taking apart canon ae-1 program?

[NDP_2010]

Hello,
I have got an ae-1 program which has fungus on the inside of the viewfinder which is significantly blocking the light coming through. This makes focusing difficult as the fungus makes the image hazy.
My question is, how can I get at the inside of the viewfinder to clean this fungus off? Is it difficult to take the top of the camera off to get there or is there an easier way?
Any insight would be much appreciated.

 

[John Koehrer]

Oh dear!
Top has to come off.

 

[Excalibur2]

erm I've seen links somewhere on taking the top off to lubricate and cure the Canon A series mirror squeak (maybe if no one knows here then google "Canon squeak"), but what I can remember the AE1p is easier...I've taken the top off my AV1 and it was very easy.

 

[NDP_2010]

thanks for the replies. I found a page which described how to do this. Luckily the viewfinder is quite easy to access once the top if off! The proceedure was quite simple, however somewhat time consuming.

thanks again.

 

[fstop]

Hammer and chisel works good to take the top off.

 

[brucemuir]

I hope the fungus has not spread to the pentaprism?

 

[NDP_2010]

I hope the fungus has not spread to the pentaprism?

Im not sure but I will be keeping it dry to inhibit more fungus growth. I sourced it from a tropical location which is most likely why the fungus could grow with such vigor.

 

[John Koehrer]

Fixing the squeak is easy, five screws gives you access if you have a pinpoint oiler or syringe.