Olympus Mju II, light leaks, help!

[phelger]

so I have this fine little camera which has served well for many years but now, with no apparent regularity, the film comes out with obvious false light, rather large bands from one side to the other, and it can be anywhere on the film, begin or end or middle.
Have examined the back and the groove around that ensures the light lock and there seems to be nothing wrong. Have I heard that there could be a problem with the moving lens barrel?
I would dearly like continue using it so would be really grateful for your help.
Peter

 

[wblynch]

You could take a bright light to the front of the camera and then fire the shot away to prove it comes from the front... (also if it is from the front, the light should stay within the negative frame)

Might it be leaking from the film info window?

 

[pentaxuser]

Sorry to hear that Peter. I have had a MjuII myself for over 12 years without problems but may not have used mine as much as you use yours.

The way the camera is constructed means that any kind of leak should be unusual. Is it happening in the same places on each film? If it is a light leak you'd expect it would affect every frame and I would have thought this would certainly be the case if it was the lens barrel as this has to move for every shot?

Just thoughts on my part. If it is a light leak then I'd be surprised if it can be fixed for a lower cost than you can buy a secondhand one on e-bay.

You might have to throw this one away and try and buy another unless someone can come up with a cheap way to fix it.

pentaxuser

 

[phelger]

well, now I know what's wrong: the back and the front of the Mju are held together by four tiny screws one of which is missing, so there is a small gap between the two pieces at the lower left corner. It's so small that despite numerous inspections I hadn't noticed it before but I suppose that when manipulating/squeezing the camera the gap widens - and voila a leak!
Just have to find such a wee screw.
Peter

 

[pentaxuser]

Glad you've found the problem. A wee screw shouldn't be too difficult to find as you can use one of the other three as an example when searching.

pentaxuser

 

[Michael Penn]

I had two of them that had the same problem. I have no idea why they come loose.