Stains inside the viewfinder of my M2

[Cam_Han]

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It is not visible looking through the viewfinder, though the corresponding part of the view is less sharp. Should I be worried about this? The viewfinder also seem dimmer than I expected.

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[250swb]

I think it could be one of two things. Over the years oils evaporate inside the camera and leave an invisible residue on the inside of the glass and not usually a problem unless the camera is used in high humidity and moisture combines with the oil film and emulsifies. Or it could be fungus (but I don't see the typical tendrils), and difficult to say without a closer inspection but either way it should be an easy fix if it's only on the inside of the window. 

Edited May 8, 2022 by 250swb

[magixaxeman]

You could get the camera in for a CLA that would help and while its being done it might be worth getting them to replace the VF glass with Zeiss glass.

[Cam_Han]

On 5/8/2022 at 5:15 PM, 250swb said:

I think it could be one of two things. Over the years oils evaporate inside the camera and leave an invisible residue on the inside of the glass and not usually a problem unless the camera is used in high humidity and moisture combines with the oil film and emulsifies. Or it could be fungus (but I don't see the typical tendrils), and difficult to say without a closer inspection but either way it should be an easy fix if it's only on the inside of the window. 

Thanks for the advice. I had a local service man look at it, he says its some kind of cement oxidation mark and is not an easy fix. I didn't notice this when I bought the camera. Guess I'll just live with it.

[Cam_Han]

On 5/10/2022 at 6:00 AM, magixaxeman said:

You could get the camera in for a CLA that would help and while its being done it might be worth getting them to replace the VF glass with Zeiss glass.

The CLA guy told me there's option for an anti reflective glass replacement. Would this make much of a difference? I heard that M2s and M3s were intentionally made with slightly darker viewfinders (tinted blue) to increase the contrast of the focusing patch.