Has anyone ever broken one of your cameras?

K

Kyle

Guest
Recently at a BBQ an acquaintance of mine, who has a general interest in photography, asked to see the Yashica TLR I was shooting. While he was examining it it fell out of his hands, hit the concrete steps and tumbled down to the ground. The back of the camera broke off, gave it a dent and a few scratches. Right before he walked away from me he said, "Well, I think you'll be able to fix it." :rolleyes:

His response really didn't surprise me, I don't expect any more from the guy. I'm just glad it was a relatively inexpensive Yashica TLR and not a Leica or Rollei or something. The main problem is that was my only camera (besides a Holga) so now I have to find something else. I do believe the camera could be repaired at a decent price but it would cost at least the price of the camera. Oh well, I've been looking to get another rangefinder so this is as good a reason as any.

I've never dropped a camera before. I felt like everything was in slow-motion while I watched that thing fall to the ground. Now I know to never show anyone my cameras again.

Does anyone have any stories of their own?
 
Had an old Olympus RC along for a backpacking/climbing trip in West Virginia. Asked one of my buddies to snap a picture when I was repelling nearly 80 feet. He usually went out shooting with me, so I knew he would be able to handle the task. WRONG! When I was about halfway down the face I saw it come hurling towards me, but it seemed like it took a week to hit the ground. There wasn't much left of it when we reached surface, but I did get full value from him, so no complaints.
 
So you knew the guy was a loser and you handed him the camera anyway?

I never hand one of my cameras to someone else unless I put the strap around their neck first.
 
I had my old m6ti on a holiday trip about 2 years ago down at the Gold Coast. Was in an apartment with 3-4 friends and some other guys I didn't know. One of them decided it would be funny to pick up the m6ti and pretend to drop it a numerous times. I very nearly strangled him, much to his surprise.

I'll let people have a play with my camera if I know they aren't douchebags. I can usually tel pretty quickly if they are mature enough to handle my gear.
 
bucks11 said:
Had an old Olympus RC along for a backpacking/climbing trip in West Virginia.
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My father crushed his Pentax MX at Seneca Rocks WV. It was in his backpack and he fell backwards onto it.

No one has busted a camera of mine, but I've personally seen high winds topple a tripod beaking a D70 baseplate right off a bogen clickplate. Fun Times!
 
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The back of the camera broke off, gave it a dent and a few scratches. Right before he walked away from me he said, "Well, I think you'll be able to fix it."
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Jeesh! Talk about chutzpah!

I know if that had happened to me and the creep tried to brush it off I would have gone into total b*tchmode! :(

Small claims court, maybe?
 
At the very least I would have done some heavy duty in-his-face screaming, offering to make his face look like the camera did if he didn't pay up.
 
Personally if someone broke my camera, and the repairs would be pricey, i'd be asking them for some cash. The thing is though, you shouldn't have to ask in the first place. If I had broken someone's gear, i'd be telling them to get a quote and hit me up with a repair cost. I broke it, therefore it's my responsibility to fix it.

I can't believe the guy just walked away and didn't offer to pay for repairs.
 
Somebody broke one of my cameras once. He claimed it was my fault, just because I was hitting him with it. I had to, I could not get to my tripod fast enough. The nerve of some people.
 
Have had friends break a number of things, drop Nikon Binoculars (and not tell me). It may fall in to the thinking I try to say to myself, "People are more important than things", sometimes it even works. ;-)

I had several nice cameras really damaged during repairs, a Mint Blue Canon Demi came back with a huge scratch on the front, and then the Mint Black Paint Leica II. The guy put two dings in the top edges. That one made me a bit ill. He denied it of course, still charging for the CLA on the shutter.

Easy to say forgive and forget, hard to do it.

I dropped a couple of my own, some insured, some not, but if it is current, and can be repaired, it may be part of the concept of usage.

My ex girlfriend's new guy dropped her lens on a rock, putting a 1.5" deep gouge in it, and as I had given it to her, I fixed it. Outer element for a Tamron Zoom was $100.

I would feel pretty bad if I dropped someone's camera. Even passing stuff around, I try to make absolute sure the guy taking it has a good grip, or the strap around the neck.

I have looked for a replacement for the Leica, I found it, in the collection of the store owner. They paid some little old lady $100 for it. NFS.

The real insult in the OP is the fact that someone did not accept responsibility, even though it was a simple situation and easily rectifiable at reasonable cost.

Regards, John
 
Kyle said:
Recently at a BBQ an acquaintance of mine, who has a general interest in photography, asked to see the Yashica TLR I was shooting. While he was examining it it fell out of his hands, hit the concrete steps and tumbled down to the ground. The back of the camera broke off, gave it a dent and a few scratches. Right before he walked away from me he said, "Well, I think you'll be able to fix it." :rolleyes:

His response really didn't surprise me, I don't expect any more from the guy. I'm just glad it was a relatively inexpensive Yashica TLR and not a Leica or Rollei or something. The main problem is that was my only camera (besides a Holga) so now I have to find something else. I do believe the camera could be repaired at a decent price but it would cost at least the price of the camera. Oh well, I've been looking to get another rangefinder so this is as good a reason as any.

I've never dropped a camera before. I felt like everything was in slow-motion while I watched that thing fall to the ground. Now I know to never show anyone my cameras again.

Does anyone have any stories of their own?
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that guy was an asshole. you should make him pay for a new camera... just because.
 
I have dropped once the Tamron 60~300 manual focus, besides a lot of photogs and with an outstanding ecco - what a shame! But the zoom didn't break.

Instead, my father broke my family, the army tryied to break my spirit and since then time and again life put me to test by trying to break my dreams and my values. Sometimes it came in big waves, other times by small detail.

As for the your story Kyle, it seems you have been abused and you are still in shock about it, which is nothing but understable. I think dmr's projection would be perhaps healthier than swallowing the shock, but perhaps you still can contact the offender telling him how much you loved that camera and therefore you went with the camera to a fixing shop and they estimate the cost of repair as xxx, or they told you the camera is beyond repair - therefore another alike Yashica will cost yyy - and perhaps "the guy" would like to take the opportunity to show his good manners and consideration towards his fellow.

In my outlined proposal, like in dmr's one, there is the most important of all: your due reaction to an offense - and this is the most precious feature you should defend in view of life in general.

Accordingly, whether "the guy" redresses his behaviour - or worsens it after your extremely polite request, you would have moved beyond the square of shock, into the square of polite reaction.

Of course you are not expecting from yourself the rest of your life you will be screaming against all offenses life provide us with, and a few times (for example on the roads) better to keep quiet or calm.

But even screaming is a possible reaction within your "reactions tool box", besides keeping quiet, AND BESIDES POLITELY STANDING ON YOUR RIGHTS, i, e, on the fact that you exist, you are a human, with no less rights than anyone else. It's up to you to select the best tool for each opportunity.

But you do have a tool box to go with you, and to choose from, and to fill with more and more tools, as other people break your cameras or anything else along your life.

Best,
Ruben
 
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Broke my Mamiya 7II not long ago. Forced the jammed film advance, transport gears and such with umm, too much force. Love the camera so I had to fix it which wasn't cheap.
 
Once when an acquiantance who was interested in photography asked to see my Oly XA, I handed it to her without opening it. Before I could say anything, she had grabbed the cover at the bottom front of the camera and ripped it straight up and off the camera, breaking the plastic "rail" clean off. She was left with the camera in one hand and the cover in the other. She was pretty embarrased, and immediately apologized and handed the pieces back to me. I was annoyed and a little shocked, but it was also kind-of funny. Luckily, I was able to pop the cover back on. Now I have to be careful whenever I slide the cover open on or closed, and the cover can pop off with some encouragement. (I try not to encourage it.)

Otherwise the camera is fine, but it is a bit of a bummer. I wish I had shown her the operation before I'd handed it to her, or that she'd asked me. Oh well- live and learn.
 
Sorry, but I have my rules: I don't touch anybody's cameras without asking, and I carefully size up the person asking to hold one of mine. Haven't had anyone break a camera on me (and I've never broken anybody else's). Saves hard feelings in the long term.

I did have a relative on my Dad's side (recovering addict) steal a fairly-new Canon F-1 from me way back when. Ugly confrontation and all ensued. Didn't get it back, but Dad helped me buy a replacement.

And, yes, the guy who dropped your Yashica was quite the jerk. If this happened to be a BBQ you were putting on, I don't have to tell you who to cross off the "invite" list next time. :mad:


- Barrett
 
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