Isopropyl alcohol is manufactured at 70% concentration because that's the most effective cleaning and disinfecting concentration. Higher concentrations are for special purposes. You're using the right stuff for the job.
A bit late to this channel, but Isopropyl Alcohol is made in a 70% form specifically for skin cleansing or for "skin safe" use as anything more than that can cause lasting damage as it is absorbed through the skin.
@@stew_redmanNo, that’s not true at all. 70% is the most effective concentration at breaking open cell membranes, higher concentrations do much less damage (and much less damage to germs). If alcohol could be absorbed through your waterproof skin, children would get drunk from alcohol hand cleansers, they don’t because it doesn’t. Stop trusting whoever told you that nonsense.
As a personal rule, I never even consider eBay listings with blurry photos or even with just one photo/one view of the item. Sometimes people mean well, but I always assume that if you're not clearly showing me what you're selling, then there's something wrong with it. It's 2022, and with all the cameras and phones we have today, it seems impossible that people can't take some decent photos of the things they want to sell. I know I'm being maybe too strict about this, but in 15 years of eBay purchases I've never had a surprise. On the topic of cleaning tools: for general cleaning, I often use old toothbrushes with different bristle hardness. Of course these are for external parts and for battery contacts (I spray some WD-40 on the brush and gently brush the contacts). For nooks and crannies I buy those smaller brushes that you'd normally use for flossing. They're really great for reaching difficult areas. I hope your E-300 will end up being usable. I really enjoy mine. Once you get used to the small viewfinder, it's a camera that can give you very nice results. Cheers! -Rick
Oh I am definitely going to be pickier in the future. I've also been doing eBay since the early 2000s and this is the first time something like this has happened. Pushed my luck too far. Glad eBay sided with me. They did tell me in the future to ask for better pictures, and I said yeah yeah, you're right 😂
as a buyer and seller myself, I want all 12 free photos used up unless it is something simple that can be listed with 4, with lenses I want photos of the front glass, back glass, 4 photos of the sides, and for bodies I want photo of all sides, 1 with the battery/SD card try open, a photo of the sensor and if its a DSLR I want a photo of the mirror, then a photo of the viewfinder.
Well done. Apologies on behalf of Canada. :) A toothbrush can also be useful to clean textured or irregular surfaces. I like 99% isopropyl just because it evaporates faster with less water content. Also acetone is super useful on some residues and it evaporates almost instantly but it can soften certain glues used in manufacture so use sparingly and test first. Have fun with the camera. Keep up with the great content. Fantastic channel.
I bought a Canon 5D Mark III that had belonged to a photojournalist for ten years and had more than 170,000 actuations on it. It was in TERRIBLE shape outwardly but worked perfectly. Clean, though. My 5D Classic was pretty disgusting when I bought it, though. Wiped it down real good with acetone or whatever I had. Still is in very loyal service to me.
@@snappiness There are apparently 5D Mark II's with over a million actuations. No idea if that's true. But some people do shoot a lot. Didn't keep the Mark III, though. It didn't scratch my itch for a Mark IV, and I got one of those instead. But I'm never getting rid of the Classic, it's wonderful.
I always wonder how cameras even end up like this. Maybe I just like keeping my cameras and gear excessively clean.. lol. Also a tip for sticky/tricky areas (eg. that stupid rubbery grip) -- use purple masking tape, green/blue poly tape, Kapton tape -- or any other tape with non-residue-leaving adhesive (eg. not duct tape or packing tape). Also works great on textured metal and plastic surfaces where it can be very hard to clean. I usually wrap a loop around a few fingers and roll it back and forth like a lint roller. For really tough dirt/grime on textured surfaces, I usually use a ESD-safe nylon brush dipped in a water / isopropyl mixture (doesn't really need to be ESD-safe, but those ones have the bristles sticking straight out like an acid brush). Also, in my experience 99% isopropanol can damage the surface finish of some types of glossy plastics unless it is wiped off very quickly (70% is usually OK though). Not really sure why this happens, I just try to avoid it now or dilute it with water.
I recently got one, was not too dirty BUT after almost each shot it shows a black display with"D: followed by some 4 digit numbers" and it says 'busy" takes forever. Always have to switch it off and back on again. Then it will work for one or two shots.
I used to have one of those E300’s. The issue with the 14-42mm is likely from the firmware on that body being way too old to support it. That lens is several years newer (2007 maybe?) the E300 would have come with a 14-45mm in the original kit. I did have a similar situation to yours when I bought a Canon 1Ds that was sold “as-is” off eBay. It looked mint on the exterior but when I took my first test shots I found the sensor was riddled by fungus so had to trash it. Only paid $55 so it wasn’t a huge loss. Love your videos
I use the sensor cleaning sticks/squeegee looking thing to clean cameras too. Q-tips are good but the sensor cleaners are really thin to get in those tight spots.
Yeah, those sensor squeegees (good word) are a really handy shape for other things too. After I wipe off the sensor I put the used ones in a separate baggie for rougher non-optical cleaning jobs.
I've got 3 times the E-300 and one time the E-330 and the E-410 and there all in mint condition. I don't understand people who abuse their gear. When I finish work with them I always clean them. And they stay looking like new. I clean them always the way you did.
The E-300 was my first digital camera. In 2005 I purchased one used for a little over $500.00 USD and used it until I upgraded to the E-510. It was a solid work horse all that time.
That was absolutely vile. I wouldn’t even sell a camera in that condition. I have an E500 which is basically the same camera with a more traditional DSLR body. Great little sensor in them
I live in France and this happens to me ALL the time. I swear I don't know what's wrong with people. On the plus side I always look for the cheaper stuff but it means that people often sell stuff with no idea of what they've got. Yesterday I received a grubby OM2n which needs a €10 rewind handle and a clean and will be fine - but the three Zuiko lenses it came with are worth 4-5 times what I paid. Today I just bought a VERY cheap Zenith for just €30. You might think thats not cheap until I tell you it has a mint Helios 44M-7 on the front. Very rare, it's the best of the Helios family by far and easily worth €140-150 resale. So I don't mind a bit of cleaning now and then 🤣
This was my first one that was this bad. I get stuff that's dusty, or a little dirty, but never... untouchable lol. Great finds! I love a good find. Feel like a treasure hunter :)
My third digital camera ever was the E-300. Previous cameras, a 1.5mgpxl SONY and a 5mgpxl Minolta. Issues with the E-300 are poor low light performance and short battery life. I still have the f2 50mm macro and the f4 7-14mm (was $1500!) which I adapt to my OMD system. I knocked the 7-14 off my desk onto a concrete floor. It still works but the zoom function 'grinds' a little, so will eventually go on the bench for disassembly!
Wow, and I had the audacity to complain that the Sony A200 smells like cigarettes! Lol By the way, my E300 has basically the same problem. It works perfectly fine with the 14-45mm kit lens, but when I try to use the 45-150mm it immediately turns off. I have to take the battery out and put the 14-45mm back on to get it to work again. My guess is the same as yours - there’s gotta be something with the contacts on that lens that are causing the problem.
You certainly did a great job cleaning it considering it looked like it was fished out of a bog to start with. A tip for cleaning lenses or glass on LCDs. Toothpaste is great for buffing out scratches.
Few years ago, I purchased an Olympus E-300 body only from eBay for $50 USD. It has an awful smell and I had to purchase a bottle of alcohol to wipe the surface a few times to make the smell go away. Then I went on eBay to purchased a kit lens. The combination works well.
You can use a toothbrush. Isopropyl alcohol is evaporating quickly, and the toothbrush can remove easily the smudge. And another pro-tips. You can actually polish plastic screen with polywatch.
GREAT Channel - Nice to meet you ....I just got into buying old cameras in 2020, I got one SONY DSC F-828 which I had it before when it came out, it has the same amazing CCD like your E300 but only 8Mpix, and I got 2 weeks ago an Olympus E420 MINT condition plus One lens but no charger and a Nikon P530 BRIDGE since I like to have zoom when needed I got both for $100 at a PAWNSHOP, The E420, in my opinion, is the best DSLR camera design, very tiny and fun to use, and before yesterday I got the E520 from a guy on the internet for $100 because it has IBIS and the E420 doesn't.....Next camera will be E300 because of the CCD Kodak Sensor. GREAT VIDEO keep it up !
quick fix for the scratched screen after cleaning get any white candle wax rub it directly on the screen and rub it in until clear this is how i use to fix my cds dvds and games back in the day, this also has the added bonus of protecting the screen from scratches.
Worst camera I ever bought was a beat-up and neglected Spotmatic with the intention of pulling it apart. When I got it, the meter was a no-go (expected and accepted), the mirror box was full of spiderwebs (now we know how Peter Parker _really_ got that bite), and the whole thing was just generally sad. But to my surprise, it wound on and fired at what sounded like appropriate shutter speeds. So I ran a couple of rolls of film through it, either using an external meter or Sunny 16, and got results that were not actually unpleasant! It currently wears my Industar 50/2 and I keep it for if I ever want to take a film camera into situations that might be risky.
I was lucky that back when I bought my Canon SL2 from a seller on eBay that it was in perfect condition. I got my M6 mark II from MPB, so that was inspected and graded.
i wonder why you channel only have 11k subscriber, love your content, most of the camera that you had review,i haven;t heard before, clear voice and good content as well, Azizi From malaysia
The other lens is a bit newer and you would need a firm wear upgrade to make it work. I bout an E300 new back in 2005 and recently dug it out. I tried a lens from my E620 and got the blinking light too. The E300 is a fun camera and takes some great pics. You actually got me motivated to use it again, and I picked up an E20N as well. I couldn’t afford the E20 back then but now I got one with the lens adapters cheap! 5 megapixels can be fun again but a bit challenging. Thanks for the videos!
@@unbroken1010 The blinking red light indicates en error of some type. In this case it was a mismatch of firmware between the camera and lens. Some Olympus 4/3 lenses actually require firmware upgrades.
It might be that you need to update the camera body with the newest firmware to make it work with the newer lenses. I had faced similar issues (SSWF blinking) with the 25mm pancake lens but was able to resolve them by updating the camera.
For some of those hard to reach I find the small dental brushes work well and the are cheap from your pharmacy nice job I bought some gross items but normally a bit of craft see them right
Nice job! It is a very good camera, it’s got quite an unique CCD sensor by Kodak, very distinctive colours. It was my first camera and I still use it sometimes, though mostly for fun :))
for that one lens it's either the contacts and if you can switch to a manual setting for that camera and cover the contacts with electrical tape and it still works then the problem is that the ribbon cable in the camera has given up the ghost.
Wow, that looks a lot better! There may be a setting in the menus to operate without a lens being detected, intended for adapted lenses Could be useful for troubleshooting. IPA 70% is probably a good place to start for modern plastic surfaces. With higher concentrations like 90% you can sometimes accidentally strip off printing and mar glossy areas. Ask me how I know.
Fortunately I've been very lucky with my eekBay purchases. I've bought a lot of lenses from sellers in Japan and have always been pleased with the condition of them. I hope that Oly works for you.
I've been lucky up to this point... My Pentax 50mm f1.2 I bought from Japan and had undisclosed water/oil droplets in the middle elements, but the seller was very professional and immediately responded and handled the issue. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, even with that experience.
Nice job cleaning that poor thing up! Fingers crossed it's a reliable shooter now that it's in the hands of someone that will treat it well. I had a similar experience with an old Canon RT film camera. The grip had completely converted back to a liquid and covered the camera in black gunk. Mix in a bunch of dirt, sand etc, and I was going to just toss it given the condition. Instead I decided to take time to clean it and see if maybe it could be saved. Turns out under all that chaos was a perfectly functional camera, and one that ended up a favourite in my collection. Still wish I took some before/after shots. Later on I picked up another that was in great condition off the hop, but the original is special :)
Did you use anything special to help with the goopy grip? I have had a few cameras have the rubber sticky and wasn't sure the best way to unsticky it 😆
@@snappiness Nope, just the same alcohol you used here which dilutes the goop, elbow grease, paper towel, and lots of cotton swabs, lol. I'm sure there's a more efficient way, but I enjoy the process.
Had a similar situation with a CoolPix 990 I bought on eBay a few months ago that looked good in the pictures but looked and smelled like it had been sitting in a damp basement for years once it arrived. The seller never responded to my messages but still got my money back and got to keep/am stuck with the camera.
I just bought an untested Olympus E1 so I am a bit worried if will be facing the same. However from what I could tell from what I could see my camera looks fairly clean for its age it was only untested as the seller didn't have a CF card but it would turn on fine.
I think someone threw this away, and the seller rescued it from a dumpster. The condition suggests the camera was disposed of, and was never meant to see the light of day again.
Rescued from something like that. I wonder if it was a hoarders garage. Kinda reminds me of those TV shows. I like to think the seller wasn't intentionally trying to scam someone by not disclosing the condition. Not sure why they never responded.
Rad. Giving old DSLR life again. I have a E-520 that I shoot the heck out of it along with my Nikon D2H. It would be nice to see a bit more adapters for the original 4/3 system.
There is a K mount adapter. Good if you got a Pentax collection. Kodak simulated film sensor + Vintage Pentax glass... Sounds like outstanding captures
Thanks man. I learned something. I learned that my E300 that I've had since 2005 might be ok - it has the same powering up issue as yours. Because I live in a swamp i've actually dumped it at a friend's place in town because I thought that recent excess humidity might be messing with it. As an aside - I love these E300 cameras. I've got four 4/3 bodies (300, 510, 620, E5) and a pile of 4/3 glass, but this model is my fave to shoot with my Takumars - I think it's the sensor (though focusing is a bitch). Maybe I need a 500 to get some sort of Live View to improve the hit rate....
I wonder what the shutter count on that thing is, you can check it via a special procedure that involves a little button mashing. My E-300 sits at around 6K and I got it for real cheap along with the battery and other lenses in separate deals (all great ones). Frankly I'm not a big fan of this camera. I have several gripes with it, but I'm still hanging on to it for reasons (and also the fact that it has that porro prism system going on, pretty neat and unique)
Dents in lens filter rings are somewhat common and make for cheaper prices. So I took a chance on one and it turned out good. I managed to knock it back to circular with two pieces of hard wood that I had formed into the correct shapes. As for cleaning I use wooden toothpicks, cloths, tooth brushes and cleaning clay . I hope to get into lens repair/service as some of my good lenses are pretty stiff and in need of lubrication. But it is a bit scary. I wonder if you'll do a review on the E-300 and share why you wanted to get one.
I probably will do a review if this one turns out to be reliable enough. I really like these Olympus DSLRs and always meant to pick up another after selling my e420. Lens repair is more daunting. With cheaper vintage lenses it's not so bad because the stakes are lower. Maybe start there for practice and work the kinks out.
eBay is hit & miss for sure! I've grabbed some brilliant buys, but also a few crappy one :( Very therapeutic watching your cleaning job to James haha Good job mate!
Great cleanup job. At least, if the 40-150 works well, you've got a really good lens for your trouble. That lens had a great rep, and I really wish they'd just made an MFT version. I've been tempted to get the 4/3 to MFT adapter, even if it was just for this lens and the awesome 50mm f/2 macro.
There is a super cheap MFT version of the 40-150. It's known as the plastic fantastic, because for what you pay you get a really good telephoto lens. Can sometimes find them for under $100.
You can buy these things all day long for €20-30 because for most people they're only good for an extinct lens mount...and because they're not full frame they're useless for anything except APS-C or smaller.
@@sevensixes7 I'm not sure you understood me. The olympus 4/3 to MFT mount MMF-3 adapter is a proper adapter that supports not just aperture, but also AF adjustment (and weather sealing). The MMF-2 is almost as good, but lacks weather sealing, which would be fine if you're mostly using it with non-weather sealed 4/3 lenses and MFT bodies. I've seen them used in the €120-200 range, and there's a Viltrox AF version for a little under €100, but I've read that AF is slow with that and I wouldn't want to experiment with other cheap adapters.
This literally looks like the one I was interested in on eBay. The Canadian seller wouldn't budge on price, and the pictures did appear vague. I passed, but I would have pulled the trigger if the seller replied more confidently. Got a bundle of two working E-500s instead. Both in excellent condition. Didn't know you could do IR photography on them. Olympus I guess never blocked that wavelength from the sensor. Came with IR filter. Happier about the E-500 more than the E-300 now... (Both share the same Kodak CCD sensor.)
Awesome! I didn't know that about the e500 either. There are a few other cameras with at least weak IR filters that you can just expose a bit longer and get a good amount of IR.
My eBay camera story involves an Olympus PL1 and, surprisingly, an E-300. They are also my most recent eBay camera purchases. The PL1 was listed as a $50 buy it now. Seller said it was in good condition but the few pictures of the camera were dark and a bit blurry. It showed up and in what I would call “working condition”. Dirty, body scratched but it worked and it works well. However my definition and the sellers definition of good condition are two entirely different things, apparently. The E-300 was listed as “it works“. And the only other information was that it came with the original kit zoom lens. Also blurry dark pictures accompanied the listing. $80 buy it now. Again I took the risk (because I’m a glutton for punishment). When it showed up my jaw dropped. It was in mint, pristine condition. The lens and camera had been barely used, they looked brand new. It came with microfiber cloth, all the instruction manual paraphernalia, a quality UV filter, an Olympus neck strap and a camera bag! It was truly the most shocking eBay camera purchase I’ve ever had. You lose some and very occasionally you win one.
Haha, good job on the E300! I have been pushing my luck too long. This was inexpensive and the description made it sound good so I went for it without better pictures. Worked out alright I guess, but I would've waited for a better condition one had I known.
Nasty for sure - you get these sometimes. Well done. But gotta say , the state of this one looks like a hospital floor compared to a Konica C35 I got back in mid-April. I posted on PF about with stomach churning pics. :D Absolutely encased in in a dirt/sand/dry-mold mixture. Crazy thing is, I eventually cleaned it up and went a little further every week. Battery box leads were complete rot but found good copper a little ways up with *just* enough wire to make a semi-decent solder. Long story short, after well over 5 hours on this thing it pretty much looks new, everything works again, and I have a test roll in it right now. I'm amazed.
Yes you can access tiny crevasses with a toothpick, but even better, wouncan wrap it in a bit of cotton or paper, and even drench it in alcohol. Did it many times. BTW, it could be worst. You don't wanna know how a camera that was sitting on a shelf of a restorant's kitchen looks like...
ooooh! had to do this on my Kodak DCS Pro SLR too, altho the seller disclosed it up front and I paid less for that reason. How DO they get so dirty?? Your camera looks way better now. Looking forward to the review!
I won't leave you alone until you share some pics on your blog about that kodak 😀 yeah idk how this camera got this dirty. Back seat of a dirty car for a few years? Some fast food wrappers laying on top?
Ok story time from one content creator to another:- I nabbed a deal online for a bulk load of Nikon DSLR cameras and some bridge. I wanted the D60, D40x and D7000 in the deal and it was an absolute crazy deal. $100 ish ..... I get the cameras, they're in the worst state, like they've been in a box for years. Got some bonus Film cameras also in the box which rocked...... here's the kicker...... on each camera there was a forensics label and bar code, in spanish. Each camera was clearly a work tool from a police department in Mexico. Heres the crazy part. One of the bridge cameras had its SD still in the camera.... full of scene of crime photos. The worst.....the crazy..... the insane. As bad as you could think from down south.... on this SD card. I formatted the card and went on my merry way. You never know what you're gonna get people..... you never ever know
This feels like you took a dog from a bad home, took good care of it and restored its faith in humans! The worst one I got pales in comparison. An Olympus EP1. It's clean and all, it just smells like what I can only describe as... "grandads".
Hey I am doing reselling job and everyday doing repairing and cleaning the cameras, lenses and all the equipment! They are many many unused and unnecessary bought items everywhere! Every week I am buying hundreds of cameras and lenses, doing a little recovery and send it back to community to be used. Please don’t change your gears every new model coming!! You just wasting your money and keep the companies owner getting richer everyday! The cameras from 1950 still working, The DSLRs from 2010 are still damn good, please don’t throw your gems in the junk!
that is horrible, I am glad I scrutinize every listing I look at, I want photos of the glass from the front and the back at least 4 photos of the body of the lens.
Yah… I get this. Some people will say you over-pay from Japanese sellers but, in my experience, you get exactly what you pay for. Description always matches what arrives in the box. I’ve never felt ripped off when I’ve bought from a Japanese seller.
I've had many terrible experiences buying older cameras from Japan... things listed as "exc ++++" or even "God level mint" with lenses that are useless because of haze and fungus (very high humidity in Japan) and older cameras that are yellow and grimy because they are soaked in nicotine, or cameras that are actually rusty.
My only time buying a lens from Japan it did not match the description and had problems, but the seller was professional and quick to resolve. But I would still try again even with that seller based on their professionalism in resolving the issue.
Isopropyl alcohol is manufactured at 70% concentration because that's the most effective cleaning and disinfecting concentration. Higher concentrations are for special purposes. You're using the right stuff for the job.
Good to know!
A bit late to this channel, but Isopropyl Alcohol is made in a 70% form specifically for skin cleansing or for "skin safe" use as anything more than that can cause lasting damage as it is absorbed through the skin.
Vinegar will do it too
@@stew_redmanNo, that’s not true at all. 70% is the most effective concentration at breaking open cell membranes, higher concentrations do much less damage (and much less damage to germs).
If alcohol could be absorbed through your waterproof skin, children would get drunk from alcohol hand cleansers, they don’t because it doesn’t.
Stop trusting whoever told you that nonsense.
As a personal rule, I never even consider eBay listings with blurry photos or even with just one photo/one view of the item. Sometimes people mean well, but I always assume that if you're not clearly showing me what you're selling, then there's something wrong with it. It's 2022, and with all the cameras and phones we have today, it seems impossible that people can't take some decent photos of the things they want to sell.
I know I'm being maybe too strict about this, but in 15 years of eBay purchases I've never had a surprise. On the topic of cleaning tools: for general cleaning, I often use old toothbrushes with different bristle hardness. Of course these are for external parts and for battery contacts (I spray some WD-40 on the brush and gently brush the contacts). For nooks and crannies I buy those smaller brushes that you'd normally use for flossing. They're really great for reaching difficult areas. I hope your E-300 will end up being usable. I really enjoy mine. Once you get used to the small viewfinder, it's a camera that can give you very nice results. Cheers! -Rick
Oh I am definitely going to be pickier in the future. I've also been doing eBay since the early 2000s and this is the first time something like this has happened. Pushed my luck too far. Glad eBay sided with me. They did tell me in the future to ask for better pictures, and I said yeah yeah, you're right 😂
as a buyer and seller myself, I want all 12 free photos used up unless it is something simple that can be listed with 4, with lenses I want photos of the front glass, back glass, 4 photos of the sides, and for bodies I want photo of all sides, 1 with the battery/SD card try open, a photo of the sensor and if its a DSLR I want a photo of the mirror, then a photo of the viewfinder.
Really cool to see a quirky camera like this saved instead of immediately thrown away!
All tech deserves love, at least in respect for the years or research and ingenuity. well done James!
Well done. Apologies on behalf of Canada. :) A toothbrush can also be useful to clean textured or irregular surfaces. I like 99% isopropyl just because it evaporates faster with less water content. Also acetone is super useful on some residues and it evaporates almost instantly but it can soften certain glues used in manufacture so use sparingly and test first. Have fun with the camera. Keep up with the great content. Fantastic channel.
Haha, don't worry, I have gotten some great things from Canada too ;) Toothbrush is a great idea!
Acetone melts plastic and paints, so should not be used on tech unless your goal is destructive.
I bought a Canon 5D Mark III that had belonged to a photojournalist for ten years and had more than 170,000 actuations on it. It was in TERRIBLE shape outwardly but worked perfectly. Clean, though.
My 5D Classic was pretty disgusting when I bought it, though. Wiped it down real good with acetone or whatever I had. Still is in very loyal service to me.
Amazing that camera has life left with all those actuations! They are rated really high but I have never personally found anything north of 100k
@@snappiness There are apparently 5D Mark II's with over a million actuations. No idea if that's true. But some people do shoot a lot.
Didn't keep the Mark III, though. It didn't scratch my itch for a Mark IV, and I got one of those instead. But I'm never getting rid of the Classic, it's wonderful.
Ultrabright toothpaste on a microfiber cloth will help the LCD screen. Bamboo squarer's for meat can be sharpened for shape.
I use a tooth brush damped with the isopropyl to get into those hard spots
For the screen you could try a polishing paste like polywatch with a microfiber cloth. It should get rid of those smaller scratches at the very least.
I always wonder how cameras even end up like this. Maybe I just like keeping my cameras and gear excessively clean.. lol.
Also a tip for sticky/tricky areas (eg. that stupid rubbery grip) -- use purple masking tape, green/blue poly tape, Kapton tape -- or any other tape with non-residue-leaving adhesive (eg. not duct tape or packing tape). Also works great on textured metal and plastic surfaces where it can be very hard to clean. I usually wrap a loop around a few fingers and roll it back and forth like a lint roller. For really tough dirt/grime on textured surfaces, I usually use a ESD-safe nylon brush dipped in a water / isopropyl mixture (doesn't really need to be ESD-safe, but those ones have the bristles sticking straight out like an acid brush).
Also, in my experience 99% isopropanol can damage the surface finish of some types of glossy plastics unless it is wiped off very quickly (70% is usually OK though). Not really sure why this happens, I just try to avoid it now or dilute it with water.
I recently got one, was not too dirty BUT after almost each shot it shows a black display with"D: followed by some 4 digit numbers" and it says 'busy" takes forever. Always have to switch it off and back on again. Then it will work for one or two shots.
I used to have one of those E300’s. The issue with the 14-42mm is likely from the firmware on that body being way too old to support it. That lens is several years newer (2007 maybe?) the E300 would have come with a 14-45mm in the original kit. I did have a similar situation to yours when I bought a Canon 1Ds that was sold “as-is” off eBay. It looked mint on the exterior but when I took my first test shots I found the sensor was riddled by fungus so had to trash it. Only paid $55 so it wasn’t a huge loss. Love your videos
Thanks Matt, very helpful!
New firmware is still available.
I use the sensor cleaning sticks/squeegee looking thing to clean cameras too. Q-tips are good but the sensor cleaners are really thin to get in those tight spots.
Yeah, those sensor squeegees (good word) are a really handy shape for other things too. After I wipe off the sensor I put the used ones in a separate baggie for rougher non-optical cleaning jobs.
@@bcostin I do the exact same thing
I've got 3 times the E-300 and one time the E-330 and the E-410 and there all in mint condition.
I don't understand people who abuse their gear.
When I finish work with them I always clean them.
And they stay looking like new.
I clean them always the way you did.
The E-300 was my first digital camera. In 2005 I purchased one used for a little over $500.00 USD and used it until I upgraded to the E-510. It was a solid work horse all that time.
That was absolutely vile. I wouldn’t even sell a camera in that condition.
I have an E500 which is basically the same camera with a more traditional DSLR body. Great little sensor in them
I am looking forward to playing with it more :)
I live in France and this happens to me ALL the time. I swear I don't know what's wrong with people. On the plus side I always look for the cheaper stuff but it means that people often sell stuff with no idea of what they've got. Yesterday I received a grubby OM2n which needs a €10 rewind handle and a clean and will be fine - but the three Zuiko lenses it came with are worth 4-5 times what I paid. Today I just bought a VERY cheap Zenith for just €30. You might think thats not cheap until I tell you it has a mint Helios 44M-7 on the front. Very rare, it's the best of the Helios family by far and easily worth €140-150 resale. So I don't mind a bit of cleaning now and then 🤣
This was my first one that was this bad. I get stuff that's dusty, or a little dirty, but never... untouchable lol. Great finds! I love a good find. Feel like a treasure hunter :)
Helios should be 50 bucks
Looking forward to the review on this
My third digital camera ever was the E-300. Previous cameras, a 1.5mgpxl SONY and a 5mgpxl Minolta.
Issues with the E-300 are poor low light performance and short battery life.
I still have the f2 50mm macro and the f4 7-14mm (was $1500!) which I adapt to my OMD system.
I knocked the 7-14 off my desk onto a concrete floor. It still works but the zoom function 'grinds' a little, so will eventually go on the bench for disassembly!
You helped me. I'll stay with my trusty ol' Pentax Digital SLR.
Wow, and I had the audacity to complain that the Sony A200 smells like cigarettes! Lol By the way, my E300 has basically the same problem. It works perfectly fine with the 14-45mm kit lens, but when I try to use the 45-150mm it immediately turns off. I have to take the battery out and put the 14-45mm back on to get it to work again. My guess is the same as yours - there’s gotta be something with the contacts on that lens that are causing the problem.
I'll try playing with that and see what it does. Thanks!
You certainly did a great job cleaning it considering it looked like it was fished out of a bog to start with. A tip for cleaning lenses or glass on LCDs. Toothpaste is great for buffing out scratches.
Few years ago, I purchased an Olympus E-300 body only from eBay for $50 USD.
It has an awful smell and I had to purchase a bottle of alcohol to wipe the surface a few times to make the smell go away.
Then I went on eBay to purchased a kit lens.
The combination works well.
You can use a toothbrush. Isopropyl alcohol is evaporating quickly, and the toothbrush can remove easily the smudge. And another pro-tips. You can actually polish plastic screen with polywatch.
GREAT Channel - Nice to meet you ....I just got into buying old cameras in 2020, I got one SONY DSC F-828 which I had it before when it came out, it has the same amazing CCD like your E300 but only 8Mpix, and I got 2 weeks ago an Olympus E420 MINT condition plus One lens but no charger and a Nikon P530 BRIDGE since I like to have zoom when needed I got both for $100 at a PAWNSHOP, The E420, in my opinion, is the best DSLR camera design, very tiny and fun to use, and before yesterday I got the E520 from a guy on the internet for $100 because it has IBIS and the E420 doesn't.....Next camera will be E300 because of the CCD Kodak Sensor. GREAT VIDEO keep it up !
Awesome collection of cameras! I also have the F828 and love it - I also bought the F717 and F505 after because I like them so much :D
quick fix for the scratched screen after cleaning get any white candle wax rub it directly on the screen and rub it in until clear this is how i use to fix my cds dvds and games back in the day, this also has the added bonus of protecting the screen from scratches.
Worst camera I ever bought was a beat-up and neglected Spotmatic with the intention of pulling it apart. When I got it, the meter was a no-go (expected and accepted), the mirror box was full of spiderwebs (now we know how Peter Parker _really_ got that bite), and the whole thing was just generally sad. But to my surprise, it wound on and fired at what sounded like appropriate shutter speeds. So I ran a couple of rolls of film through it, either using an external meter or Sunny 16, and got results that were not actually unpleasant! It currently wears my Industar 50/2 and I keep it for if I ever want to take a film camera into situations that might be risky.
I was lucky that back when I bought my Canon SL2 from a seller on eBay that it was in perfect condition. I got my M6 mark II from MPB, so that was inspected and graded.
i wonder why you channel only have 11k subscriber, love your content, most of the camera that you had review,i haven;t heard before, clear voice and good content as well, Azizi From malaysia
Thanks, Azizi, you are very kind :) Improving a little bit video-by-video :)
@@snappiness you are welcome..
The other lens is a bit newer and you would need a firm wear upgrade to make it work. I bout an E300 new back in 2005 and recently dug it out. I tried a lens from my E620 and got the blinking light too. The E300 is a fun camera and takes some great pics. You actually got me motivated to use it again, and I picked up an E20N as well. I couldn’t afford the E20 back then but now I got one with the lens adapters cheap! 5 megapixels can be fun again but a bit challenging. Thanks for the videos!
Thanks for the tip, and awesome!
What's up with the blinking light?;
@@unbroken1010 The blinking red light indicates en error of some type. In this case it was a mismatch of firmware between the camera and lens. Some Olympus 4/3 lenses actually require firmware upgrades.
This camera produces pictures with great colors, one of my favourites.
Can't wait to spend more time with it! And hopefully it works reliably. If not, I will pick up another.
@@snappiness be warned, the older 14-45mm is much worse optically than newer 14-42mm
I found an old toothbrush and interdent tooth brushes, can be quite useful for cleaning tight corners on cameras and other items.
That's a great tip! I have plenty of toothbrushes laying around, I'll give that a go.
Old toothbrushes have a 1001 uses but obviously after a good clean to remove old toothpaste 😁
It might be that you need to update the camera body with the newest firmware to make it work with the newer lenses. I had faced similar issues (SSWF blinking) with the 25mm pancake lens but was able to resolve them by updating the camera.
For some of those hard to reach I find the small dental brushes work well and the are cheap from your pharmacy nice job I bought some gross items but normally a bit of craft see them right
Nice job! It is a very good camera, it’s got quite an unique CCD sensor by Kodak, very distinctive colours. It was my first camera and I still use it sometimes, though mostly for fun :))
Cool! I look forward to using it more :)
snappiness I look forvard to you review ❤️!
for that one lens it's either the contacts and if you can switch to a manual setting for that camera and cover the contacts with electrical tape and it still works then the problem is that the ribbon cable in the camera has given up the ghost.
Wow, that looks a lot better! There may be a setting in the menus to operate without a lens being detected, intended for adapted lenses Could be useful for troubleshooting.
IPA 70% is probably a good place to start for modern plastic surfaces. With higher concentrations like 90% you can sometimes accidentally strip off printing and mar glossy areas. Ask me how I know.
Yikes, thanks for learning the lesson for the rest of us :D
Fortunately I've been very lucky with my eekBay purchases. I've bought a lot of lenses from sellers in Japan and have always been pleased with the condition of them. I hope that Oly works for you.
I've been lucky up to this point... My Pentax 50mm f1.2 I bought from Japan and had undisclosed water/oil droplets in the middle elements, but the seller was very professional and immediately responded and handled the issue. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, even with that experience.
Nice job cleaning that poor thing up! Fingers crossed it's a reliable shooter now that it's in the hands of someone that will treat it well.
I had a similar experience with an old Canon RT film camera. The grip had completely converted back to a liquid and covered the camera in black gunk. Mix in a bunch of dirt, sand etc, and I was going to just toss it given the condition. Instead I decided to take time to clean it and see if maybe it could be saved. Turns out under all that chaos was a perfectly functional camera, and one that ended up a favourite in my collection. Still wish I took some before/after shots. Later on I picked up another that was in great condition off the hop, but the original is special :)
Did you use anything special to help with the goopy grip? I have had a few cameras have the rubber sticky and wasn't sure the best way to unsticky it 😆
@@snappiness Nope, just the same alcohol you used here which dilutes the goop, elbow grease, paper towel, and lots of cotton swabs, lol. I'm sure there's a more efficient way, but I enjoy the process.
Had a similar situation with a CoolPix 990 I bought on eBay a few months ago that looked good in the pictures but looked and smelled like it had been sitting in a damp basement for years once it arrived. The seller never responded to my messages but still got my money back and got to keep/am stuck with the camera.
I just bought an untested Olympus E1 so I am a bit worried if will be facing the same. However from what I could tell from what I could see my camera looks fairly clean for its age it was only untested as the seller didn't have a CF card but it would turn on fine.
Hoping the best for you! The E-1 looks great.
I had the same issue with my 300. Newer lenses didn't work. I upgraded the firmware and the camera worked afterwards.
Okay, good to know! I'll try that and see what happens.
I love to clean my cameras, so this vid is satisfying me :)
I think someone threw this away, and the seller rescued it from a dumpster. The condition suggests the camera was disposed of, and was never meant to see the light of day again.
Rescued from something like that. I wonder if it was a hoarders garage. Kinda reminds me of those TV shows. I like to think the seller wasn't intentionally trying to scam someone by not disclosing the condition. Not sure why they never responded.
Rad. Giving old DSLR life again. I have a E-520 that I shoot the heck out of it along with my Nikon D2H. It would be nice to see a bit more adapters for the original 4/3 system.
I'm grabbing the m42 adapter. Not sure what else to try.
There is a K mount adapter. Good if you got a Pentax collection.
Kodak simulated film sensor + Vintage Pentax glass... Sounds like outstanding captures
Vinegar works well too. Just got a e 500 for 90
You can use plastic polish to buff the scratches out of the plastic
Thanks man. I learned something. I learned that my E300 that I've had since 2005 might be ok - it has the same powering up issue as yours. Because I live in a swamp i've actually dumped it at a friend's place in town because I thought that recent excess humidity might be messing with it. As an aside - I love these E300 cameras. I've got four 4/3 bodies (300, 510, 620, E5) and a pile of 4/3 glass, but this model is my fave to shoot with my Takumars - I think it's the sensor (though focusing is a bitch). Maybe I need a 500 to get some sort of Live View to improve the hit rate....
I wonder what the shutter count on that thing is, you can check it via a special procedure that involves a little button mashing. My E-300 sits at around 6K and I got it for real cheap along with the battery and other lenses in separate deals (all great ones).
Frankly I'm not a big fan of this camera. I have several gripes with it, but I'm still hanging on to it for reasons (and also the fact that it has that porro prism system going on, pretty neat and unique)
The mirror system is really cool. Reminds me of my Pen FT half frame camera. I'll have to look up how to check the shutter count and see!
You have a good link for cheap adapters for 4/3
Dents in lens filter rings are somewhat common and make for cheaper prices. So I took a chance on one and it turned out good.
I managed to knock it back to circular with two pieces of hard wood that I had formed into the correct shapes.
As for cleaning I use wooden toothpicks, cloths, tooth brushes and cleaning clay .
I hope to get into lens repair/service as some of my good lenses are pretty stiff and in need of lubrication.
But it is a bit scary.
I wonder if you'll do a review on the E-300 and share why you wanted to get one.
I probably will do a review if this one turns out to be reliable enough. I really like these Olympus DSLRs and always meant to pick up another after selling my e420.
Lens repair is more daunting. With cheaper vintage lenses it's not so bad because the stakes are lower. Maybe start there for practice and work the kinks out.
eBay is hit & miss for sure! I've grabbed some brilliant buys, but also a few crappy one :( Very therapeutic watching your cleaning job to James haha Good job mate!
Thanks, Lee! I enjoy watching before and after time lapses with lots of other topics, so I figured it was worth a shot with a camera ;)
Great cleanup job. At least, if the 40-150 works well, you've got a really good lens for your trouble. That lens had a great rep, and I really wish they'd just made an MFT version. I've been tempted to get the 4/3 to MFT adapter, even if it was just for this lens and the awesome 50mm f/2 macro.
There is a super cheap MFT version of the 40-150. It's known as the plastic fantastic, because for what you pay you get a really good telephoto lens. Can sometimes find them for under $100.
You can buy these things all day long for €20-30 because for most people they're only good for an extinct lens mount...and because they're not full frame they're useless for anything except APS-C or smaller.
@@adamvaz9097 I own it 🙂
@@sevensixes7 I'm not sure you understood me. The olympus 4/3 to MFT mount MMF-3 adapter is a proper adapter that supports not just aperture, but also AF adjustment (and weather sealing). The MMF-2 is almost as good, but lacks weather sealing, which would be fine if you're mostly using it with non-weather sealed 4/3 lenses and MFT bodies. I've seen them used in the €120-200 range, and there's a Viltrox AF version for a little under €100, but I've read that AF is slow with that and I wouldn't want to experiment with other cheap adapters.
I've seen some lots with that adapter thrown in. That would be cool. Good to know about the lens.
This literally looks like the one I was interested in on eBay. The Canadian seller wouldn't budge on price, and the pictures did appear vague. I passed, but I would have pulled the trigger if the seller replied more confidently. Got a bundle of two working E-500s instead. Both in excellent condition. Didn't know you could do IR photography on them. Olympus I guess never blocked that wavelength from the sensor. Came with IR filter. Happier about the E-500 more than the E-300 now... (Both share the same Kodak CCD sensor.)
Awesome! I didn't know that about the e500 either. There are a few other cameras with at least weak IR filters that you can just expose a bit longer and get a good amount of IR.
My eBay camera story involves an Olympus PL1 and, surprisingly, an E-300. They are also my most recent eBay camera purchases. The PL1 was listed as a $50 buy it now. Seller said it was in good condition but the few pictures of the camera were dark and a bit blurry. It showed up and in what I would call “working condition”. Dirty, body scratched but it worked and it works well. However my definition and the sellers definition of good condition are two entirely different things, apparently.
The E-300 was listed as “it works“. And the only other information was that it came with the original kit zoom lens. Also blurry dark pictures accompanied the listing. $80 buy it now. Again I took the risk (because I’m a glutton for punishment). When it showed up my jaw dropped. It was in mint, pristine condition. The lens and camera had been barely used, they looked brand new. It came with microfiber cloth, all the instruction manual paraphernalia, a quality UV filter, an Olympus neck strap and a camera bag! It was truly the most shocking eBay camera purchase I’ve ever had. You lose some and very occasionally you win one.
Haha, good job on the E300! I have been pushing my luck too long. This was inexpensive and the description made it sound good so I went for it without better pictures. Worked out alright I guess, but I would've waited for a better condition one had I known.
Nasty for sure - you get these sometimes. Well done. But gotta say , the state of this one looks like a hospital floor compared to a Konica C35 I got back in mid-April. I posted on PF about with stomach churning pics. :D Absolutely encased in in a dirt/sand/dry-mold mixture.
Crazy thing is, I eventually cleaned it up and went a little further every week. Battery box leads were complete rot but found good copper a little ways up with *just* enough wire to make a semi-decent solder. Long story short, after well over 5 hours on this thing it pretty much looks new, everything works again, and I have a test roll in it right now. I'm amazed.
Wow! I looked it up. Amazing the title of the listing... haha. Good job saving it!
@@snappiness Felt like a genuine triumph. Saving some of these is definitely worth it!
Yes you can access tiny crevasses with a toothpick, but even better, wouncan wrap it in a bit of cotton or paper, and even drench it in alcohol. Did it many times.
BTW, it could be worst. You don't wanna know how a camera that was sitting on a shelf of a restorant's kitchen looks like...
ooooh! had to do this on my Kodak DCS Pro SLR too, altho the seller disclosed it up front and I paid less for that reason. How DO they get so dirty?? Your camera looks way better now. Looking forward to the review!
I won't leave you alone until you share some pics on your blog about that kodak 😀 yeah idk how this camera got this dirty. Back seat of a dirty car for a few years? Some fast food wrappers laying on top?
Ok story time from one content creator to another:- I nabbed a deal online for a bulk load of Nikon DSLR cameras and some bridge. I wanted the D60, D40x and D7000 in the deal and it was an absolute crazy deal. $100 ish ..... I get the cameras, they're in the worst state, like they've been in a box for years. Got some bonus Film cameras also in the box which rocked...... here's the kicker...... on each camera there was a forensics label and bar code, in spanish. Each camera was clearly a work tool from a police department in Mexico. Heres the crazy part. One of the bridge cameras had its SD still in the camera.... full of scene of crime photos. The worst.....the crazy..... the insane. As bad as you could think from down south.... on this SD card. I formatted the card and went on my merry way. You never know what you're gonna get people..... you never ever know
This feels like you took a dog from a bad home, took good care of it and restored its faith in humans! The worst one I got pales in comparison. An Olympus EP1. It's clean and all, it just smells like what I can only describe as... "grandads".
Maybe try using a hard paint brush to reach into tight crevices.
When does overly loved become abuse? Lol. Watch this will become your favorite camera. The uniqueness of older cameras is very intriguing to me
I'm excited to play around with it more. Would be cool if it works reliably and this becomes its second chance at life :)
Got a sigma 70-210 for K mount that honestly looked like the previous let his dog lick it everyday. Cleaned up well but the lens was still awful
Have you found an eyecup for it? Looks like it's missing. I just bought an E-300 without an eyecup too
Hey I am doing reselling job and everyday doing repairing and cleaning the cameras, lenses and all the equipment!
They are many many unused and unnecessary bought items everywhere!
Every week I am buying hundreds of cameras and lenses, doing a little recovery and send it back to community to be used.
Please don’t change your gears every new model coming!! You just wasting your money and keep the companies owner getting richer everyday!
The cameras from 1950 still working,
The DSLRs from 2010 are still damn good, please don’t throw your gems in the junk!
Let's take a moment to talk about the real star of this video, your curly hair. lol... seriously though cool video, also cool hair.
That lens works fine on mine which has firmware version 1.5.
On ebay, if the photos are blurry I don't buy it. Or if there's only one photo.
You may try a toothbrush next time, should help a lot to reach all that crevices
Good idea!
Use barber’s brush for small arras
that is horrible, I am glad I scrutinize every listing I look at, I want photos of the glass from the front and the back at least 4 photos of the body of the lens.
oh my god, did it fall into a septic tank or something? how does a camera even get that nasty
Haha, that's what I want to know...
Filthy cameras. Thats hot
no eucalyptus oil ? 🙄
That would have made it smell better at least :D
I find that my final repair of many things I do ends with gasoline and a match whereupon I send the thing from hell back to hell.
Lol! I was tempting to toss it, wasn't even sure it would turn on...
Thats why i always buy from a buyer from japan
Yah… I get this. Some people will say you over-pay from Japanese sellers but, in my experience, you get exactly what you pay for. Description always matches what arrives in the box. I’ve never felt ripped off when I’ve bought from a Japanese seller.
I've had many terrible experiences buying older cameras from Japan... things listed as "exc ++++" or even "God level mint" with lenses that are useless because of haze and fungus (very high humidity in Japan) and older cameras that are yellow and grimy because they are soaked in nicotine, or cameras that are actually rusty.
My only time buying a lens from Japan it did not match the description and had problems, but the seller was professional and quick to resolve. But I would still try again even with that seller based on their professionalism in resolving the issue.
в следующий раз, пожалуйста, используй зубную щётку! Она создана что бы вычищать грязь из труднодоступных мест.
Went with the e500 bc it was cheaper haha
Good old eBay home of the dishonest
Try use a old toothbrush, that might help
Great tip, can't believe I didn't think of that 👍
@@snappiness you are welcome
Toothpaste for the lcd . Mask it off first
Great job. Next time wear gloves 😊
Yeah, good call :) I was scrubbing my hands like crazy after this.
Ew. No constant aperture 🤢