Something Tore off of the inside of my Nikon FE, not sure what it is!

zacharyeoman · Nov 20, 2018

What's up everybody!
I recently began film photography (earlier this week) and I'm shooting on a Nikon FE. Everything seemed like it was working and intact, but when I took the lens off to check it out a little bit I noticed something strange: two little black things that appeared to have been torn off from the camera (I'll include a picture). I cannot see them through the viewfinder, which leads me to believe they won't be in my pictures, but I am worried about light leaks. Are these some kind of seal that need to be intact? Thanks so much for any help!

abruzzi · Nov 20, 2018

Looks like mirror bumper foam. Remove it with some tweezers. They camera should work without it but it should be replaced.

zacharyeoman · Nov 21, 2018

Oh sweet, thank you my friend! I'll work on getting that replaced asap. Should the roll of film I'm working on at the moment be okay?

shutterfinger · Nov 21, 2018

Your film will likely be fine. The bad foam may stick to the focus screen making viewing through the viewfinder difficult or the foam can fall behind the mirror and get into the shutter.
You can download the instruction manual here if you need it: http://www.cameramanuals.org/nikon_pdf/nikon_fe.pdf

zacharyeoman · Nov 21, 2018

shutterfinger said:
Your film will likely be fine. The bad foam may stick to the focus screen making viewing through the viewfinder difficult or the foam can fall behind the mirror and get into the shutter.
You can download the instruction manual here if you need it: http://www.cameramanuals.org/nikon_pdf/nikon_fe.pdf

Hey, thanks so much!! How do I go about replacing the foam?

shutterfinger · Nov 21, 2018

You'll likely find all the info you need in this thread.
https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/light-seal-repair-questions.163279/

RalphLambrecht · Nov 21, 2018

abruzzi said:
Looks like mirror bumper foam. Remove it with some tweezers. They camera should work without it but it should be replaced.

+1

Marco Gilardetti · Nov 21, 2018

When you remove the remaining parts of the mirror bumper foam, do not hold the camera as you did when taking the picture in this thread, but with the lens mount downside, so that the debris will not reach the shutter curtains and stick to them.

zacharyeoman · Nov 21, 2018

Marco Gilardetti said:
When you remove the remaining parts of the mirror bumper foam, do not hold the camera as you did when taking the picture in this thread, but with the lens mount downside, so that the debris will not reach the shutter curtains and stick to them.

I basically just flipped it upside down and they fell out haha. I don't think any is left in there!

Helios 1984 · Nov 21, 2018

I'd do the light seals too, they're probably as decayed as the mirror bumper.

zacharyeoman · Nov 21, 2018

Helios 1984 said:
I'd do the light seals too, they're probably as decayed as the mirror bumper.

Yeah I'd imagine so. I just need to find somewhere to do it for me! I don't really trust myself hahah

Helios 1984 · Nov 21, 2018

zacharyeoman said:
Yeah I'd imagine so. I just need to find somewhere to do it for me! I don't really trust myself hahah

You could get a kit from Jon Goodman, he's a member here. Seals & bumpers are easy to replace, you just need cotton buds, a kebab pick & isopropyl 90%.

Something Tore off of the inside of my Nikon FE, not sure what it is!

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