Hi, I recently bought an almost immaculate Zenit 12XP that I really like. Unfortunately, the viewfinder prism has the classic desilvering yellow stains that make focusing difficult. I found another prism (photo attached on the link below), but it has brown marks on the side — do you think it’s worth buying it despite those marks to replace the one that i have?
Also, when I shoot the camera, especially on 1/30, the camera sometimes makes a squeaky noise, kind of like the famous Canon cough. I haven’t tried it with film yet, but I’m worried it may affect the images. Is that something easy to fix?
i really love how the camera looks and it would be a shame to have to return it.
The prism does not have the usual corner stripe that appears in the middle of the finder. There are however some spots caused by the foam. Replace the foam with felt when you change the prism.
New prisms are hard to get (there was a good old stock for a while) and mirror coating companies willing to coat prisms are hard to find.
Squeak means dried out lubricants. As long as the second curtain closes swiftly you should not worry about the exposure too much. On higher speeds the curtains are linked to give exposure within a certain tolerance.
There is only one fix for the squeak and that's a full service and relubrication.
Like most E types the 12XP is a solid companion and shooter.
Should i buy this prism for my 12xp?
Posted - Sep 20 2025 : 6:06:00 PM
