DIY camera repairs, successes and failures: The only flop is giving up

My last projects went differently.

I was able to repair or at least improve three cameras, and a lens is now ready for use again.

However, my efforts were unsuccessful in three cases.

And I have written a lot here in the forum.




The light of success does not always shine when repairing.


If I were a professional repairer, I would have to ask myself whether I could continue my business with this result.

As a private enthusiast, however, it is a question of motivation. After all, a lot of time and energy goes into my projects.

• Shouldn't a successful repair be the only success I can achieve?
• Will my readers still take me seriously if I report on failures, and in detail?

Important questions for me.

I have come to the following conclusions:

• As an enthusiast, I can choose my goals freely, unlike a professional repairer for whom only a successful repair ensures the continued existence of his business.
• If my goal is to learn and practice, I am bound to benefit from every activity, no matter what the outcome, provided I remain honest with myself and learn from everything I do.
• The mistakes I make and report here may be ones others can avoid. Especially with projects where there is little or nothing to see or read.

Conclusion:

The only flop is giving up

There is one more thing that comes with this job.

Since no manufacturer repairs my devices and there are almost no (affordable) repair shops to do so, even just one successful repair is worth all the effort.

I find I only learn from my failures and mistakes. I don't learn from success - from a success I know as much after the act as I knew before. The right way can be found only by exploring all the wrong ways (short of reading the manual).

I think posting about failures, mistakes, dead ends (and possible success when these are overcome) is as valuable as posts/videos of repairs that come off without a hitch.

Of course a tutorial of a simple fix for the %&#! button that turns on the lamp on an F3 is always a welcome sight.

Nicholas Lindan said:

Of course a tutorial of a simple fix for the %&#! button that turns on the lamp on an F3 is always a welcome sight.

Click to expand...

A dash of electronic cleaner should help.

Otherwise, the long way to clean:

Andreas Thaler said:

[*]Will my readers still take me seriously if I report on failures, and in detail?

Click to expand...

I think reporting on your own failed attempts creates trust. Anyone who does demanding work on cameras knows that failures are part of the process. It's also comforting for the reader to learn that others don't always succeed in everything right away.
However, I think it's always important not to give up until the camera is repaired or destroyed. ;-)

Nicholas Lindan said:

I find I only learn from my failures and mistakes. I don't learn from success - from a success I know as much after the act as I knew before. The right way can be found only by exploring all the wrong ways (short of reading the manual).

Click to expand...

I'm a bit conflicted about this statement. In my experience, there are usually an infinite number of paths that lead to failure, but often only one or very few successful ones.
So, on the one hand, I would like to tell the reader that it was a rocky road with setbacks on which I learned a lot, but on the other hand, I would like to describe the one (and only?) successful method. Because the reader learns from our successes, I think.

What I have to bear in mind with my repair candidates (currently Nikons F3, F4, F-301) is the effort required to get to the root of the problem.

Most issues, probably with the shutter and mirror box, can only be addressed after removing the front panel.

Dismantling the adjustment elements on the top cover and removing it is usually the easier task.

I also consider the desoldering of several cables to be a sport, and the successful separation of the housing halves reminds me of lucky Apollo 11 on the moon.

But the return is the challenge.

Namely, coupling the mechanics of the shutter, mirror box and winding mechanism/motor.

There are sometimes extensive checklists for this (Nikon F3, F4, F-301), which show which lever has to be set and which position the take-up spool is in, etc. The two housing halves are then put together without being visible.

Ultimately, only the more or less fully assembled camera shows whether the error has been corrected and everything has been put together correctly.

If the error is still there or something else is wrong, the camera has to be dismantled again.

With the F-301 I recently lost the motivation to open it again when the replaced shutter didn't work properly.

But I've put the project on red (pending) and will come back.

Andreas Thaler said:

If the error is still there or something else is wrong, the camera has to be dismantled again.

Click to expand...

And that is exactly our privilege as enthusiasts. In contrast to the professionals, we can dismantle it again and again without considering our working hours. We can also wait until our frustration has subsided and we feel like doing it again.

tjwspm said:

And that is exactly our privilege as enthusiasts. In contrast to the professionals, we can dismantle it again and again without considering our working hours. We can also wait until our frustration has subsided and we feel like doing it again.

Click to expand...

Yes, that's right. If you focus on one model, you will become faster.

With the F-301, I found that the camera does not get any better by disassembling and reassembling it and soldering/desoldering it.

A contact is not right somewhere, the top cover does not fit straight, dirt falls out of secret corners ...

Somehow it all seems not to have been built for servicing or I am too clumsy when working.

In the end, I was terrified of the 301 and wanted to finish it off with a hammer. But the die-cast housing could only be ...

With the unused Nikon F3AF, whose faulty display I could not repair, every movement while dismantling it was painful.

You don't want to touch such a rare piece.

When soldering, I damaged some of the plastic on the inside. It doesn't matter, I even have an old stock spare part, but the camera was no longer magical for me. As if I had desecrated it.

Maybe I need a longer vacation ...