mooseontheloose
Moderator
Well, in my latest series of disasters in Europe, my Nikon FE (with 50mm 1.8 lens) fell off the bench I was sitting at onto some concrete. It wasn't a big fall, and it didn't appear to affect the lens in any way other than what feels like a little grit when I focus the lens at times. However, when I tried using the camera I noticed that the meter was no longer working. Looking closer, inside the viewfinder, it looks "cracked" in the bottom left-hand corner (see photo below). I took off the lens and looked at the mirror and focusing screen (and took it out) but couldn't see any damage that way. So I'm guessing that somehow, internally, the pentaprism cracked when the camera fell. Is this assumption correct? Should I be worried? The meter doesn't work but the shutter still does - shutter sounds correct at the various speeds I tried it at.
The problem is I am currently travelling through Europe - just arrived in Paris today and will head off to London on Saturday...part of me would like to replace the camera just in case, since its not that expensive and I brought it along to shoot some very dear (both in terms of availability and price) Kodak HIE, but am now hesitant to do so in case the camera is not working (although it seems to me that it is). If I was in Japan, no problem - FEs (and equivalents) are cheap, easy to find, and in good condition mechanically, but I'm not sure if the same is true about Paris and London. I'm going to check out second hand shops tomorrow, plus see if I can get the roll that's currently in it developed quickly, but I don't know what the turn around will be like.
Anyway, the basic question is, should I be worried about the damage? Or is all I need to worry about is the inconvenience of using a handheld meter for the remainder of my trip?
(taken with my iPhone, trying to get the light to illuminate the crack in the lower left-hand corner)
The problem is I am currently travelling through Europe - just arrived in Paris today and will head off to London on Saturday...part of me would like to replace the camera just in case, since its not that expensive and I brought it along to shoot some very dear (both in terms of availability and price) Kodak HIE, but am now hesitant to do so in case the camera is not working (although it seems to me that it is). If I was in Japan, no problem - FEs (and equivalents) are cheap, easy to find, and in good condition mechanically, but I'm not sure if the same is true about Paris and London. I'm going to check out second hand shops tomorrow, plus see if I can get the roll that's currently in it developed quickly, but I don't know what the turn around will be like.
Anyway, the basic question is, should I be worried about the damage? Or is all I need to worry about is the inconvenience of using a handheld meter for the remainder of my trip?

(taken with my iPhone, trying to get the light to illuminate the crack in the lower left-hand corner)