[Jonathan Mac]

I just bought an MX from an advert on Gumtree (like Craigslist in the UK). I paid £45 for it, which seems to be well below the going rate for these. The cosmetic condition is very good, the light meter appears to work (LEDS light up, no idea yet if it's accurate), the shutter fires ok.

However, as this is the first film SLR I've ever had I don't know how things should be otherwise. I'm aware that light seals may need changed & that a cleaning/lubrication might be good, but I plan to run a cheap roll of film through it first of all to check for any potential problems.

What I noticed when I got home, is that I think it's missing a foam buffer at the top to protect the mirror when it flips up. Below are two pics - one of the camera & lens that came with it, the other of the upper inside of the mount where I believe the foam has degraded & disappeared. Can someone confirm if this is the case? If so, can I replace this myself or will it have to be done by a qualified professional? Any idea how much it's likely to cost?

Many thanks for any advice. I hope that I'll have some fun with film alongside my K200D.

[Adam]

Yup, it needs new foam all right. Having it CLA'd would be a good idea

[fearview]

actually you can doit by your own .. if you have at least a little patience about putting tiny thing into small hole .. the foam kit you need can be found many at ebay i think. its beautiful camera from what i see, you wont regret buying it.

and heeii you still can use it without that foam dumper .. little bit rough slap mirror sound though

good luck.

[jimH]

They usually replace that foam with the cla and light seal replacement, mine was when I had the thing repaired.

[titrisol]

Replace them yourself, Jon Goodman (interslice on eBay) sells an excellnet kit which is very easy to DIY
Instruction here

[séamuis]

If you decide to do it yourself, the mirror bumper on an MX is actually two seperate pieces, that are split in the middle so you can get to the release latch for the interchangeable focusing screen.

[garythesnail]

I replaced all the 'easy to get at' seals on my brassed up old MX last year - it's a very do-able DIY job - you've just got to be careful.

I've recently read elsewhere on the forum that the aforementioned Mr. Goodman is not currently trading on e-bay - my be back by now though?

[monochrome]

Here's a thread from Fliickr about Interslice leaving eBay due to the tilt away from sellers and the associated buyer fraud. He can be contected directly @ Jon_Goodman@yahoo.com and sells direct to buyer now.

[ComputerControlled]

I've got to replace the foam bumper on my MX as well. Its there, just a little flat =o]