriorating.

The importance of the mirror bumper in preventing camera shake and potential damage was discussed.

The repairman demonstrated cleaning the camera's pressure plate, which showed signs of significant use.

The camera's brass-colored flash shoe was noted, with the repairman explaining the rust removal process.

The serial number and its significance in identifying the camera's history were mentioned.

The camera's ASA setting was highlighted as a feature that allowed for exposure override.

The repairman discussed the camera's various modes, including program, aperture priority, and manual.

The camera's exterior brassing was examined, with the repairman speculating on the reasons behind this design choice.

The process of replacing the foam seals was detailed, including the use of imported foam from Japan.

The repairman provided a before-and-after comparison of the foam seals, showcasing the improvement in quality.

The final result of the repair was presented, with the camera's foam seals restored to a condition resembling new.

The video concluded with a reminder for viewers to check their classic SLR cameras for similar foam seal deterioration.

Transcripts

welcome stranger time for another video

the um

the uh a customer sent me a camera uh

x700

and uh told me that he was getting

yellow streaks on this film so I knew

immediately that uh it's probably the

foam around the film door

which happens to all these little

classic cameras so um the camera's on my

desk

um the camera was made in 81. I started

repairing cameras in 78 so I'd only been

repairing cameras about um three years

before this camera came out I knew it

real well we saw a lot of them in our

shop

the um anyway I plan to uh show you the

foam seals before I replace them and

show you the condition and then show you

the foam seals after I replace them and

along the way give you a little bit of

history about the camera let's get

started

okay here it is

at the time of the

1981 this was the Flagship of Minolta

this was their best model it had all the

bells and whistles or is it whistles and

bells anyway

it did everything there were some other

models that they made at this time also

but this was their premium model

but from a point of a camera repairman

it wasn't their best model

I saw a lot of these come into my shop

that were broken and I had to work on

them

the IC located right about here

would go out on the camera and not have

to replace them

and it looks like I left the camera on

shame on me

let's go down here to this one

see there it says on

last time I was working on it I should

have um

put that on off

but I had it on on

and it is charged

and it's fired okay let's turn that back

off

okay the um

I'm gonna get a probe here

got the program mode which was good

enough for anybody really apture mode if

they knew a little bit about photography

and wanted to select aperture

and then manual mode which I didn't much

care for

the

aperture and program mode works good

enough

and what else do we have over here

counter

up here we had the flash shoe

you'll notice that these are kind of

brass colored that's because the they're

a rusted and I remove the rust some of

it

and all the Chrome came off

and you see it's a serial number one

five three seven two one four

serial numbers camera is always

fascinated me

look on this side

and I really enjoyed seeing the customer

had the pass sticker on there

back in 81 I've owned one of these

cameras on dirty all of the cameras at

one time or another

I removed my stickers on my new cameras

but some people religiously kept them on

there

and never removed them and was they were

careful not to remove them why I don't

know I still don't even know what these

stickers

you know if they really meant that they

checked the camera and it passed or

whether this was just um

a Watts advertisement feature

I don't know

and then Asa

was set right there 100 Asa

this right here was to override the

exposure say you had it in program and

you wanted to add a stop or take away a

stop you did that here made it very

simple you didn't have to mess with

anything else you could just sit leave

it in Auto and if you're in a situation

where it was a little bit dark you could

add some light

or if it was a little bit too bright

like in snow

you could reduce it

anyway what else what else what else

did I get that right uh snow do you add

a stop or take away stop I've forgotten

and let's see front here

x700

down

nice big letters Minolta

maybe we should be over in here in this

camera here

and then we've got your f-stop follower

and your lens

the camera

correctly had to be an F-16

that's what this was for

for program or

aperture

I've forgotten I haven't worked on one

of these in years I've I get a lot of

cameras in but not many of these

down here in the bottom we've got our

battery holder

I noticed the camera has a lot we call

brassing here

here

takes a lot of rubbing to rub that paint

off and show that much brass here

why does this always stick up

they always do brassing here

this corner

camera is carried around a lot

and the funny thing is is that the

camera is not made of brass

that's made of plastic and this was the

first camera I saw them do this on

it is a plastic cover

well actually the whole camera's turn is

plastic but in this top cover and bottom

cover and then they put a brass

laminated it with brass

how you do that I don't know

it's thicker than foil

but it is uh

let's call it a very thick brass foil

and they put it on top

and I'm not sure why they did it I think

possibly because the cameras that I've

seen are all plastic they get scratched

up real easy

but this one had paint on brass and so

it doesn't

as you can see up here at the top

there's no scratches this is plastic it

would be all scratched up up here

and over here so I guess it was a good

idea

but uh you know why they didn't issue

Steeler

or a brass on the top cover to begin

with I suppose maybe to save weight or

to save money

who knows

okay let's go inside

this is where the problem is anyway

before we start let's look at

um

what just hit this over here

you can see the

pressure plate

looks like it has scratches on it I'll

clean that up later but those scratches

may not come out that may be

well I suppose I could do it right now

on screen

some cotton ball here

and uh

a little bit of solvent on there

and rub that

and let's see if that'll come out or not

it did that's good

it's good

scratches on the pressure plate mean a

lot of film has been shot through the

camera

and it tells you the age of a camera

that's one of the first things I look at

this one was just dirty and it's still

dirty I'll need to clean a little bit

more

okay

Let's uh

it was sent in because of seals

and

there's your seals and as you can see

they are gummy

and they're falling apart

and that's the reason the customer was

getting

yellow streaks on his film

was because of these uh foam seals are

just shot I need to replace those

and then what about over here

again

bear with me

black camera

the Sony's having trouble dealing with

it

same condition here the the seal here at

the uh

hinge is always thicker it's two

millimeter foam as you can see it's just

falling apart

that's that's gross looking to me anyway

I've seen too much of that

over the years the foam seals

exteriorate

I'll have to replace that for sure all

of that

and then

if we can ever get the camera just right

we probably won't because it's a hard

area to see

I'm going to stop the camera here just a

second and

see if I can help that maybe or maybe

not I'll get back to you hold on

okay I'm back

I put some black tape on there to cut

back on the reflections so we could see

down this channel a little bit better

and what we'll do here

is we'll get a

screwdriver tip here straight edge

and lift up

as you can see

the

foam as you can see the foam is

also just falling apart

and will have to be replaced

and this is again why he was getting

yellow streaks

is that the

light was getting in

especially if you're in bright sunlight

and exposing his film causing those

yellow streaks

anyway let's see what else can we look

at here

that's all going to be replaced it's a

mess

and uh one more thing I'd like to show

you

and it's gonna be hard to do

because I cannot

see I'm getting a toothpick

and pushing that it's a actually a light

shield around the front pushing it out

of the way

and I'm moving my screwdriver in here

and right here is the mirror bumper

on some cameras it's real easy to get to

but not on this camera

I'm trying to get my light just right so

you can see it

you notice how part of the bumper is

gone and you're just seeing metal

underneath

the bumper one is covering it covers all

of that there's no metal showing and

most of the bumper is just falling off

deteriorated and fallen off little

pieces

and I hope it's not down on the camera

in some critical point

but that mirror bumper all that needs to

be scraped off

and all of it needs to be um

you know a new piece of foam put in

there

and it cushions the mirror when it comes

up to the top

if you didn't have that when you fired

your camera the camera would hit the

metal

and if you were at a slower shutter

speed it would cause a blur

and it might even break the mirror over

time

and that's why

that has to be replaced and that's why

it's there

so what else here

I'm going to lay this down a second here

and show you

one last thing

first I'm going to advance the camera

just a little bit let's see if we can

I tell you filming this and

having to operate things like this okay

that's the opening and closing shutter

right there behind the mirror what

happens quite often is the foam from the

mirror bumper will fall down in this

compartment

and it'll work its way into the shutter

the shutters on rollers on both sides

and the foam as you saw is sticky and

gummy it'll fall onto the shutter and

then when the shutter rolls up it'll

roll it right onto the shutter

uh

and that

can cause problems accounting work gets

the um

shutter can carry that foam into the

camera on either end it not doesn't

always stick to the shutter self

sometimes the it'll get past the shutter

the shutter will just carry it into the

camera and it'll get a more critical

place and lock the camera up you know

carry it onto a mechanism there's a lot

of mechanisms like here in the I can't

show it to you but here in the bottom

behind this plate

we're gonna have trouble seeing it is

some mechanism underneath here

and the foam can be carried down on

there the foam also can go right through

that hole and get into the mechanism

but either way the mirror bumper is is

bad for him when it starts coming apart

it can really hurt a camera

getting the rollers getting the

mechanism unlocking the back in the back

it just looks bad and it lets light in

but here it can actually really damage

the camera

and then you got to pay a camera

repairman to go into it and get the foam

out

so that's why you want to remove the

mirror bumper and put in a new one you

don't want that loose foam moving around

inside your camera

and that's enough here I'm going on and

on and on

the

here go back to this this camera

I'm going to um replace the foam and

then come back and show you the new foam

but it won't be nearly as long

as the intro it'll be short I'll show it

to you and close out the video

anyway I'll see you in a little bit

and I am recording okay

I thought it would take a couple hours

to do this but it ended up taking on

all afternoon finally got all the foam

in

I'm starting with this shot here of the

mirror bumper because it was really hard

shot to set up lightwise getting to show

the texture on the foam

and uh to have it focused so um

I put the toothpick in it and set it up

on blocks and

trying to keep it steady

and you can see the new foam going from

left to right all the way across now

it's a new foam imported phone from

Japan

I just like the foam that was in there

and uh

you can see the screen also is back in I

installed that

so this shot I can't I'll try moving a

little bit

and see

if I can keep it

in focus

yeah it's not bad

okay let's remove this toothpick

here you can see the screen

that I installed

it was pretty dirty on the top side

took a lot of cleaning

to before I put it back in

okay that's enough let's turn the camera

over

and look at the foam at the hinge

okay

um

let's try on the other camera

there we go

finally got something in focus

okay

um

here is the

foam I replaced it with

two millimeter

the original phone from Japan

and over here one millimeter

both sides over here and here

and it has an adhesive on the bottom

so basically you just cut it to the

right size and install it

but you can see compared to the foam

that was in it this is a resilient it

bounces back it's not done flaking off

it's black it's the yellowish

and

it's always nice to

get a camera that comes in that has

deteriorating foam and replace it

and made it look like it was when it was

new

and uh let's see here

if we can catch the

the foam down the channels

is

okay

I had to um

put some black tape on here to cover the

shiny

parts of the camera because the exposure

was messed up

and top here

and then moving close to show you the

foam and the channels here

it's black on black so that's always a

headache you can only catch the

reflections on the foam so you can see

it

but I wanted to show you that the new

foam was also put on the channels

and that

it's always a pain to do you've got to

go really slow because the

the foam has an adhesive on the back and

it quite often wants to stick to the

walls of the channel

and then it twists

and to get it down on the butt and only

stick on the bottom

it you have to move real slowly normally

putting the foam in the channels takes

an hour or more

top and bottom I don't know if we can

see the bottom here

yeah there we go we can see it

right there bottom Channel

okay that's it

in fact that's more than it I always

promise short videos but they're never

short I guess I'm a liar anyway the I

wanted to show you the um

foam deteriorated foam the condition it

is so if you have a classic SLR you can

kind of check it against the video and

see what kind of condition the foam is

on your camera

and I also showed you what the new

imported foam that the camera came with

looks like

and uh there is a domestic foam which is

a denser I didn't show you that but uh

that people replace it with it works

just as well they both work just fine

but there is a difference between the

foam that the camera came with and the

domestic foam that a lot of people put

in these cameras and I'm rambling here

again so anyway that's it and I'll see

you later

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