most frequent camera repair

most frequent camera repair

  • rangefinder calibration

    Votes: 82 29.1%

  • viewfinder cleaning

    Votes: 35 12.4%

  • lubrication

    Votes: 49 17.4%

  • shutter repair or adjust

    Votes: 100 35.5%

  • timing adjustments (capping etc)

    Votes: 23 8.2%

  • shutter curtain repair

    Votes: 18 6.4%

  • transport problems

    Votes: 20 7.1%

  • something I missed

    Votes: 38 13.5%
  • Total voters
    282
laptoprob

laptoprob

back to basics
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Inspired by another thread I realised what are the most frequent repairs our beloved cameras need?
Thinking mostly of technical repairs. Not reskinning, painting etcetera.

My M2 jammed recently because of a torn shutter. Torn off of the metal edge. This probably means curtain replacement.
 
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Foam for me too. Not limited to old cameras either, had it go in my < 8 month old R2a.
 
Most of my leaf shutter RFs have needed a shutter CLA to get the slow speeds anywhere near accurate. So far, most with focal plane shutters have always worked OK. I have had foam seal problems but only, it seems, with Japanesae compact RFs. The foam on these often turns to sticky goo.

PeterW
 
So the - now - relatively big portion of shutter repair or adjust is mainly because of leaf shutters?
And foam is in the last category.
 
I only have RF's with Leaf Shutters and all of them at one time needed to be cleaned (oily)...I learned with the first one how to do this and just did all the rest when I got them and when they needed it done...Image focus alignment and seals would be second...
 
Cleaning of leaf shutters is by far my most common repair. It is not limited to rangefinder cameras, also included are tlr's and large format leaf shutters.

Second most common repair would be foam replacement.

Third would be focal shutter speed adjustment.

This is just from my limited experience in having cameras repaired.


Wayne
 
My repairman knows me by name, but that's just because he's good that way.
Seriously, my repair list in the last 5 years or so goes like this-

New foam- 2 very old Pentax slr's and my Mamiya c330 needed it. I did two myself, had the other done professionally.

Shutter repairs- Only one. Mamiya TLR lens was getting a little slow, repaired professionally.

Rangefinders- Mechanism became sticky in Fuji GS645s, repaired professionally.

Winding mechanism- Bessa L. Should have gone to the shop, but a new one only cost $99 at the time. I ruined it before finding a screw had come loose...

FP shutter, holes burned in- FED 2, liquid electrical tape failed to do the job. Lost interest.
 
My Bessa-T had its shutter and advance mechanism broken, all in one go. The Bessa-T seems to be paricularly sensitive in this department given the number of times threads about it have popped up..

My Leica M4 is plagued by bits falling and breaking off.. nothing that I couldn't handle, though I've had to kitbash a lens release catch from scrap metal..
 
I have two Fed-2's with moderately smooth film advance. Shutters fire with a definitive "thwack." Further, I wonder about accuracy of top speed of 1/500? Thus, shutter adjust gets my vote. Bessa R & M2 are, thankfully, OK.
mike
 
In my case of cameras bought new or that worked when I acquired them it would be foam replacement first. I think I've only had one shutter go bad; my 65mm for my Super Press 23. That will require a professional repair. I took a look and it is beyond me.
 
DIY Lubrication of shutter?

DIY Lubrication of shutter?

Hello! i stumbled upon this site because i currently have an open-case olympus cheap camera, but i want to know if there is somewhere on the web a photo manual as how/where to apply some silicone lubricant so the shutter runs smoothly again.

thank you!
 
As a camera repair, the main reason customers send me their RF cameras is for shutter curtains replacement, especially Leica screw mount, Canon RF and Zorki/Fed stuff.
 
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Having done about a dozen curtain replacements on Canon rangefinders over the last year, along with a few for Exaktas, Leica, etc., that would be near the top of the list in my little shop. Leaf shutter cleaning takes the #1 spot, though. RF adjustment and cleaning runs around 3rd place. I don't really think of foam replacement as a repair. Just a messy job.
 
Shutter problem on a F2. It released sometimes when I advanced the film. Was fixed but unfortunately shows now up again. Need to talk to the repairman.

LCD bleed on F4. Don't care yet.

Refoaming and adjustment on both of my F2 cameras by the time I bought them.

FM2 now works for 25 years almost. Looks really used but does not want to show any problem yet.
 
Most of what I have seen in the last 2 years has been damage caused by film fragments or other foreign objects in the curtain path or mechanism.

There is also a fair number of knitting/crochet needle induced failures....:)
 
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