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That time a loose screw on a Pentax K1000 had me chasing a light leak for 2 weeks
Last month I had a customer bring in a Pentax K1000 with a weird light leak that showed up on every frame. At first I thought it was the mirror foam or the back seal, so I replaced both. But the leak kept showing up in the same spot. After a week of swapping parts and testing, I finally noticed the self-timer lever screw was loose and letting light sneak through the top plate. I tightened it with a tiny screwdriver and the problem disappeared instantly. Cost me maybe 30 minutes of actual work once I found it. Has anyone else run into a silly fix like this where the simple answer hid for way too long?
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harperg764mo ago
Tightening that one screw fixed it for me, not the clip lol.
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jennifer_jenkins4mo ago
Oh man, a loose screw on the self-timer lever? That's the kind of thing that'd drive me nuts for weeks too lol.
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the_thea4mo ago
oh actually i don't think it's a loose screw on the self-timer lever itself. it's the little dial or ring around the shutter button that controls the self-timer. that thing is held in place by a tiny spring clip, not a screw. those clips get bent or pop out over time. so the dial just spins loose instead of clicking into place. i've fixed a few of these on old cameras. it's a pain but doable if you've got a steady hand. just gotta reach in with tweezers and reseat that clip.
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