Rob Bradford wrote:
Des the batt check light up with the finder removed from the body? If not
then it could be a duff battery, if it does clean the contacts refit the
finder and see what happens.

You have nothing to loose.

It appears that I had forgotten how to work the internal light meter system.
I was trying to adjust the shutter speed with the right-hand knob,
the one that's attached to the view finder,
without first having set the left-hand, on-camera knob to "Bulb".
Did that, works fine now.

Not sure *what* to make of the green lamp-test LED not coming on ...
works fine now too, both before and after following Rob's advice above.