Best Camera to learn repair from

john_van_v

john_van_v

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If you were starting over with camera repair, which camera would you want to start with?

Any kind: RF, Folder, TLR.. I am thinking from the perspective of ease, and also from the quality value of the camera as a photography investment.
 
I am teaching myself camera repair on a Pentax K1000 that i got for ten bucks, although I truly got my start modifying holgas. If you want a really inexpensive taste of camera repair, get a holga, a computer repair kit, some gaffer tape, and some superglue, and perform all of the mods listed at www.squarefrog.co.uk.
 
I've worked on a bunch of cameras ranging from Leica M's and a Hasselblad down to Olympus Trip 35's, but I found older Rollei TLR's the most intuitive to work on and if your lucky a camera with a sticky shutter can be had really rather cheap. Needless to say you just have to be incredibly gentle and methodical when working on the thing.
 
According to Ed Romney, greatest repairman of them all, everyone should start with an Argus C3 "brick." I think the reasoning is that it is simple enough that it will be hard to mess it up -- and you are pretty likely to mess up your first one. With an Argus C3, if you make a mistake, you probably won't break anything and you can just start over. A lot of the folders are pretty simple to work on too, but are a little easier to mess up. I would NOT recommend starting right out with a Canonet, a High-Matic, a Retina, a Karat or a Super Ikonta. Canonets and High-Matics are pretty complicated and require that you make some special tools. Super Ikontas have those swing arms with the prisms in them and god help you if you get one of those out of adjustment -- it will take days to get it working right again. The Retinas and Karats have all those linkages and you have to be able to work in tight spaces and have some idea what you are doing before you can do anything with them.
 
LOL, if you want a baptism by fire in camera repair, try a Canon QL17 GIII. :)

I speak from experience. :)
 
FallisPhoto said:
According to Ed Romney, greatest repairman of them all, everyone should start with an Argus C3 "brick."
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Stupid ME!! Why didn't I think of that before posting?

And, some of the lenses are respectable.

Truth is, most of my cameras are one-lens cameras, my FM goes with an f1.2, my Cosina RF goes with a Jupiter-8, my OM-1 goes with a Zuiko f1.4, my Konica TC goes with a Series 1 70 - 210, my Canon XT goes with an AF 50 f1.8 or a Zuiko 200mm, my Fujica 701 goes with a Rexagon 28mm, so it makes sense to mate a brick with one the cheap but excellent German lenses, perhaps a 100mm.
 
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The Argus cameras are great cameras for beginners. I took mine apart w/ just a flat bladed screwdriver and a smaller one for the lens barrel. Any of the medium format cameras are simple too, especially if they don't have a rangefinder and have ruby windows. The only things you have to concern yourself with are the shutter and the bellows. Focus is simple to set w/ a piece of ground glass or a piece of plexi w/ Scotch Magic tape on the film side.
 
john_van_v said:
Stupid ME!! Why didn't I think of that before posting?

And, some of the lenses are respectable.

Truth is, most of my cameras are one-lens cameras, my FM goes with an f1.2, my Cosina RF goes with a Jupiter-8, my OM-1 goes with a Zuiko f1.4, my Konica TC goes with a Series 1 70 - 210, my Canon XT goes with an AF 50 f1.8 or a Zuiko 200mm, my Fujica 701 goes with a Rexagon 28mm, so it makes sense to mate a brick with one the cheap but excellent German lenses, perhaps a 100mm.
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I don't know if you are joking, but there actually are people who have done that: http://arguscg.tripod.com/id148.html
 
my vote goes for the Canon FTb- if it's SLRs you're repairing. Tomosy recommends the Spotmatic, but I think the FTb is easier (I tried both)... there are a few 'tricks' though- re setting the meter system, for example... make sure to take lots of notes!

the FTb also gets the vote for best bang per buck for old SLRs...
 
dragunov said:
my vote goes for the Canon FTb- if it's SLRs you're repairing.
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That's good to hear. I have been thinking about ending my FD virginity by getting Canon's vintage 200mm f2.8. That will, of course, require a body besides my own.

Is the TX the same as an FTb, but a little simpler?

(BTW, I have a Spotmatic on its way in the mail)
 
FallisPhoto said:
I don't know if you are joking, but there actually are people who have done that: http://arguscg.tripod.com/id148.html
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galac3.jpg
 
Old (pre-1960) German cameras, as most of them are stitched together with extraordinary numbers of tiny screws (not glue). They will teach you delicacy of touch, plus working over a tray and keeping track of EVERY LITTLE BIT (of which there are lots). Consider lining the tray with soft, unpatterned vinyl: soft to reduce bounces, unpatterned so you can see the bits. (My Deckrullo is currently partially disassembled..,)

Tashi delek,

R.
 
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The Brick is good for seeing what the very basics are, but realistically it isn't going to teach you much. If you want to work on something that has all the "modern" essentials of the last 70 years (shutter cocking on film advance, frame counter, auto-aperture) without a lot of other confusing extras, I'd suggest a Pentax K-1000. I found it a very good introduction. And they can be a satisfying one too, since you can pick up ones with a jammed shutter for free or peanuts and they're almost always easily fixable.
 
Mohan said:
I've worked on a bunch of cameras ranging from Leica M's and a Hasselblad down to Olympus Trip 35's, but I found older Rollei TLR's the most intuitive to work on and if your lucky a camera with a sticky shutter can be had really rather cheap. Needless to say you just have to be incredibly gentle and methodical when working on the thing.
Click to expand...

Same here. I started with Rolleiflexesand don't regret it. They are great teachers!
 
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