Color cast in my viewfinder Minolta Maxxum 7 - Will it affect pictures?

[brainmonster]

Minolta Maxxum 70

Here's a picture of it. Will it show up in pictures? It's a film SLR. It just showed up as a blue cast for no reason while I was taking pictures today. I tried cleaning the mirror and focusing screen, as well as the viewfinder surface, and I can see no blueing on any surface. I'm thinking it may be a problem with the prism. I changed lenses and it's the same, so it's not the lens.

Is this a light leak or something else? I'm hoping that it's something just to do with the viewfinder and the pictures will take normally, I don't care about it as long as it doesn't show up on the film.

 

[neilt3]

Don't worry .
The last if the Minolta SLRs , the Maxxum 70 ,50 , 5 , 4 , 3 etc are all prone to this .
It's either the pentamirror or the optics used in the viewfinder that deteriorates over time and has absolutely no effect on the film .

When you take a shot , the mirror flips up and the light / image from the lens is projected directly on the film .

As it doesn't go via the viewfinder to the film , it can't have any effect on the film .

There is no way to clean it , just live with it or buy another camera , where it might effect that over time .
Cameras with a pentaprism aren't affected this way , such as the Dynax 7 .
You could consider one of them if it bothers you.

 

[AgX]

I tried cleaning the mirror and focusing screen.

Keep off the focusing screen. You might pick up a grain by a 1-fibre brush, but that is about what to do.

 

[neilt3]

Keep off the focusing screen. You might pick up a grain by a 1-fibre brush, but that is about what to do.

^^ very important .

And as an aside , there now appears to be a vertical line on the viewfinder that probably wasn't there before you tried cleaning it .
Maybe a hair or residue ?

What did you do to "clean" it ?

 

[brainmonster]

^^ very important .

And as an aside , there now appears to be a vertical line on the viewfinder that probably wasn't there before you tried cleaning it .
Maybe a hair or residue ?

What did you do to "clean" it ?

No vertical line, that's a line on the wall.
I cleaned it by just wiping it with a dry clean microfiber cloth.
The blue appears to be on the focusing screen, so I don't think it will appear on the pictures. In the light the screen reflects a little blue on one side.
I'll stay off the screen and won't touch it anymore.

 

[Paul Howell]

I have Sigma SA 7s and 9s with a yellow cast in the viewfinder, I feel that it makes it harder to judge color, the viewfinder is a little dimmer, but will affect the final image. I have a Minolta, 7, and 9, so far no issues with the viewfinders.