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Kevinc
Tinkerer
Username: Kevinc
Post Number: 11
Registered: 06-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 01:53 am: | 
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I was trying to open up my K1000 so that I could clean the prism. I picked the K1000 because it's pretty cheap and it seems like a simple camera. I sure learned my lessons-- 1) I really really should read the K1000 service diagram before attempting to do anything 2) I should be a lot more careful with small screws 3) I'm an idiot.
Here is a visual journey of how I messed up:
http://picasaweb.google.com/CanikonLand/20090616TryingToGetIntoTheK1000Prism
Picture 3 is what's left of the left-handed screw. I didn't know it was a LH screw and detached the screw head (I should have read Rick Oleson's other Pentax diagram with a bold "LH" screw). By the time I opened up the top and saw a bunch of wires, I realized that the K1000 wasn't as simple as I thought it was, and that I really should look at a real K1000 service diagram before continuing. I tried to put everything back, but then I realized that I lost 2 tiny little screws that held up the counter cap.
It was kind of fun and I learned a lot from this exercise. Above all, I learned that I now know enough to know that I really don't know anything 
Kevin |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 613
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 05:42 pm: |
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It is worth noting that in 80% of cases, much of the 'dirt' that appears to be on a prism, is in fact damage to the silvering - thus not removable. If you remove the eyepiece frame, it will allow the rear surface of the prism to be cleaned - often this easy procedure is all that is required. |
Bossman
Tinkerer
Username: Bossman
Post Number: 69
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 18, 2009 - 09:24 pm: |
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Don't agree with Glenn especially with the K-1000. Don't think I have EVER found a k-1000 with prism coating dmg. (unless dropped on the top) It's a simple matter to get under the prism just pay attention to the annoying wire brackets and set screws and be careful to not damage the prism when re-positioning it |
Gez
Tinkerer
Username: Gez
Post Number: 107
Registered: 09-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 20, 2009 - 04:04 am: |
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Canon FT/FTb and Olympus OM-1 are the worst offenders for desilvering damage. The prism surface in both makes is not properly protected from the effects of degraded foam. Other brands are generally very good in that department. |
Casual_collector
Tinkerer
Username: Casual_collector
Post Number: 10
Registered: 04-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 20, 2009 - 07:21 am: |
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I have a fairly young K1000 that shows desilvering due to fungus or foam deterioration to the point that it is unusable. It is a plastic topped, made in China version. I've also seen it in Ricoh/Sears TLS models and occasionally in Canon FX/Pellix variants. The latter include FP, FT, TL, FTb, TLb, TX and Bell & Howell FD-35.
Cameras from warm, humid, environments seem to suffer foam deterioration sooner. A camera left in a car on a regular basis may also develop problems earlier. |
Ethostech
Tinkerer
Username: Ethostech
Post Number: 121
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 02, 2009 - 06:23 am: |
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Nearly every K1000 I have come across, has had a prism desilvering issue. Go figure ! Here in Australia we have a world class optical lab in Tasmania which resilvers such for A$30 - and does a perfect job. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 622
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 02, 2009 - 10:08 am: |
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Thanks for the back up Stuart, must be an Aussie/Brit thing this K1000 prism damage! |
Bossman
Tinkerer
Username: Bossman
Post Number: 86
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 02, 2009 - 05:55 pm: |
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Are we still discussing the K-1000 prism? Interesting!! I notice that several have checked in to dispute my claim that the K-1000 prism rarely has silvering or coating damage. Well I have probably serviced over 2000 K-1000's and I never remember having prisms issues. Now...... if you ask me about XG-7's or XG-A's or XG anythings, I KNOW I am constantly looking through my boxes of salvage cameras for just one more prism ........PLEASE, oh parts god!! I know I have maybe 50 XG cameras (and XD or XE) and not one good prism left. I'm in Florida, not usually known for arid conditions either. Can we discuss global warming next.....we won't solve that one either!! |
Ethostech
Tinkerer
Username: Ethostech
Post Number: 124
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - 05:09 am: |
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Bossman - I was not intending to dispute your experiences or question your expertise. Simply I told it how it is in MY experience which is that the silvering on K1000 prisms seems to be of highly questionable durability and longevity. The Pentax K1000 is a good camera and very serviceman friendly BUT for the prism desilvering issue which I have found to be not just common - but darned near inevitable.
Best. |
