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Posted by Doug Clifford on November 13, 2001 at 09:57:30:
In Reply to: Faulty Camera Repairman? posted by Joseph on November 12, 2001 at 14:18:45:
: I have a Canon EX Auto SLR. The lens is not interchangeable, but the front element is. A couple months ago, I discovered that the camera had a lot of fungus growing on the mirror and lens elements(it hadn't been used for 15 years). I took the camera to a local repair shop. The repairman took a look at it and charged me $80, saying it was extremely hard to clean, due to the fixed lens. I got it back 5 days ago. I checked it, and found that the mirror still has quite a bit of fungus on it. I live in an pretty dry area, so I don't believe this was caused by the weather/humidity. I think that if I don't do something soon, the fungus will start multiplying again inside the camera. I feel that I've been cheated by the repair shop. Does anyone have any opinions about this?
While it's true lens and mirror fungus is more of a problem in the tropics and high humidity climates, that's not always the case. Storage of a camera, lenses, or 35mm slides for years where there's no air movement or light provides the ideal breeding ground for fungus.
Once fungus has gotten started on glass, it may be impossible to remove all signs of their visit.
I venture that if the camera repairman had successfully removed all signs of fungus damage from your camera mirror, you'd now have a clear piece of glass and you'd be very unhappy indeed. Camera mirrors are top-silvered, and any fungus that was growing on the mirror was probably feasting on the silver. It would cost more than the value of your camera to have that mirror resilvered. The Canon EX Auto entered the marketplace in 1972. The only way you'll find another mirror is by finding a repair technician willing to cannibalize a non-working Canon EX Auto. For that, I suggest placing your search for such a mirror in the Tech Net mailing list maintained by Fargo Enterprises. This is a mailing list which goes to hundreds of camera repair technicians around the world. http://www.micro-tools.com/repairs/
You might also read our FAQ on locating camera parts. http://www.acecam.com/faq/camera-parts.html (hyperlink is below.)
Without knowing what was said in the conversations you had with the camera repairman I'm unwilling to endorse the notion that you have been cheated. I've found most camera repair technicians to be honorable tradesmen.
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