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Should I learn to repair cameras?
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Feb 19, 2021 08:37:57   #
leftj Loc: Texas
 
fotoman150 wrote:
What’s your opinion? Is there money to be made in this? Or are people throwing cameras away and getting new ones when they malfunction?

I think I would enjoy repairing cameras and learning exactly how they work and everything about them. But I don’t wanna waste my money on a course only to find out no one pays to have cameras repaired.

Do most professional photographers replace their shutters? Or do they just buy another camera?


This is an example of a post designed for the sole purpose of generating all kinds of Replies. Here's mine. If you were serious about working on cameras and enjoyed doing it you would already be working on cameras as a hobby.

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Feb 19, 2021 09:18:11   #
taxslave
 
It depends. Do you want to do it as a hobby or are you trying to make a living out of it? If the former, go for it. If the latter, I do not think you can make a living at it. There was a man here locally that all the newspaper photographers depended on to repair their cameras. But it was strictly part time. I used him to repair an old Leica IIIc shutter. He did a terrible job and I never used him again. I would always depend on authorized service repair facilities after that.

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Feb 19, 2021 09:23:28   #
SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA
 
Just be careful before you take anyone’s money. There was a guy on here yesterday that had lots of trouble with the bride not liking his work after he contracted to shoot her wedding without having the requisite equipment or knowledge. I’d imagine repairing cameras requires special equipment and a good amount of knowledge.

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Feb 19, 2021 09:29:09   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
fotoman150 wrote:
What’s your opinion? Is there money to be made in this? Or are people throwing cameras away and getting new ones when they malfunction?

I think I would enjoy repairing cameras and learning exactly how they work and everything about them. But I don’t wanna waste my money on a course only to find out no one pays to have cameras repaired.

Do most professional photographers replace their shutters? Or do they just buy another camera?


When I was in school 50 or so years ago, I worked for a time in a shop that repaired small appliances, electric shavers, and electric trains. Despite the apparent diversity, all of those items required the same driving fundamentals to accomplish successful repair. That included a complete understanding of how each one was supposed to work, a factory repair manual for every individual model accepted for service, a direct line to the factory for genuine parts (but only when actually needed), a full set of the specialized tools and fixtures required, outstanding manual dexterity, and unfailing honesty and conscience in every repair technician. The standard of work was that every item brought in was to be as indistinguishable from new as possible when it went out the door. Repairs were not excessively expensive, limited by shop policy to less than half the cost of an equivalent replacement item. Doing an unnecessary repair or replacing a part that didn't need replacing was reason for immediate termination. We certainly didn't get rich, but the owner, a retired GE engineer, did ok.

The key to his success was that his business was there first and foremost to provide a valuable service to his customers. In doing that well, there was opportunity for him to make some profit. He was well thought of in the community and always had all the business he could handle. He did not advertise, beyond a relatively small ad in the Yellow Pages.

In my experience in the years s9nce, repair shops that put integrity and service first mostly have seemed to do ok. Those centered around profit, not so much.

It takes a tremendous amount of work to do repair right. It cannot happen without a supply of necessary compliant parts. It cannot happen without goodwill in your served community. You'll have to decide how you can fit in that.

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Feb 19, 2021 09:48:56   #
olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida
 
fotoman150 wrote:
What’s your opinion? Is there money to be made in this? Or are people throwing cameras away and getting new ones when they malfunction?

I think I would enjoy repairing cameras and learning exactly how they work and everything about them. But I don’t wanna waste my money on a course only to find out no one pays to have cameras repaired.

Do most professional photographers replace their shutters? Or do they just buy another camera?



As a person who does a bit of his own repairs, you've some issues to overcome - In my efforts I've found the following:
Lack of available data/schematics for most-almost all cameras and lenses.
Lack, almost total lack of parts availability, I've a couple sources for some things, but if I was doing this as a job I'd be up schlitz creek in a barb wire canoe (I thank one of our Aussie friends for that jem!!).
Scavenging from older/used/for repair equipment is often very unproductive....if parts A, D, and X fail with some regularity on a given model/brand, those intended scavenge parts may already have failed/or been robbed, or are in a state of pre-total-fail blues.
Repair Equipment; this is another biggie, most modern electronic devices (especially the more complex) require highly specialized electronic tools/jigs, laser alignment & positioning equipment, computer programs and interfaces and the ability to use same - For instance - I can repair many Nikon lenses, but once I get to AF-S and AF-P (I'm sure this applies to all the other brands as well), if I've disturbed the "Focus Stack" in any way, I've "bricked" the lens, I do not have access to the equipment/programs/interfaces to re-align the stack, so even if I fixed item X, I can't complete the process....and guess who won't help at that point, if they still even service a particular model...these days, once out of production, you are up the creek again..... It will be the same with the camera bodies too, and this extends way beyond cameras/lenses.

If you can overcome those obstacles, have the talent and desire, you may have a good shot at success.

I am a good technician, and can repair many things old/new/electronic/manual/automatic/electro-mechanical/digital/analog, yada yada, but have given up on achieving anything stellar with modern/current camera gear. Still enjoy working on the older stuff (old lenses and cameras can be fun to clean/lube/repair "re-new", if you can find the parts), and don't mind the new stuff, but now I know where to draw the line.

I could go on, but feel that is pointless. I would never discourage anyone from pursuit of income/profession/hobby fun/wanting to learn and apply, etc.... my suggestion is to do some more research, talk to those in the business, maybe try your hand at some, but I also suggest starting with the older (non-electronic) gear which you will probably do very well with, but "go deep" for info on the more modern equipment before you get in over your head (I have several "bricked" lenses on a shelf as constant reminders for me to research the requirements of fixing a particular lens/camera prior to starting). If you can find and procure factory repair manuals, that will help greatly (and they usually have all the pertinent "warnings" in the first couple pages - like the Nikon Factory Repair Manuals do). Again, good luck in your quest

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Feb 19, 2021 10:06:18   #
rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona
 
Are you prepared to lay out a considerable amount of money for test equipment, tools, and set up a dedicated area for work?
--Bob
fotoman150 wrote:
What’s your opinion? Is there money to be made in this? Or are people throwing cameras away and getting new ones when they malfunction?

I think I would enjoy repairing cameras and learning exactly how they work and everything about them. But I don’t wanna waste my money on a course only to find out no one pays to have cameras repaired.

Do most professional photographers replace their shutters? Or do they just buy another camera?

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Feb 19, 2021 10:07:21   #
Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb
 
If you want to do this for a living you are starting out as you have no idea how to repair a camera, how to get the parts and how to get customers. Don't give up your day job! It is important that you know how to run a business which is very important too.
I would consider learning the repair end and then work into a business from a hobby stand point. That would give you an educated point to make the full time business decision.

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Feb 19, 2021 10:27:31   #
User ID
 
Red6 wrote:
I used to farm and there was a joke then about a farmer who was asked what he would do if he won a million dollars. The farmer replied that he would probably just keep farming until it was all gone.

I see a camera repair business as being very similar. First, your competition, the big guys. Warranties are going to cover all the most expensive gear. Many people are not going to let a local, small guy touch their multiple thousand dollar cameras. Owners are going to want the camera company refurb and warranty their repairs.

Second parts - are you going to be able to get them? Like someone said, the only source of parts may be older or unserviceable cameras. Are photographers willing to spend hundreds of dollars to have used parts put into their expensive gear?

Third - Test equipment and tools - some of these cameras will require expensive tools and test equipment. Many of the cameras built in the last 10-15 years are basically computers that take photos. Will you be able to upgrade or handle the software side of this business?

Finally, can you make a living at it? Will you need to charge so much that people just cannot justify fixing the item. Many good business people wind up making less than $10-15 an hour after they pay their costs.

Like it or not cameras are fast becoming disposable commodities. Somewhere there is a price point that the broken camera is just disposable. There is a good reason there are no VCR, CD player, and toaster repair shops.
I used to farm and there was a joke then about a f... (show quote)


They finally took down the sign over a long vacant business site. The sign was always worthy of a nostalgic little “sad chuckle”. Typewriter Sales and Repairs.

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Feb 19, 2021 10:34:40   #
E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
 
Probably not a good business venture in today's technology and markets.

The old-time camera repair shop is becoming a thing of the past. The business potential has diminished along with the demise of the fully mechanical camera.

The old-timers knew how to disassemble, clean, lubricate, and repair a wide variety of cameras and lenses. Parts were made available to most shops. Many repair technicians could even make their own parts in-house and or had a fairly large accumulation of discarded cameras to use for parts.

Many amateurs and professional photographers kept their cameras for a very long time and had them professionally and regularly maintained and repaired as needed. Nowadays, there is too much built-in obsolescence and folks are always upgrading to more advanced and full-featured systems.

If you scan through the forum, you will find many posts about the major camera manufacturers maintaining exclusivity over parts and repairs. I somehow doubt if they will sell parts for current cameras and they may not even continue to make parts for older meodls.

It used to be that the repair technicians' skills were somewhat like those of a watchmaker- older mechanical shutters have a similar mechanism to analog watches. Believe me- that is a special talent that requires patience and dexterity with tiny workings. My grandfather was a watch and clockmaker and repairman- I admit that I missed out on that part of the gene pool- I'm better with heavy machinery!

There the is the electronics- it's an entirely different ballgame. A customer of mine works for a major camera company's repair depot. He intimated to me that most of the techs there are not traditional repair folks but "parts changers". It seems the components on the circuit boards are so small and oftentimes sealed in such a manner that individual components, chips and another semiconductor can not be traced, tested, un-soldered and replaced. They simply replace the entire board. When the board goes out of production, the camer becomes unrepairable. Someof the chips and microcircuits are unmarked and not available at electronics supply outlets.

Your investment- Some of this requires specialized proprietary tools, jigs, and test gear that is not widely available. You need access to the service manual and schematic diagrams that might not be released by the manufacturer. Even a full complement of regular precision tools, lubricants, and test gear, all require big bucks!

There is probably a niche market for the restoration and repair of vintage and older gear. Shops like Precision Camera Repair in New York City used to specialize in custom conversions and adaptation and were internationally known for top-quality service. I am not sure they are still in business.

In my own situation as a studio operator, I always send warranty repairs to the official manufacturer's source. If the gear is out of warranty- I just bite the bullet and pay the bill. Attached is a shot of my own "repair department". I try not to beat up the gear, tighten loose screws, clean and lubricate EXTERNAL functions only, keep the battery compartments and contacts clean and I do repair all my own flash gear- but I know how to do that!

I don't mean to discourage you. I used to see ads in the photo magazines for camera repair schools and courses. I don't see them anymore. If you are still interested in pursuing this, you should do the research as to where you can get the training or experience and who and is in the business and where, and what kind of money is to be made.

I hope this helps. Good luck!



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Feb 19, 2021 10:43:29   #
analogman
 
I see no mention concerning antique/vintage cameras. Granted that is a small cross section of photography but there are those of use who collect them. I would be greatful to find someone to teach me more about fixing the older cameras. Many of the people who have been doing this are falling by the wayside so soon there may not be any way to reclaim some of the classics.

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Feb 19, 2021 10:54:47   #
hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska
 
agillot wrote:
NO , CARS WOULD BE IT .there is a shortage since the old guys are moving on .


I'm not sure car repair will be a growth or stable industry. The switch to electric vehicles will make local engine and transmission repair shops wither. On the electric vehicles, the dealer will just swap out the engine or transmission and sent it to the manufacturers repair depot bypassing the local shops. Body shops will still be around. It will be an interesting transition, glad I'm retired.

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Feb 19, 2021 11:13:41   #
John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN
 
I would think the hardest part of camera repair would be the access to spare parts.

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Feb 19, 2021 11:28:26   #
Lexartiste
 
There is a need for easier repairs such as sensor and lens cleaning as well as micro adjustments that the public doesn’t want to fool with.

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Feb 19, 2021 11:34:12   #
leftj Loc: Texas
 
Lexartiste wrote:
There is a need for easier repairs such as sensor and lens cleaning as well as micro adjustments that the public doesn’t want to fool with.


Sensor cleaning is a piece of cake. I don't know why anyone would pay someone $100+ to clean their sensor.

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Feb 19, 2021 11:36:06   #
Larryshuman
 
Last month my SB-910 came apart at its base. Two months ago I bought a "parts only" SB-910 from Roberts in Indianapolis. When the SB-910 came apart it separated at the bottom where the lock is. All 4 screws that held the bottom on were gone. In the end I replaced the complete bottom piece by using the bottom of the "parts only" strobe. There is a male plug connecting the bottom to the strobe itself. I just plug in the "parts only" piece and reinstall the 4 screws and the SB-910 is as good as new. I used it yesterday on a little copy project. This was very simple, but I would never attempt it with a modern camera. I believe one would need many years of education and experience to even attempt it. Just look at some of the camera/lens tear down videos to see how complex they are.

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