Hi, good video. I would like to add, that ALL Zenits suffer from prism damage caused by the foam that holds the prism, rotting which in turn causes an orange streak in the viewfinder some people mistake this for a crack. The Zenit B's and E's interestingly enough, despite being older, survive better than the newer models. I have Zenits from the 60's right up to the the most recent plastic bodied 122's and ALL had foam rot, although luckily not all as advanced as to damage the prism. If you have a Zenit, please change the prism foam, else you WILL suffer prism damage. Following this video, remove the top plate, you will see the foam, remove the metal rail over the prism and remove all the sticky gunk with IPA. Replace with a suitable bit of foam. I also add a piece of aluminium foil between the new foam and the prism. There is a little bit of foam just below the viewfinder that I also replace, be careful not to damage the light seal for the back door, which is wool and I have never found a camera in my collection that required replacement. It is also worth shining a torch onto the top of the camera whilst looking in the front of the camera at the mirror and above, sometimes you will see light, so it is worth sticking a bit of foam on the top, to block this. It is worth buying a lens wrench from Ebay or Amazon, it will help when removing the collar at 13:00, especially if stiff. Tweezers may bend. It is also good for the later cameras, which instead of having the collar requiring pliers, has two little holes, needing either a lens wrench or a pair of dividers. My method of holding the spring in places using drill bits is a little different. I cock the shutter whilst undoing most of the top parts (due to left-hand thread) but before removing the three screws in the rewind lever, fire the shutter to release it. Then rather than inserting three drill bits, you just need one, this goes in the screw hole nearest the back of the camera, but first you need to move the cocking lever about 30 degrees, put the drill bit in and slowly return the lever, you will feel tension on the drill bit as it is held by the spring. Setting the curtain tension is very hit and miss. There is no documentation that I have found which states what the tension should be. Both curtains need to be set at the same tension, else uneven exposure will be made, if one travels faster than the other. I made a little shutter tester with an Arduinio and two lasers. It measures the speed of each curtain and gives shutter speed, so with trial and error it is possible to get both curtains to move at the same speed and a surprisingly accurate shutter speed. A common fault with the Zenits is for the shutter to fail. On the end of each curtain, there is a ribbon top and bottom, which is glued onto a spindle, which is the bit showing being tensioned in this video. The glue fails and so the ribbon comes loose. To repair, almost the entire camera has to be stripped down to get the shutter mech out. The ribbons can carefully be re-glued. I lay the shutter curtains out on graph paper, to keep it all straight and then re-glue the ribbons with rubber solution glue. What a pain. It takes hours to take the camera apart and even more to put back together. I did it to prove I could, but would not spend so much time again. A replacement Zenit is not expensive, I have even bought a few 'new' ones from East Europe to add to my collection. Enjoy your Zenit :o)
I have a Zenit 12S I bought with this issue already present. Is there any way of fixing it once it presents itself? Apart from replacing the whole mirror assembly (which I may just do, Zenit TTL/Zenit 12 bodies are not exactly rare or expensive)
This comes in very handy! I just got a ET model. I mainly noticed that there's foam rotting, as another user mentioned here already, in my viewfinder so i will have to definitely clean that. Considering there are a bunch of other funny things on the ET camera, maintenance on this thing looks even more intimidating than on the model you have right here.
They are all the same inside. Slightly different way to remove the top than the E, a special twin pointed tool is required to remove the centre of the frame number dial.
Here is a problem. To accurately tune it to the millisecond, you'll need a special tool, similar to the oscilloscope. Because the shutter speed is defined by gap between the curtains, not the time frame window is open. Without special tools we are gonna tune it «by ear», or I should rather say «by eye». At first, make sure both curtains slide across the frame window without jamming and set the shutter speed to 1/30. From here on, high-speed camera would come in handy. Tighten the curtains to the point they open and close almost instantly, the first curtain (visible when shutter is cocked) should clear the window in a matter of 0.02 second, thab the window stays open for the next 0.01 second, and then the second curtain (visible when shutter is released) should close in the same 0.02 seconds. With some experience, you will get it quite accurate without a high-speed camera, but even your first attempt would land you quite in the ballpark, given the wide dynamic range of film.
Zenit E was the first camera I owned. After CLA and shutter curtains replacement it works fine. Once you disassembly top cover, it is worth to exchange poor ground glass. I took one from ZENIT 122 which is ugly camera but equipped with split ground glass. Also no problem to replace selenium photocell with modern one and enjoy it working.
Yep, a good idea, but one must be careful to readjust the focus. There are shims below the ground glass and these must be changed to ensure the same focus is projected onto the film plane that is shown on the viewfinder. The only source of shims, which come in different thicknesses, is from broken camera. Ideally specialist alignment tools are required for confirming correct alignment.
@@namesurename-fotografiaana3168 Me neither, just want as many Zenits to survive as possible. The image projected onto the film plane when the mirror is lifted must be identical to that which is seen in the viewfinder with the mirror down, else focus will be wrong. Winding in and out the mirror angle screw so the viewfinder looks right, without confirming the same focused image is projected into the film gate will not confirm both the viewfinder and film plane are at the same focus. Tweaking the mirror will alter the focus plane top to bottom and also change your view. Get a hand-held mirror and hold it at waist hight facing up and look down into it. Now adjust the angle of the mirror whilst looking into it and what you see will change. When at 45 degrees, you will see what is in front of you, at 90 degrees, you will see yourself looking into it. A camera repair shop would use a collimator for this task. A home-brew method can be used by putting a ground glass screen on the film gate and use a loupe to view a calibration card image. Compare this image to that which is seen in the viewfinder (one has to use B setting when viewing through the loupe). Below, is from the link you posted, which is fundamentally wrong. It correctly states that focus could be lost by changing the ground glass screen or losing the shims. So the correct course of action is to replace the shims and add or subtract shims to correct the focus (Shims come in different thicknesses). " I'm getting out of focus shots! With every lens! And the range measured on my Zenit SLR is way out. Yes, this is possible after replacing the groundglass. Or when the shims have gone. If you place a new groundglass it sits either heigher or lower and so altering the distances to the mirror and so the distance to the lens. Even a displacement of 1 mm can cause out of focus shots. But fortunatly it is easy to correct. "
Hi, great video and really detailed. I have a Zenit EM but for what I know both are similar. The thing is that in a moment of stupidity i changed the shutter speed without cranking the cocking lever and now the shutter works properly only in 1/250, in the other speeds it opens halfway and when I release the shutter button the curtain goes the other half. So I don't know if it is a tension problem or i screwed the shutter selector. If you know something I'll be really thankful.
If it is working like in bulb mode on any speed except 1/250 you need to look into the speed selector. If after pressing the release button part of the curtain is still in the frame - yes, you need to tension it.
Setting the speed without winding on should not cause an issue with a Zenit. Do you mean the first curtain opens fully and when you release the shutter, the second curtain closes? If so, that sounds like bulb mode. Check the shutter speed dial is not loose.
Thanks for the responses. Curtain was getting stuck 1/3 open. Tensioning the shutter helped until 1/60. Sadly, to get to 1/30 I over tensioned it and something snapped inside and now it's not working. So maybe it needed a lot of cleaning and lubrication. I'll send it to a repair shop in the future to see if they can fix it. If not I'll try myself. The only repair shops are far from where I live so that's why I didn't send it in the first place.
@@lloutubeunperrito Hi, the cost of repair (if you can find anybody willing to do it) will far exceed that of a replacement camera. The ET is the newer version of the EM and you can still get them 'new' from East Europe. The last of the ETs had a plastic top plate, rather than stamped brass. There are loads for sale on Ebay, but buy wisely, always get a photo through the eyepiece to check for orange prism damage & fungus, and another of the meter needle to ensure it moves when light is shining on the front. These and shutter curtain failure are the thee most common faults that will kill a Zenit. If you want a more 'modern' through the lens metering system, look at the 12XP. Ensure you get a photo of the battery compartment to ensure it is not corroded. The 12XP takes modern batteries, but the TTL takes a mercury battery, no longer available, so avoid the TTL model. I have bought quite a few Zenits on Ebay, some described by the seller in detail, others which were 'Was my Dad's I know nothing about it, don't ask' some have been gems, others not so, but I watch the prices carefully and do not over-pay, as there will always be another one along. Over 12 million were made! Remember, ALL Zenits MUST have the prism foam changed. If your eyepiece does not show yellow streaks, it soon will and your prism will be ruined. Every Zenit I have had, I have removed the top plate for inspection and every single one had foam rot, even 'new' ones.
Hi planespotter spb, i have a Зенит ЕТ, yesterday i was out and about shooting with it, when i saw that the button for taking pictures had disappeared. i managed to find the top silver part but there is clearly something else missing because when i put it back on it does not want to cock the shutter in one go, I was wondering if you could have any tips on how i can fix it as it is a very well preserved Зенит and i would hate to loose it!
Hi there, I need to exchange the Backdoor from one camera to another, the closing mechanism is damaged, and on the other one are the springsdamaged, so I want to make a working camera out of two;-) Might you give some assistance on how to remove the backdoor and assamby a other one?? With kind regrards chris
This is the prism damage I described in another post. It is caused by the foam, which holds the prism in place, rotting and damaging the silvering of the prism. ALL Zenits will fail like this unless the foam is changed. If your Zenit has yet to show this fault, please change your foam NOW. Follow the video to remove the top plate, then remove the metal bar over the prism and CAREFULLY remove the sticky foam. Remove the remaining residue with IPA & cotton buds. Replace with a new piece of foam. Even if your Zenit has the yellow streak, removing the sticky foam will at least stop the damage getting worse. However it is impossible to get rid of the orange streak once it is there. I have tried everything I can think of, IPA, solvents etc. Good luck getting a new prism. Spares for Zenits are almost non-existent, as are part catalogues and service manuals. It maybe possible to get another prism from a donor camera, but whether prisms are identical between different Zenit models, I do not know. Many cameras will have the same prism damage, fungus or the silvering lifting off. Would love to find Zenit parts and service information. I have scoured the interweb to no avail. Considering there were over 12 million cameras made and Zenit still hold the record for the most cameras built by a company (Lego holds the record for most tyres made :o) there is surprisingly little information out there. There must be a special tool for tensioning the shutter curtain, as well as other tools & jigs, but I have never seen any. In the UK, the Zenit importers used to strip and align each Zenit before sale in the UK (according to their company documentation), but nobody from the company, or indeed any of the workers in the Zenit factory have shared their wisdom. If you know of any genuine resources, please let me know. Thanks.
2 years late but what I did was chip the bad silvering off with a screw driver and place some aluminum foil over it and burnished it against the surface then glued it on the edges to the pentaprism. It gets the yellow out and the metal adds some reflectivity back but not much. Though it will still work just fine when viewed through the viewfinder since the internal reflection is what you see at the peak.
hi! i tried fixing my curtains since the shutter speed wasn't functioning correctly and sometimes wasnt openning,other times it stuck in the middle etc.. (i used another tutorial) but i think i messed up the sync. now when i cock the lever to get ready for taking a photo, the curtains won't advance at all, and other times it feels very tight to move the curtain. other times it feels like fully cocking the lever, won't do anything to the curtains.. Q( any ideas? i lost counting of how many times i adjusted the screw of curtain 1 back and forth:( thank you!
@@oldcameraguy it seems that one of the two curtain's screws won't do anything now.. (the visible curtain). the other feels tight enough so i'm afraid to mess with it. is it a curtains' problem still or a shutter's?hmmm
@@thebagouras Honestly encountering such thing for the first time. You need to loosen both springs (both curtain screws) since what whey do is pull the curtains BACK, to the left-hand side of the camera (looking through the back door, cocking lever in on the right-hand side). If the shutter does not cock it is either an OVER-TIGHTENED spring pulling so hard on the curtain that it does not go right, or shutter is busted.
I have zenith camera model aM the The door of the camera can't open when I use the rod to replace the film so How can I repair the door to open it Thanks
AM is a completely different model/design, not the one shown in the video. What happens when you pull the rewind knob all the way up or pull the rewind knob all the way up trying to open the door an the same time?
I live in Russia, so our prices are and were a little different. But in terms of what you could by, I usually charged for that somewhere around 3 full meals at McDonalds or 20 good loafs of bread. Another one thing about your issue - you can't clean an old prism, it simply degrades over time. You can clean the focusing screen, but you can only change a damaged pentaprism.
I have a problem with unscrewing it where the shutter button is. When I try to unscrew it, the entire mechanism tightens, as if I were doing it with this lever.
Wonderful video! Very clearly explained, thank you for that. Really helps me out with my Zenit 3M. I've got a question regarding the lubrication of the camera. What type of lubricant do you recommend? I'm not too sure as for what to use.
@@oldcameraguy It turns out that at least one of the screws was loose. This was the cause of the problem. I tried to fix it, but one of the screws was partly damaged. My screwdriver had trouble grabbing it. I ended up buying a new camera body for $14 shipped. Anyway, thank you for the reply and a very informative video
Followed this guide and it ended in a Broken Zenit-B tension spring. Unfortunately, at no point did it suggest how much or how little to turn the spring, whether the camera should be "wound" and hands were blocking the shot for most of this part. Follow with caution, one Zenit-B to the trash.
How much and how little depends on the camera you are servicing, springs degrade differently in different cameras. There is no universal number of turns, think of it like of tuning a guitar string.
It looks like you damaged the shutter (this is why I point at the only two screws you should turn). Unless you have a skilled mechanic available... buy a new camera.
I had a zenit with the same issue. I got a piece of ply wood. cut a circular hole in it, the same diameter as the collor of the lens. Then cut the plywood in half, so it would fit either side of the lens. Then clamped it in place in a vice and turned the camera. If you have one of those rubber belts on a handle, used for opening jar lids, you could try that.
I have a Zenit 12xp… I run it with 2x LR43 1.5 V batteries but the lower light of my light meter is always on (red)… doesn’t matter if I push the shutter or not… why is that? Apart from that the light meter works fine but I’m worried about the battery life because It should drain way faster with one light always on
E-type Zenits have a very crappy lightmeter inside - and it tends to fail. If your lightmeter is red all the time - no matter how bright the subject is or what ISO/shutter speed you are using or especially if the button is released... The electronics inside is broken and I don't think it can be repairable.
switch contacts are mis-aligned and staying closed, although it does sound a little strange as if the contacts are misaligned and staying closed, the meter should still indicate over or under exposure.
Hi, good video. I would like to add, that ALL Zenits suffer from prism damage caused by the foam that holds the prism, rotting which in turn causes an orange streak in the viewfinder some people mistake this for a crack. The Zenit B's and E's interestingly enough, despite being older, survive better than the newer models. I have Zenits from the 60's right up to the the most recent plastic bodied 122's and ALL had foam rot, although luckily not all as advanced as to damage the prism. If you have a Zenit, please change the prism foam, else you WILL suffer prism damage. Following this video, remove the top plate, you will see the foam, remove the metal rail over the prism and remove all the sticky gunk with IPA. Replace with a suitable bit of foam. I also add a piece of aluminium foil between the new foam and the prism.
There is a little bit of foam just below the viewfinder that I also replace, be careful not to damage the light seal for the back door, which is wool and I have never found a camera in my collection that required replacement. It is also worth shining a torch onto the top of the camera whilst looking in the front of the camera at the mirror and above, sometimes you will see light, so it is worth sticking a bit of foam on the top, to block this.
It is worth buying a lens wrench from Ebay or Amazon, it will help when removing the collar at 13:00, especially if stiff. Tweezers may bend. It is also good for the later cameras, which instead of having the collar requiring pliers, has two little holes, needing either a lens wrench or a pair of dividers.
My method of holding the spring in places using drill bits is a little different. I cock the shutter whilst undoing most of the top parts (due to left-hand thread) but before removing the three screws in the rewind lever, fire the shutter to release it. Then rather than inserting three drill bits, you just need one, this goes in the screw hole nearest the back of the camera, but first you need to move the cocking lever about 30 degrees, put the drill bit in and slowly return the lever, you will feel tension on the drill bit as it is held by the spring.
Setting the curtain tension is very hit and miss. There is no documentation that I have found which states what the tension should be. Both curtains need to be set at the same tension, else uneven exposure will be made, if one travels faster than the other. I made a little shutter tester with an Arduinio and two lasers. It measures the speed of each curtain and gives shutter speed, so with trial and error it is possible to get both curtains to move at the same speed and a surprisingly accurate shutter speed.
A common fault with the Zenits is for the shutter to fail. On the end of each curtain, there is a ribbon top and bottom, which is glued onto a spindle, which is the bit showing being tensioned in this video. The glue fails and so the ribbon comes loose. To repair, almost the entire camera has to be stripped down to get the shutter mech out. The ribbons can carefully be re-glued. I lay the shutter curtains out on graph paper, to keep it all straight and then re-glue the ribbons with rubber solution glue. What a pain. It takes hours to take the camera apart and even more to put back together. I did it to prove I could, but would not spend so much time again. A replacement Zenit is not expensive, I have even bought a few 'new' ones from East Europe to add to my collection.
Enjoy your Zenit :o)
Hey there - what would you do for a mirror that is stuck down? It simply won't even attempt to pop up at all :/
@@ashleyabate-berry4322 try that long adjustment screw sitting behind the mirros to turm 2..4 full turns counter-clockwise, basically, opening it
I have a Zenit 12S I bought with this issue already present.
Is there any way of fixing it once it presents itself? Apart from replacing the whole mirror assembly (which I may just do, Zenit TTL/Zenit 12 bodies are not exactly rare or expensive)
I have never seen a black Zenit-B before, and I am feeling anxious when watching you dissambled it.
Felt the same when disassembling it ;-)
Man, you just saved another Zenit from my collection.
fantastic video, it has helped me to start repairing my Revueflex-B
Thank you so much
That was very interesting. I appreciate the time and trouble you took to show us.
This comes in very handy! I just got a ET model. I mainly noticed that there's foam rotting, as another user mentioned here already, in my viewfinder so i will have to definitely clean that. Considering there are a bunch of other funny things on the ET camera, maintenance on this thing looks even more intimidating than on the model you have right here.
They are all the same inside. Slightly different way to remove the top than the E, a special twin pointed tool is required to remove the centre of the frame number dial.
Thank you so much for this video. Have a nice day !
How much tension should be tightened on the tension screw? Thank you so much
Here is a problem. To accurately tune it to the millisecond, you'll need a special tool, similar to the oscilloscope. Because the shutter speed is defined by gap between the curtains, not the time frame window is open.
Without special tools we are gonna tune it «by ear», or I should rather say «by eye». At first, make sure both curtains slide across the frame window without jamming and set the shutter speed to 1/30. From here on, high-speed camera would come in handy. Tighten the curtains to the point they open and close almost instantly, the first curtain (visible when shutter is cocked) should clear the window in a matter of 0.02 second, thab the window stays open for the next 0.01 second, and then the second curtain (visible when shutter is released) should close in the same 0.02 seconds. With some experience, you will get it quite accurate without a high-speed camera, but even your first attempt would land you quite in the ballpark, given the wide dynamic range of film.
Zenit E was the first camera I owned. After CLA and shutter curtains replacement it works fine. Once you disassembly top cover, it is worth to exchange poor ground glass. I took one from ZENIT 122 which is ugly camera but equipped with split ground glass. Also no problem to replace selenium photocell with modern one and enjoy it working.
Yep, a good idea, but one must be careful to readjust the focus. There are shims below the ground glass and these must be changed to ensure the same focus is projected onto the film plane that is shown on the viewfinder. The only source of shims, which come in different thicknesses, is from broken camera. Ideally specialist alignment tools are required for confirming correct alignment.
@@wibbley1 Under the mirror you can find a kind of screw, which is designed to adjust focus.
@@namesurename-fotografiaana3168 That screw adjusts the angle of the mirror, not focus. The mirror should be at 45 degrees to the focus screen
@@namesurename-fotografiaana3168 Me neither, just want as many Zenits to survive as possible. The image projected onto the film plane when the mirror is lifted must be identical to that which is seen in the viewfinder with the mirror down, else focus will be wrong.
Winding in and out the mirror angle screw so the viewfinder looks right, without confirming the same focused image is projected into the film gate will not confirm both the viewfinder and film plane are at the same focus. Tweaking the mirror will alter the focus plane top to bottom and also change your view. Get a hand-held mirror and hold it at waist hight facing up and look down into it. Now adjust the angle of the mirror whilst looking into it and what you see will change. When at 45 degrees, you will see what is in front of you, at 90 degrees, you will see yourself looking into it.
A camera repair shop would use a collimator for this task. A home-brew method can be used by putting a ground glass screen on the film gate and use a loupe to view a calibration card image. Compare this image to that which is seen in the viewfinder (one has to use B setting when viewing through the loupe).
Below, is from the link you posted, which is fundamentally wrong. It correctly states that focus could be lost by changing the ground glass screen or losing the shims. So the correct course of action is to replace the shims and add or subtract shims to correct the focus (Shims come in different thicknesses).
"
I'm getting out of focus shots! With every lens!
And the range measured on my Zenit SLR is way out.
Yes, this is possible after replacing the groundglass. Or when the shims have gone. If you place a new groundglass it sits either heigher or lower and so altering the distances to the mirror and so the distance to the lens. Even a displacement of 1 mm can cause out of focus shots. But fortunatly it is easy to correct.
"
@@wibbley1 In my case it was 1/2 turn. Minor change of slope. During ground glass replacement 1st priority is to keep original distance.
Hi, great video and really detailed. I have a Zenit EM but for what I know both are similar. The thing is that in a moment of stupidity i changed the shutter speed without cranking the cocking lever and now the shutter works properly only in 1/250, in the other speeds it opens halfway and when I release the shutter button the curtain goes the other half. So I don't know if it is a tension problem or i screwed the shutter selector. If you know something I'll be really thankful.
If it is working like in bulb mode on any speed except 1/250 you need to look into the speed selector. If after pressing the release button part of the curtain is still in the frame - yes, you need to tension it.
Setting the speed without winding on should not cause an issue with a Zenit. Do you mean the first curtain opens fully and when you release the shutter, the second curtain closes? If so, that sounds like bulb mode. Check the shutter speed dial is not loose.
Thanks for the responses. Curtain was getting stuck 1/3 open. Tensioning the shutter helped until 1/60. Sadly, to get to 1/30 I over tensioned it and something snapped inside and now it's not working. So maybe it needed a lot of cleaning and lubrication. I'll send it to a repair shop in the future to see if they can fix it. If not I'll try myself. The only repair shops are far from where I live so that's why I didn't send it in the first place.
@@lloutubeunperrito Hi, the cost of repair (if you can find anybody willing to do it) will far exceed that of a replacement camera. The ET is the newer version of the EM and you can still get them 'new' from East Europe. The last of the ETs had a plastic top plate, rather than stamped brass.
There are loads for sale on Ebay, but buy wisely, always get a photo through the eyepiece to check for orange prism damage & fungus, and another of the meter needle to ensure it moves when light is shining on the front. These and shutter curtain failure are the thee most common faults that will kill a Zenit.
If you want a more 'modern' through the lens metering system, look at the 12XP. Ensure you get a photo of the battery compartment to ensure it is not corroded. The 12XP takes modern batteries, but the TTL takes a mercury battery, no longer available, so avoid the TTL model.
I have bought quite a few Zenits on Ebay, some described by the seller in detail, others which were 'Was my Dad's I know nothing about it, don't ask' some have been gems, others not so, but I watch the prices carefully and do not over-pay, as there will always be another one along. Over 12 million were made!
Remember, ALL Zenits MUST have the prism foam changed. If your eyepiece does not show yellow streaks, it soon will and your prism will be ruined. Every Zenit I have had, I have removed the top plate for inspection and every single one had foam rot, even 'new' ones.
Hi planespotter spb, i have a Зенит ЕТ, yesterday i was out and about shooting with it, when i saw that the button for taking pictures had disappeared. i managed to find the top silver part but there is clearly something else missing because when i put it back on it does not want to cock the shutter in one go, I was wondering if you could have any tips on how i can fix it as it is a very well preserved Зенит and i would hate to loose it!
What exactly did disappear? Mail me pics to the pandathepilot(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi there, I need to exchange the Backdoor from one camera to another, the closing mechanism is damaged, and on the other one are the springsdamaged, so I want to make a working camera out of two;-) Might you give some assistance on how to remove the backdoor and assamby a other one?? With kind regrards chris
Exact camera model?
@@oldcameraguy the zenith-b or revueflex-b they are the same model🫡
Is it possible to remove the yellow line in the camera viewfinder? :)
Yes. Disassemble the top cover like shown in the video, remove the old pentaprism (it's top edge is the yellow line you see), and install the new one.
This is the prism damage I described in another post. It is caused by the foam, which holds the prism in place, rotting and damaging the silvering of the prism. ALL Zenits will fail like this unless the foam is changed. If your Zenit has yet to show this fault, please change your foam NOW. Follow the video to remove the top plate, then remove the metal bar over the prism and CAREFULLY remove the sticky foam. Remove the remaining residue with IPA & cotton buds. Replace with a new piece of foam.
Even if your Zenit has the yellow streak, removing the sticky foam will at least stop the damage getting worse. However it is impossible to get rid of the orange streak once it is there. I have tried everything I can think of, IPA, solvents etc.
Good luck getting a new prism. Spares for Zenits are almost non-existent, as are part catalogues and service manuals.
It maybe possible to get another prism from a donor camera, but whether prisms are identical between different Zenit models, I do not know. Many cameras will have the same prism damage, fungus or the silvering lifting off.
Would love to find Zenit parts and service information. I have scoured the interweb to no avail. Considering there were over 12 million cameras made and Zenit still hold the record for the most cameras built by a company (Lego holds the record for most tyres made :o) there is surprisingly little information out there.
There must be a special tool for tensioning the shutter curtain, as well as other tools & jigs, but I have never seen any.
In the UK, the Zenit importers used to strip and align each Zenit before sale in the UK (according to their company documentation), but nobody from the company, or indeed any of the workers in the Zenit factory have shared their wisdom.
If you know of any genuine resources, please let me know.
Thanks.
2 years late but what I did was chip the bad silvering off with a screw driver and place some aluminum foil over it and burnished it against the surface then glued it on the edges to the pentaprism. It gets the yellow out and the metal adds some reflectivity back but not much. Though it will still work just fine when viewed through the viewfinder since the internal reflection is what you see at the peak.
hi! i tried fixing my curtains since the shutter speed wasn't functioning correctly and sometimes wasnt openning,other times it stuck in the middle etc.. (i used another tutorial) but i think i messed up the sync. now when i cock the lever to get ready for taking a photo, the curtains won't advance at all, and other times it feels very tight to move the curtain. other times it feels like fully cocking the lever, won't do anything to the curtains.. Q( any ideas? i lost counting of how many times i adjusted the screw of curtain 1 back and forth:( thank you!
IMMEDIATELY release both springs. Unwind them completely. Now try to cock the shutter and tell me the results.
@@oldcameraguy it seems that one of the two curtain's screws won't do anything now.. (the visible curtain). the other feels tight enough so i'm afraid to mess with it. is it a curtains' problem still or a shutter's?hmmm
@@thebagouras Honestly encountering such thing for the first time. You need to loosen both springs (both curtain screws) since what whey do is pull the curtains BACK, to the left-hand side of the camera (looking through the back door, cocking lever in on the right-hand side). If the shutter does not cock it is either an OVER-TIGHTENED spring pulling so hard on the curtain that it does not go right, or shutter is busted.
@@oldcameraguyi ll try it! Thank you very much!:)
I have zenith camera model aM the
The door of the camera can't open when I use the rod to replace the film so
How can I repair the door to open it
Thanks
AM is a completely different model/design, not the one shown in the video. What happens when you pull the rewind knob all the way up or pull the rewind knob all the way up trying to open the door an the same time?
How much would you personally charge to replace the glass prism in a Zenit-E with a new one (or clean the old one) out of curiosity?
I live in Russia, so our prices are and were a little different. But in terms of what you could by, I usually charged for that somewhere around 3 full meals at McDonalds or 20 good loafs of bread.
Another one thing about your issue - you can't clean an old prism, it simply degrades over time. You can clean the focusing screen, but you can only change a damaged pentaprism.
I have a problem with unscrewing it where the shutter button is. When I try to unscrew it, the entire mechanism tightens, as if I were doing it with this lever.
That is why you should cock the shutter first.
@@oldcameraguy now i did it. But still it doesn't want to unscrew.
@@kristofikk camera model?
@@oldcameraguy zenit-e
@@kristofikk What tool are you using to remove the frame counter?
Wonderful video! Very clearly explained, thank you for that. Really helps me out with my Zenit 3M.
I've got a question regarding the lubrication of the camera. What type of lubricant do you recommend? I'm not too sure as for what to use.
I use a cheap bottle of silicone lube, good enough for me.
Is it possible to repair the shutter speed knob?? It rotates freely
Does the shutter work? Can you at least cock it?
@@oldcameraguy It turns out that at least one of the screws was loose. This was the cause of the problem. I tried to fix it, but one of the screws was partly damaged. My screwdriver had trouble grabbing it. I ended up buying a new camera body for $14 shipped. Anyway, thank you for the reply and a very informative video
Hello, I was trying to remove the area from the shutter, but there is no case of disassembling it, what can I do?
I have zenit-e
Followed this guide and it ended in a Broken Zenit-B tension spring. Unfortunately, at no point did it suggest how much or how little to turn the spring, whether the camera should be "wound" and hands were blocking the shot for most of this part. Follow with caution, one Zenit-B to the trash.
How much and how little depends on the camera you are servicing, springs degrade differently in different cameras. There is no universal number of turns, think of it like of tuning a guitar string.
I have a Zenit E and i unscrewed some screws in the bottom and now the camera won't work at all. can somebody help?
It looks like you damaged the shutter (this is why I point at the only two screws you should turn). Unless you have a skilled mechanic available... buy a new camera.
i have a ttl with a lens that wont come off is this normal or is it stuck if so how do i get it off
No, it isn't normal. How did you try to remove the lens?
I had a zenit with the same issue. I got a piece of ply wood. cut a circular hole in it, the same diameter as the collor of the lens. Then cut the plywood in half, so it would fit either side of the lens. Then clamped it in place in a vice and turned the camera.
If you have one of those rubber belts on a handle, used for opening jar lids, you could try that.
I have a Zenit 12xp… I run it with 2x LR43 1.5 V batteries but the lower light of my light meter is always on (red)… doesn’t matter if I push the shutter or not… why is that? Apart from that the light meter works fine but I’m worried about the battery life because It should drain way faster with one light always on
E-type Zenits have a very crappy lightmeter inside - and it tends to fail. If your lightmeter is red all the time - no matter how bright the subject is or what ISO/shutter speed you are using or especially if the button is released... The electronics inside is broken and I don't think it can be repairable.
switch contacts are mis-aligned and staying closed, although it does sound a little strange as if the contacts are misaligned and staying closed, the meter should still indicate over or under exposure.
unfortunately the overlapping of the letters and fingers do not show the disassembly operations well, therefore my vote is negative
I would gladly accept your donation for the new (better) filming setup. If you don't like letters - you can always learn russian.