Excellent video. Having done this on my OM1, I understand the need for patience, steady hands and preferably an old white sheet (to easily locate any dropped springs or screws). I didn't know I could replace the prism from an alternate camera model.......good to know and I just might do it soon. Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much for sharing this useful Instructional video. I myself own an Olympus OM-1 I got sent to me from a very special close friend in NY city just a few years ago....Turns out this camera in particular is special to me because it was a gift I got from a mentor at my early eight years old of age (I wanted badly that camera from out of this world... The Olympus OM-1) but for many reasons I never made it to claim it back to me ... Now that I have it back in my hands, once again,, it turned out it has got lots of dust inside and outside because of time and now it's the right moment for a full clean-up to it... an adventure I wouldnt be willing to endeavour prior to watch your magnific video. Two thumbs up to you! Great Work and Great TH-cam channel! My compliments!
Thank you very much for the movie. Thanks to this instruction, I will replace the prism in my OM 1, it is a pity that in Poland, even the broken OM 40s are very expensive. Yours sincerely J.
I just got my wrench from the mail and I'm going to attempt this same repair on my OM-1n, but without changing the prism, since I don't have one on hand and it's still a very small patch. The foam is degraded and the viewfinder is very dusty and needs a cleanup. The nut on the wind lever and the shoe nut unscrew without any issue (which is good), but I need to prepare my workspace and sit for an hour to do the job. Edit: I managed to clean up the viewfinder and the prism and it's a night and day difference. The foam was easily removed with some alcohol and the viewfinder and prism cleaned up really well with lens cleaning solution. Around 45 minutes (the prism didn't line up the first time) for the job.
Thanks a lot for this very usefull. Had a couple of hour to spare and an organ donor just landed for my OM1 where everything ws fine except for the corrupted prism. Surgery went very well and in order to practice, I started with organ donor reassembly. Was a bit baffled about the latch spring as I didn't saw faling when removing the top plate On the camera I wanted to repair, I went throught the whole process without a problem but in the end the wind lever is not going to the full lengh and it looks like it's stuck. Any idea of what could have gone wrong ? Thanks !
The Pentax K1000 from the 90s have the same problem. I cleaned my pentaprism. There are still gray spots but I don't notice them and they don't show up on the pictures.
Very helpful video! My only question is that I have seen people stress that you need a JIS screwdriver and that standard phillips head screwdirvers may thread the screws of the OM-1, would this warrent getting a new set of JIS compatible screwdrivers or would the regular phillips screwdriver work well without much damage. Thanks.
While it doesn't have dedicated exposure compensation, the common technique was to reset the ASA/ISO value and expose as indicated. Or merely deliberately over/under expose. The camera was a tool and used as such. Dedicated Exposure Compensation was an additional complexity. Not resetting Compensation may have resulted in numerous disappointments: film frames and expense, irreversible lost opportunities. Still think adjusting exposure via deliberately changing Aperture/Shutter speed in terms of an awareness of the effect on so called "DOF" or motion blur risk/exploitation was a more purposeful choice. I still get caught out with "bracketing" when I forget that it "ON" or that totally separate compositionsl shots are exposured according to a preset sequence. Oh for those simple cameras like the MX (my own favourite was its predecessor the KX ). At that time, I was the one who took the shot. Now I spend my time working out how to set the camera to take the shot that I want. Taking wild flowers means that I now have to wait and plan for yet another year before trying again to get that elusive Australian Native Orchid. Cheers and Thankyou.
Got myself a OM-1 and tried it out with a fresh roll of film. Work fine for maybe 10 shots. But then when ever i wind for a new frame the shutter goes off directly. It's like the shutter button is stuck down but it's in the normal position. Do you have any idea what the problem could be? I guess it's been on a shelf and not used alot and needs a CLA.
Very instructive, but a couple questions; •The deteriorated rubber/foam around the prism doesn’t need to be replaced? •Can’t the prism be refurbished? Thanks again for the step-by-step!
Don’t replace the rubber, it will only cause future problems. The prism could be refurbished, but the cost would be higher than finding a donor camera with a good prism.
You should replace the rubber foam with styrofoam, like that used for shipping electronic devices and such. It works just as well, but doesn't eat into the coating on the prism.
As always, thanks so much for giving out this invaluable information! If it wasn't for this video I would have completely lost the first screw from the prism retainer. Do you happen to know any resources online for the dating based on the prism number you mentioned? Thanks again.
I usually replace the prism with one from an OM-10 to OM40 camera, the screws have a different finish than the OM1, but still fit. The original screws by themselves are rare as hens teeth, it would probably be easier to find a dead camera with the screws you need.
@@japanvintagecamera8869 I think this reply might have been meant for someone else? I was curious about the dating for the camera based on the numbers printed on the prism. Thanks for the response regardless, however.
I have an OM1 with just a little bit of degradation encroaching on the viewfinder and I've been wondering if it is worth disassembling to remove that rubber before it gets worse or if I am better off waiting until I can get a good prisim and replace it entirely. Watching this video I still don't know which way to go, but at least now I have a good guide and know it shouldn't be a terribly difficult project.
I would recommend replacing the prism, besides affecting the coating on the prism, the dust from the rotting foam can get into other parts of the camera and cause damage.
@@japanvintagecamera8869 oh, excellent point I wasn't thinking about other things that might gum up. I'll get in there and clean it up, probably won't do the full replacement until I can find a good deal on a replacement since the visual effect is pretty minor.
I have a question. Does the ISO adjustment ring go directly from 25 to 1600, or do you have to turn it all the way around? My OM-1 light meter has recently become erradic, responding weirdly to light, and I can see on your video that the ISO adjust sits straight on the galvanometer, so I'm worried it has broken when I've adjusted from 25 to 1600. I'm planning to open it up and see what the issue is, but it would be nice to know if it's normal for the ISO to turn 360 degrees.
maybe a daft question....But are those "new: OM40 prism have a tapped hole on the front? On the OM40 it look like you unscrewed a screw that was holding some of the electronics cards/film.... RE the nasty foam. Watch many a youtube clip on this issue, but no one has ever mentioned that the foam can "slip" down the gap between the eyepiece and the prism. This what happen to me :-( . An "easy" job turn in to a smudgy eyepiece/prism nightmare with one tiny screw disappearing into that "lost things" abyss. How can you loose a BLACK screw on a off cream slightly beige carpet ? I can Oh BTW Thank you for your videos I find them really interesting and insightful thank you
The OM40 prism has a plastic bezel which is held on with adhesive, the screws attach to the bezel. The bezel simply peels off (as shown in the video). As for losing screws, try looking for something other than the screw you lost, and it will turn up. Whenever I look for a dropped screw, I find something which I lost some time before.
12:45 ya, I'm TOTALLY worried about an OM-2n I just got on ebay that had the hot shoe on it. It was so pretty in every other way, I figured it's fine. But I'll be really bummed out if there's an issue once I take it off.
Excellent video. Having done this on my OM1, I understand the need for patience, steady hands and preferably an old white sheet (to easily locate any dropped springs or screws). I didn't know I could replace the prism from an alternate camera model.......good to know and I just might do it soon. Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much for sharing this useful Instructional video. I myself own an Olympus OM-1 I got sent to me from a very special close friend in NY city just a few years ago....Turns out this camera in particular is special to me because it was a gift I got from a mentor at my early eight years old of age (I wanted badly that camera from out of this world... The Olympus OM-1) but for many reasons I never made it to claim it back to me ... Now that I have it back in my hands, once again,, it turned out it has got lots of dust inside and outside because of time and now it's the right moment for a full clean-up to it... an adventure I wouldnt be willing to endeavour prior to watch your magnific video. Two thumbs up to you! Great Work and Great TH-cam channel! My compliments!
Thank you very much, enjoy your OM-1!
Excellent instruction video. Thanks for posting.
Really loved your video.
Thank you very much for the movie. Thanks to this instruction, I will replace the prism in my OM 1, it is a pity that in Poland, even the broken OM 40s are very expensive.
Yours sincerely J.
I just got my wrench from the mail and I'm going to attempt this same repair on my OM-1n, but without changing the prism, since I don't have one on hand and it's still a very small patch. The foam is degraded and the viewfinder is very dusty and needs a cleanup. The nut on the wind lever and the shoe nut unscrew without any issue (which is good), but I need to prepare my workspace and sit for an hour to do the job.
Edit: I managed to clean up the viewfinder and the prism and it's a night and day difference. The foam was easily removed with some alcohol and the viewfinder and prism cleaned up really well with lens cleaning solution. Around 45 minutes (the prism didn't line up the first time) for the job.
Great video, great job, thanks for sharing.
Awesome, and very very helpful, thank you so much.
Thanks for this video 👍
Nice job!
Thanks a lot for this very usefull. Had a couple of hour to spare and an organ donor just landed for my OM1 where everything ws fine except for the corrupted prism.
Surgery went very well and in order to practice, I started with organ donor reassembly. Was a bit baffled about the latch spring as I didn't saw faling when removing the top plate
On the camera I wanted to repair, I went throught the whole process without a problem but in the end the wind lever is not going to the full lengh and it looks like it's stuck. Any idea of what could have gone wrong ?
Thanks !
Thanks.
Desintegrating foam is very sensitive to rubbing alcohool.
Thanks a lot! I have two OM-1s here which need their prisms replaced. Do the prisms of the 3-digit-OMs work as well (OM101, 707, etc)?
The Pentax K1000 from the 90s have the same problem. I cleaned my pentaprism. There are still gray spots but I don't notice them and they don't show up on the pictures.
Very helpful video!
My only question is that I have seen people stress that you need a JIS screwdriver and that standard phillips head screwdirvers may thread the screws of the OM-1, would this warrent getting a new set of JIS compatible screwdrivers or would the regular phillips screwdriver work well without much damage. Thanks.
There are only 6 screws to remove, the screwdriver I used in the video is a JIS tool, but I have used a standard Phillips screwdriver with no issues.
While it doesn't have dedicated exposure compensation, the common technique was to reset the ASA/ISO value and expose as indicated. Or merely deliberately over/under expose. The camera was a tool and used as such. Dedicated Exposure Compensation was an additional complexity. Not resetting Compensation may have resulted in numerous disappointments: film frames and expense, irreversible lost opportunities.
Still think adjusting exposure via deliberately changing Aperture/Shutter speed in terms of an awareness of the effect on so called "DOF" or motion blur risk/exploitation was a more purposeful choice.
I still get caught out with "bracketing" when I forget that it "ON" or that totally separate compositionsl shots are exposured according to a preset sequence.
Oh for those simple cameras like the MX (my own favourite was its predecessor the KX ). At that time, I was the one who took the shot.
Now I spend my time working out how to set the camera to take the shot that I want.
Taking wild flowers means that I now have to wait and plan for yet another year before trying again to get that elusive Australian Native Orchid. Cheers and Thankyou.
Great video. Can I replace the micro prism with split prism in the OM-1?
Great video. Until you said "rubbish bin under by bench here", I was convinced you were working on the floor 😅
That wouldn't be uncommon in Japan. I use a carpet square on my bench, it is a good work surface.
Got myself a OM-1 and tried it out with a fresh roll of film. Work fine for maybe 10 shots. But then when ever i wind for a new frame the shutter goes off directly. It's like the shutter button is stuck down but it's in the normal position.
Do you have any idea what the problem could be? I guess it's been on a shelf and not used alot and needs a CLA.
Very instructive, but a couple questions;
•The deteriorated rubber/foam around the prism doesn’t need to be replaced?
•Can’t the prism be refurbished?
Thanks again for the step-by-step!
Don’t replace the rubber, it will only cause future problems. The prism could be refurbished, but the cost would be higher than finding a donor camera with a good prism.
Excellent video.
Question: no need to replace the deteriorated foam you cleaned off?
You should replace the rubber foam with styrofoam, like that used for shipping electronic devices and such. It works just as well, but doesn't eat into the coating on the prism.
As always, thanks so much for giving out this invaluable information! If it wasn't for this video I would have completely lost the first screw from the prism retainer. Do you happen to know any resources online for the dating based on the prism number you mentioned? Thanks again.
I usually replace the prism with one from an OM-10 to OM40 camera, the screws have a different finish than the OM1, but still fit. The original screws by themselves are rare as hens teeth, it would probably be easier to find a dead camera with the screws you need.
@@japanvintagecamera8869 I think this reply might have been meant for someone else? I was curious about the dating for the camera based on the numbers printed on the prism. Thanks for the response regardless, however.
@@AdamWelch
Hi, I think it's japanese Nengō (first two numbers), month (third and fourth number), day (last two numbers).
I have an OM1 with just a little bit of degradation encroaching on the viewfinder and I've been wondering if it is worth disassembling to remove that rubber before it gets worse or if I am better off waiting until I can get a good prisim and replace it entirely. Watching this video I still don't know which way to go, but at least now I have a good guide and know it shouldn't be a terribly difficult project.
I would recommend replacing the prism, besides affecting the coating on the prism, the dust from the rotting foam can get into other parts of the camera and cause damage.
@@japanvintagecamera8869 oh, excellent point I wasn't thinking about other things that might gum up. I'll get in there and clean it up, probably won't do the full replacement until I can find a good deal on a replacement since the visual effect is pretty minor.
Tengo una OM2-SPOT PROGRAM y la palanca de arrastre de la película se ha bloqueado, no pudo moverla. Sabes como puedo hacer para que funcione? Gracias
I have a question. Does the ISO adjustment ring go directly from 25 to 1600, or do you have to turn it all the way around? My OM-1 light meter has recently become erradic, responding weirdly to light, and I can see on your video that the ISO adjust sits straight on the galvanometer, so I'm worried it has broken when I've adjusted from 25 to 1600.
I'm planning to open it up and see what the issue is, but it would be nice to know if it's normal for the ISO to turn 360 degrees.
Is it necessary to replace the foam with something? If yes, what do you suggest? Thank you
It is better not to use any foam, eventually it will rot and get around inside the camera.
If the original prism is still good can you just clean off the foam and put it back in or will it move around in the top plate without the foam?
I would remove the foam and replace it with cork or felt. Many old cameras use cut sheets of cork for retaining the prism.
@@japanvintagecamera8869 Thank you, I don't know much about cork but if you know a good brand or thickness of cork to use please share...Thank you!
Is the foam necessary? Do you need to put new foam in?
The foam is not necessary under the top cover. But it is necessary on the film door.
Will the prism on an OM-10 work?
Yes, you can use the prisms from the OM 10, 20, 30, and 40.
👍👍👍👍😀
maybe a daft question....But are those "new: OM40 prism have a tapped hole on the front? On the OM40 it look like you unscrewed a screw that was holding some of the electronics cards/film....
RE the nasty foam. Watch many a youtube clip on this issue, but no one has ever mentioned that the foam can "slip" down the gap between the eyepiece and the prism. This what happen to me :-( . An "easy" job turn in to a smudgy eyepiece/prism nightmare with one tiny screw disappearing into that "lost things" abyss. How can you loose a BLACK screw on a off cream slightly beige carpet ? I can
Oh BTW Thank you for your videos I find them really interesting and insightful thank you
The OM40 prism has a plastic bezel which is held on with adhesive, the screws attach to the bezel. The bezel simply peels off (as shown in the video). As for losing screws, try looking for something other than the screw you lost, and it will turn up. Whenever I look for a dropped screw, I find something which I lost some time before.
@@japanvintagecamera8869 RE the screw you were correct, something glinted in the light by the very back of my computer desk....it was the screw heh
Are those JIS screwdrivers?
They are actually Swiss.
12:45 ya, I'm TOTALLY worried about an OM-2n I just got on ebay that had the hot shoe on it. It was so pretty in every other way, I figured it's fine. But I'll be really bummed out if there's an issue once I take it off.