Common for viewfinders of 2nd hand compact cameras to be dusty?

[mpenza]

I won a auction for a Yashica T4 which was advertised to be in excellent condition. However, when I met the seller, I discovered that the viewfinder is very dusty and the view through it is "dreamy". Otherwise, the camera is in good condition. Is dusty viewfinder common for 2nd hand cameras?

I rejected the trade because the camera was not in the condition described - i.e. excellent.

 

[igpenguin]

Hmmm.. i have a T4 and mine also has pretty clouded viewfinder. Dust is a problem as well. Though I do suppose if the buyer gave the impression of meticulous care, then reasonably the viewfinder would have been maintained.

Otherwise, lots of cameras you can find in Cash Converters for instance also have clouded viewfinders be it rangefinders, SLRs.

 

[cameraguy61]

Yes it is very common to see dust in older viewfinders both SLR and Rangefinder type POS cameras Most cameras have very little to no dust sealing for the viewfinder system.
Those that did have some type of dust seal used the same type of foam that you see in the film chamber, this foam starts to go bad from normal conditions after years of use, so some of the stuff you see in the viewfinder may come from the seals them selves.

Hope this helps

Hmmm.. i have a T4 and mine also has pretty clouded viewfinder. Dust is a problem as well. Though I do suppose if the buyer gave the impression of meticulous care, then reasonably the viewfinder would have been maintained.

Otherwise, lots of cameras you can find in Cash Converters for instance also have clouded viewfinders be it rangefinders, SLRs.