During a trip to Canberra, I dropped in to the Canberra Photographic Market and picked up a Ricoh 500G from a parts bin for $10.
![Ricoh 500G](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4869/32662971728_9814e1016a_b.jpg)
The camera was reportedly in “probably fine” condition, but was half way through a light seal repair.
![Ricoh 500G light seals 1](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4889/46484241292_4a22107f1d_b.jpg)
I finished cleaning it up (using lens cleaning fluid – not optimal, but got the job done with some cotton buds and elbow grease) then started to apply some new seals. I followed Phill Allen’s excellent instructions here for the most part. However, I didn’t purchase a kit of seals from the well-renowned Jon Goodman, but forged on with what I could find. The only self-adhesive foam I could readily find in Sydney was about 1.5mm thick, which is about 0.5mm thicker than the kit judging by Phill Allen’s photos, and this did present some difficulties.
![Ricoh 500G light seals 2](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7800/44718930960_8dea798381_b.jpg)
![Ricoh 500G light seals 3](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4810/44718927550_eb7596c95d_b.jpg)
You can see in the photo below that the action of closing the door has caused some issues with the foam at the latch end.
![Ricoh 500G light seals 4](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7871/46484268822_e10d28dfc2_b.jpg)
With the seals fully in place, the extra half millimetre made the door very difficult to close. The primary culprit was the top section (with the cut-out for the viewfinder) – with this in place, the camera door closure felt dangerously tenuous. Not even some judicious compression would resolve the issue to my satisfaction. So, I opted for another solution.
![Ricoh 500G light seals 6](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4858/45622774035_45bd44088e_b.jpg)
Yes, wool glued to metal with PVA looks rubbish. However, it works. The test roll I shot showed no light leaks at all. After some more use, the foam seals have compressed further and the door is easier to close. So, I think it may be worth replacing the wool seals with strips of foam at some point in the future, if not the full top seal, for neatness if nothing else.
I really like this camera. It is quite small and quiet and discrete, even if the lens is more bulky than an Olympus XA. Shutter priority auto-exposure isn’t my favourite but it’s a handy inclusion. And a 40mm lens feels quite at home after shooting Voigtländer Vito/Vitoret cameras for some years. It has definitely sold me on the idea of looking through parts bins for treasure.
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