Mamiya ZE-X Issue

Hello,

I have a Mamiya ZE-X which works mechanically okay, but has developed drying/cracking of the internal mirror box coating. I have seen this on other brands of cameras as well of this vintage, so it’s obviously not specific to this model or make.

My question: can I coat it with anything to stabilize it? Or can it be removed and replaced with anything without creating too much of a gunky mess? So far it is not flaking off, but it has developed a whitish ‘dusty’ appearance (please see photo) so I feel it is only a matter of time before it does.

Thanks for any thoughts.

I suspect this can be replaced with a suitable foam-like liner, but I'm not sure how feasible it is to do this without extensive disassembly of the mirror box and its contents.

Btw...I have a soft spot for the Mamiya Z system. My very first SLR was a Mamiya ZE. Many years later, I got a ZM, which I used extensively for a couple of years, until it started to develop issues.

Meknes, Morocco; 2016. Kodak TMY2. One of the last images I made with the ZM.

Sorry for barging in without offering much help. I hope you'll enjoy your ZE-X for a long time to come. It was the flagship of the Z-series.