HOW TO Replace Mirror Damper on ZENIT ET |

In this video I’ll show you how I replaced the mirror damper on my Zenit ET. Straight to the point. No talking and No music.

When I replaced the light seals in the backdoor of my Zenit ET I skipped the important step of inspecting the light seal/the mirror damper inside in the front of the film camera. You can inspect it by taking the lens off the body. The mirror mechanism flips up when you press the shutter. The mirror damper absorbs the impact of the mirror against the top of the mirror box to protect the mirror and reduce vibration.

Setting the shutter speed in the “Bulb Mode” (abbreviated B) allows the flipped up mirror to stay in that position for as long as the shutter release button is pressed. This allows you to inspect if the mirror mechanism functions properly. Check if the mirror fully elevates and if the damper seals everything off. The best way to inspect this is by holding a flashlight against the lens mount and observe through the viewfinder. It should be pitch black. If you observe any light this means that there is a light leak.

In my case it was immediately clear. The damper was deteriorated which caused a gap between the mirrors. When I held a light source against the lens mount and observed through the viewfinder I saw light leaking through. I hoped to solve this problem by replacing the light seal/mirror damper. Unfortunately it did not work.

Timestamps
00:06 How to set Shutter Speed on Bulb Mode?
00:29 How to inspect the Mirror Damper?
00:40 How to double check a Light Leak?
00:50 How to remove old Mirror Damper?
01:00 How to make a new Mirror Damper?
01:45 How to load 35mm film?
02:33 Results Testshots

#ЗЕНИТЕТ #zenitet #35mmfilm #lightleaks #unintentionalASMR #analogphotography #kodakgold