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You bet those light seals are necessary. I speak from bitter experience, having been caught out twice. The first time, I thought the shadow streaks on my films were signs of a shutter needing overhaul, which was not cheap when I had it done. Next film through - same problem. It turned out to be perished light seals. I replaced those with strips cut from a rubber mouse mat, and it cured the problem. The second time I was caught out, I'd taken my Nikon abroad, and all the frames were ruined - I'd forgotten to check the seals. I've now gone over all my cameras and checked and replaced the light seals. The most tedious part is cleaning out the old perished seals, but replacement is straightforward. There are light seal replacement kits you can get easily; if you search on Ebay for seller 'Interslice', you can buy a really good light seal kit for small cost, and the quality of his kits is excellent. I found it less hassle than cutting up mousemats, and these kits include several types of foam, so that you can replace mirror damper foam on SLRs too. You also have the advantage that you're using proper materials for the job. And I still kick myself at the thought of all those wonderful photographs of Slovenia that are nearly all ruined through light leak. |