How to Replace Vintage Camera Light Seals

A quick tutorial on the cheapest way to replace the light seals on your otherwise perfectly good film, vintage cameras.
All of the supplies can be purchased at any local craft store.
The process is simple - it doesn't take any real mechanical knowledge - just a little bit of patience and steady hands.
I also show how to replace the mirror dampener in SLR cameras.
I have done this process on 1970/80s Nikons, Canons, Fujis, Minoltas and probably more. In this video I show a Canon rangefinder, Fuji & Olympus SLRs.
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[@ovash1]

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.

[@TimFitzwater]

Awesome - glad it could help. It really is just more about patience then a lot of skill.

[@stephencrowfoot244]

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.

[@deboz8793]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

Awesome! I have both of those cameras too. I’ve used the Pentax extensively.

[@flowermaze___]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

Thank you!

[@MoiraineSedai]

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!

[@TimFitzwater]

Awesome - good luck!!

[@BillLowenburg]

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!

[@TimFitzwater]

Awesome - glad it could help!

[@pedalstomper78]

Very cool seeing you restore the dinosaurs.

[@TimFitzwater]

Josh Troche I find the light seek process very satisfying. I believe that thumbnail is from the first one I did - 2012?

[@richardsilva-spokane3436]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

Awesome - so glad it could help! I’m working on more analog photography videos - I tend to just ride my bike in the summer.

[@tilica5353]

Thank you for this intersting video from Spain .

[@TimFitzwater]

You’re welcome! Hope it was helpful!

[@davesherrell447]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

Very cool! Glad this could help.

[@dooleyfan]

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!

[@TimFitzwater]

Awesome - glad this could help!

[@michaelfarrell8962]

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.

[@Arcturian1111]

Nice. Thanks for this.

[@zenazen777]

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!

[@TimFitzwater]

Awesome - glad I could help!

[@austinchavers2025]

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!

[@TimFitzwater]

Thanks - I'm glad it was helpful! I thought there wasn't a really good one either so I decided to try my hand at explaining how I do it.

[@GordonHudson]

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.

[@612morrison]

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.

[@bunathan2485]

so simple, which is nice

[@scottplumer3668]

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!

[@TimFitzwater]

Yeah - totally worthwhile for most older cameras! I was born in Parma Heights.

[@sursaaaaa]

helpful man, thank you!

[@TimFitzwater]

Glad it helped!

[@richardsimms251]

Very very good video

[@TimFitzwater]

Thanks!

[@msbrownbeast]

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?

[@TimFitzwater]

Having a clear ruler helps but there is no reason not to do a little trial and error. The sheets are so cheap and you can always cut thicker or thinner - also - stuffing it into the gaps is going to work as long as you are close. I use the same material for the mirror damper but it has to have the sticker side. Originally the material looks a little different(from the factory that is) but that really isn't going to affect the operation of the camera. You don't even need the mirror damper - better for the camera and in between exposers lengths though.

[@TheRandalljburke]

thanks for sharing

[@TimFitzwater]

Thanks for watching!

[@joeycovington4681]

Thanks!

[@TimFitzwater]

You're welcome - hope it was useful!

[@swishbuckets8795]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

Yeah - totally worth doing for the cost and effort - no reason to waste good film!

[@imjusttoodissgusted5620]

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)

[@TimFitzwater]

For as simple as it is I figure why take the risk on ruining a roll of film. Plus it is satisfying to fix something myself!

[@tmsods2874]

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?

[@TimFitzwater]

You could try - I’ve never done it. I did just google “craft thin foam adhesive” and a bunch of results came up including Amazon and Walmart - not my favorite companies to support but it’s out there.

[@ernstjan91]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

For the width measure by the channels on the door and body. As far as thickness I’ve just used the size that the “foamie” sheets are at the craft store. They compress enough that I haven’t had a problem. But I would experiment a bit if you aren’t sure - if there is no resistance when you close the door it probably isn’t enough - if you really have to force it try something thinner. As a last step run a cheaper roll of film through the camera first - no light leak and you are golden!

[@ernstjan91]

@@TimFitzwater aha, so I should hope my shop sells the same as yours. I bought some on eBay. 1mm and it was also labeled as "camera seal" so let's see.

[@Cristina-dm8ku]

Ohio! I learned a lot thanks!

[@TimFitzwater]

Awesome- you are welcome!

[@haydensalter1098]

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?

[@TimFitzwater]

In general it shouldn’t effect the photos - it won’t cause light leaks because the shutter and mirror work at the exact same time. The shutter is closed when the mirror is down. The only potential issue is camera shake at very slow shutter speeds.

[@haydensalter1098]

Tim Fitzwater thanks Tim! Really appreciate it :))

[@johnnycee5179]

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.

[@TimFitzwater]

The thumbnail for this video is actually exactly how I'm holding the camera to remove the dampener. It usually come off with tweezers. The black spots will either be on your mirror or focusing screen - after replacement a can of compressed air might do the trick. FYI, I love my X-700 and I am heading out for a ride today with it onboard.

[@johnnycee5179]

@@TimFitzwater I figure due to the camera's age and the light seals disintegrating it's flaks of the seal right by the mirror.

[@squareformat]

👍 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.

[@TimFitzwater]

The stuff I bought doesn't have a name on it - unfortunately the local craft store I got it from isn't even in business anymore. Sorry!

[@squareformat]

@@TimFitzwater that's ok. I'll try shopping around for better stuff. Thanks for your reply! 🙂

[@ricardoferreiral]

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!

[@ricardoferreiral]

Oh and btw how thin should be the black foam? 😅

[@TimFitzwater]

I’m an amateur- I just made a video about how I do it - so absolutely. On the thickness- you just have to measure- that’s why I advise having the clear ruler. Cameras are all different. Also - you will know if it is too thick as the door won’t close properly. The big thing is to just try - you aren’t going to mess anything serious with the process. The worst result would be losing a roll of film….

[@christianpatton142]

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...

[@TimFitzwater]

Probably.

[@robertwilson4664]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

At the craft store I bought the stuff labeled "foamies" but I just put a caliper on it and it is 3mm. That thickness has worked with all the different cameras I have done so far.

[@MrPingaw0790]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

I really just grab whatever they have at the craft store. The one I go to only sells in one size put it is easy to cut narrower with a straight edge and a exact-o knife. You can just cut off a thin piece then put it in the light seal channel sideways.

[@idk-cv1oh]

Does the canonet need that foam on the lens?

[@TimFitzwater]

The lens is attached permanently so there isn't anything that needs done to it.

[@danem2215]

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?

[@TimFitzwater]

I don't like the idea - but I'm not saying it wouldn't work. Just seems like yarn is the wrong kind of material.

[@danem2215]

@@TimFitzwater Probably not yarn; I don't know what the correct word for it is. It's like a braided candle wick.

[@TimFitzwater]

Ah - makes more sense. Depends on the camera - some of those gaps are really tight - I find the foam being cut close and its ability to be stetched or pushed makes it work really well.

[@PhotoBug3042]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

Too be honest every cameras seals are so different so it’s hard to tell - but both seemed to work.

[@PhotoBug3042]

@@TimFitzwater thanks! I’ll try with my Mamiya C220 and report back.

[@dylanvanderjeught9883]

How can you find the original thickness of these seals?

[@TimFitzwater]

Just have to measure the channel - clear rulers work best. But I find a little trial and error will get you there - the foam material is super cheap.

[@dflf]

would plastic work better than wood tools?

[@TimFitzwater]

Plastic will work - the nice thing about wood is it will break before it even scratches anything.

[@justnoted2995]

Close the shutter curtain man

[@TimFitzwater]

Never had a problem 🤷

[@tomallen6073]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

Some of my cameras have been going strong for 10 years or more since doing this. Unfortunately my local craft stores closed - I’m sure the Hobby Lobbies put them out of business.

[@tomallen6073]

You might want to try McMaster Carr. I am in industrial manufacturing and they are a prime supplier.

[@rchelihaven5027]

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

[@TimFitzwater]

6 years deep on the camera in my bag right now. So you’re totally wrong.

[@stephencrowfoot244]

Not so, I've many cameras that I have replaced the foam from craft shop foam sheets over several years to no ill effect. It's a dense type foam not 'open' and overly soft.