Found a fix for light leaks on my old Zenit E

Been fighting light leaks on my Zenit E for months. Tried new foam kits and even returned one I thought was defective. Then I read about using black electrical tape along the hinge side of the back door. Took me 5 minutes and a roll of tape from my drawer. Has anyone else fixed a leaky camera with just tape instead of replacing all the foam?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellafisher25d ago

I watched a repair video on YouTube last week where the guy just used black tape on an old Pentax and it worked fine for years. The hinge side is where most of my light leaks showed up, so this makes sense to try first before tearing into new foam. I've heard of people using gaffer tape too since it doesn't leave sticky residue, but electrical tape is cheap and easy to replace. Your post is making me think I've been overcomplicating this whole foam replacement thing.

fiona_scott4425d ago

Tbh I tried the tape trick on my old Minolta and it worked like a charm for about six months before I finally caved and did the foam. The gaffer tape is definitely the way to go if you want to avoid the sticky mess electrical tape leaves behind. My biggest mistake was using cheap tape that peeled off in the heat and left residue all over the film chamber. I ended up spending way more time cleaning that junk out than if I had just done the foam right the first time. What worked best for me was a layer of gaffer tape on the hinge side and a thin strip of black craft foam from the hobby store for the pressure plate area.