Repairs: Specialist or generalist?

[kl122002]

One or more plastic gears in some Nikon Motor Drives are notorious for going out of service.

Sover Wong installs his own metal replacement

For everytime I repair I would wonder why the factory decided to use nylon instead of metal. Some still claim nylon wheels are more durable than metal but after 40 years today we have seen the results.

 

[88E30M50]

The technician I know in my place has been there for at least 40 years, and thinking about retirement now since he is getting too old. He is one of the people who inspired me to try camera repair myself. He shared his story to me and then I have been thinking about this.

Being specialist isn't bad , especially back when digital cameras weren't popular. Being a Rollei, old Contax, Leica specialist can definitely make enough money for living. But today is different : people can DIY and learn from YouTube, or just get another one from a cheaper cost. The repair works also hifted more towards to "newer" cameras that made after computerized or electronic control dominant in 1980s. However the ugly truth is those 1980s cameras materials, like the plastic wheels , are not designed to work for 40years. Once this piece goes wrong then the camera/lens could be dead.

While working through the FT, FTb and FTb-N series, it is interesting to see what parts go from brass to nylon with each iteration. In some cases, the old FT brass part is a direct replacement for the later nylon gear in the FTb and FTb-N. I have not seen any failures of the plastic parts from age yet though. The early 70s vintage FTb nylon gears seem to be holding up well for going on 50 years. These are parts that sit in a dark space and some have been unused for decades, so no UV damage or wear from excessive use yet. Hopefully, we can get another 50 years out of those parts.

 

[88E30M50]

For everytime I repair I would wonder why the factory decided to use nylon instead of metal. Some still claim nylon wheels are more durable than metal but after 40 years today we have seen the results.

I've not encountered nylon parts in high wear areas yet. Most of my time is spent working on FTs and FTbs. No motor drives there. The FTb nylon gears are limited to the shutter speed/light meter linkage. That's a light use area and the gears seem to hold up well (so far). In a motor drive, especially a greased one, that might change. Dry nylon seems relatively stable. Having said that, I have seen odometer gears in old BMWs crumble after a couple of decades. I am trying to remember if BMW lubed those gears or if they ran them dry in the old cars.

 

[Ulophot]

Andreas, you may be interested in this video on camerarescue.org in Sweden, where they are training new camera technicians.

Tour the Camera Rescue Process

This tour is the one I have always wanted to do for everyone to see! Seems we just needed the right guest for it to become a reality.We have been trying to do our part to keep film alive for over a decade now, but I think communicating what we are doing has always been a pain point for us. Your...

www.camerarescue.org

Ignore the goofy look on the person's face. He's actually a very smart aerospace engineer who became a film photography enthusiast a few years ago and has recorded extensive tours of Kodak manufacturing in Rochester, NY. His YT channels are Smarter Every Day and Smarter Every Day2.

 

[Chan Tran]

I don't think you want to make it as a career and if so concentrate on what interest you. Specialize in the type of cameras you most like.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Andreas, you may be interested in this video on camerarescue.org in Sweden, where they are training new camera technicians.

Tour the Camera Rescue Process

This tour is the one I have always wanted to do for everyone to see! Seems we just needed the right guest for it to become a reality.We have been trying to do our part to keep film alive for over a decade now, but I think communicating what we are doing has always been a pain point for us. Your...

www.camerarescue.org

Ignore the goofy look on the person's face. He's actually a very smart aerospace engineer who became a film photography enthusiast a few years ago and has recorded extensive tours of Kodak manufacturing in Rochester, NY. His YT channels are Smarter Every Day and Smarter Every Day2.

Great, thank you!

 

[Sirius Glass]

Being a specialist is a good thing, especially if the specialist is a factory trained Hasselblad repair person. Will this become yet another Hasselblad thread?

 

[kl122002]

Being a specialist is a good thing, especially if the specialist is a factory trained Hasselblad repair person. Will this become yet another Hasselblad thread?

Or, maybe Leica?

 

[Individual One]

Retired now, but I have been able to make a career of optical & mechanical integration and alignment usually within the context of largish companies. In Canada, where I worked, this was mainly in the building and repair of instruments used in the defense, geophysics, medical, and graphic arts imaging industries. The electronics I was involved with and were generally quite complex. Amongst the opto/mechs, as we were known, there was no requirement for deep electronic knowledge as we had engineers to call upon for that. It was sufficient to be able to use an oscilloscope and look at signals. We would swap boards rather than components, sending them back for rework or investigation. Particularly in the medical devices industry there are quite strict rules related to who can work on what aspect of a device.
So, within that subset of precision instrument integration I was something of a generalist and greatly enjoyed it. Most of all training new integrators and production engineering support.
I would recommend this sort of a path to young persons today but my experience of nephews and nieces is that they would rather work on software. And they could be correct.
Bruce

 

[Kodachromeguy]

Having said that, I have seen odometer gears in old BMWs crumble after a couple of decades. I am trying to remember if BMW lubed those gears or if they ran them dry in the old cars.

YES! That happened to my 1981 BMW. The gears were installed dry because the nylon was supposed to be slick. You buy replacement gears from, of all names, OdometerGears.com. They also make replacement gears for the height adjustment device inside Xenon headlights (where the heat ruins inferior plastic).

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Retired now, but I have been able to make a career of optical & mechanical integration and alignment usually within the context of largish companies. In Canada, where I worked, this was mainly in the building and repair of instruments used in the defense, geophysics, medical, and graphic arts imaging industries. The electronics I was involved with and were generally quite complex. Amongst the opto/mechs, as we were known, there was no requirement for deep electronic knowledge as we had engineers to call upon for that. It was sufficient to be able to use an oscilloscope and look at signals. We would swap boards rather than components, sending them back for rework or investigation. Particularly in the medical devices industry there are quite strict rules related to who can work on what aspect of a device.
So, within that subset of precision instrument integration I was something of a generalist and greatly enjoyed it. Most of all training new integrators and production engineering support.
I would recommend this sort of a path to young persons today but my experience of nephews and nieces is that they would rather work on software. And they could be correct.
Bruce

Thank you Bruce for this report, which gives me guidance on how professional repairs were organized.

The fact that today it is primarily about software makes many things easier or even possible. But as you know, that means spending your time programming and debugging programs. And microcontroller feeds. It's nothing for me, I already refuse the Arduino

 

[Gregory_Nolan]

I see repairing cameras as a hobby. I have specialized in the Nikon F2. I've already taken part in Sover Wong's repair workshops twice, and this September I'm traveling to Nottingham for the third time. I could of course apply the skills I learn there to other cameras, but I often don't have the necessary camera-specific tools.

 

[Europan]

We need specialising generalists. Technicians who follow their taste. I think it’s very important to have a good basic formation but then also to know what one likes and what one doesn’t like.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I see repairing cameras as a hobby. I have specialized in the Nikon F2. I've already taken part in Sover Wong's repair workshops twice, and this September I'm traveling to Nottingham for the third time. I could of course apply the skills I learn there to other cameras, but I often don't have the necessary camera-specific tools.

That is interesting! Could you tell us something about the workshops at Sover?

What do you learn there, what is the process like and whether you can also take part as a layperson who has never tried to repair a camera?

Additional question: To what extent is the electronics of the F2 treated? The photomic viewfinders are complex electromechanical works of art

 

[ic-racer]

I got into mechanical Rollei 35mm SLR a little out of frustration. Seems the Japanese Bessaflex and Kenko cameras of the early 2000s came in Yashica/Contax, Nikon, Pentax, 42mm and maybe some other, but I always wished they made a modern Japanese camera for the Rolleiflex Zeiss QBM mount lenses.

Turns out the SL35 is somewhat of a copy of a Pentax anyway, and these mechanical Rollei are easy to find on ebay, so I started fixing them for my QBM lenses. But now I have more bodies than lenses...and this picture only shows about half of the bodies.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

The trouble with generalist repairs men is that they sometimes lack the specific tools and parts, which does NOT mean that hey lack the knowledge, certainly not!
And secondly, they are sometimes so overloaded with work...

So:
Hasselblad —> Hasselblad specialist (former Hasselblad Belgium agency craftsman who acquired the shop's tools and parts when it closed).
Linhof —> Linhof factory in Germany (no more Linhof service in Belgium)
Silvestri —> Silvestri factory in Italy (never was a Silvestri service in Belgium)
Schneider —> Kreuznach

But what to do with a copal leaf shutter in Europe?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Or, maybe Leica?

Yes that too.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I think you're only really good where you're really interested.

And once you've mastered one camera device, you already have a basis from which you can work on other devices.

SLRs, for example, are not that fundamentally different. If I manage to take the top cover off a Minolta, I also have a good chance with a Canon or Nikon.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

Being a specialist is a good thing, especially if the specialist is a factory trained Hasselblad repair person. Will this become yet another Hasselblad thread?

Why would it become an other Hasselblad thread? Every camera has its specific needs and a Hasselblad is, amongst so many, just an interesting example.
What if we talked about the Rollei SL66, or the Mamiya RB not to mention the Zenza Bronica? And I will not start talking about 35mm camera's...
I think that Hasselblad is coming up again is simply because some of the posters who are reacting happen to be Hasselblad users.

Perhaps, for a change, we can start talking what to do when you open the hood of a 1960s Citroën DS (good luck with that)?

 

[4season]

But what to do with a copal leaf shutter in Europe?

To anyone who has serviced a Compur or other leaf shutter, Copal will be very familiar.

 

[kl122002]

I think you're only really good where you're really interested.

And once you've mastered one camera device, you already have a basis from which you can work on other devices.

SLRs, for example, are not that fundamentally different. If I manage to take the top cover off a Minolta, I also have a good chance with a Canon or Nikon.

I never tell anyone what camera or lenses I have mastered. Because if no.... my table would be full of the same models

I got into mechanical Rollei 35mm SLR a little out of frustration. Seems the Japanese Bessaflex and Kenko cameras of the early 2000s came in Yashica/Contax, Nikon, Pentax, 42mm and maybe some other, but I always wished they made a modern Japanese camera for the Rolleiflex Zeiss QBM mount lenses.

Turns out the SL35 is somewhat of a copy of a Pentax anyway, and these mechanical Rollei are easy to find on ebay, so I started fixing them for my QBM lenses. But now I have more bodies than lenses...and this picture only shows about half of the bodies.

View attachment 359624

I just restored a SL 35M, and later would try to work on a jammed SL35ME as well . They are after the original SL 35 designs and most mechanics have been simplified . I think I would get a hand of SL35 later as well .
QBM lenses are neat ! And their adapter of M42->QBM is a piece that must collect.

 

[ic-racer]

I just restored a SL 35M, and later would try to work on a jammed SL35ME as well . They are after the original SL 35 designs and most mechanics have been simplified . I think I would get a hand of SL35 later as well .
QBM lenses are neat ! And their adapter of M42->QBM is a piece that must collect.

Once you open a SL35, you might not want to work on SL35M again I have not totally given up on SL35M, I have two that I got working well, but I don't think I'll buy any more SL35M to fix again. I think the SL35 is a much better design on which to work.

 

[kl122002]

Once you open a SL35, you might not want to work on SL35M again I have not totally given up on SL35M, I have two that I got working well, but I don't think I'll buy any more SL35M to fix again. I think the SL35 is a much better design on which to work.

View attachment 359677

My SL35M was received free. It was treated as spare parts waiting to be teared down but fortunately it never happened .

What I learnt from it is from the bottom . I am sorry I didn't take any pictures but I can tell there are something wrong with this design, like putting all important stuff to the bottom. The mirror release and return delay mechanics are all there. So when that gear failed to trip the camera would jam, just because the camera can't let the mirror flip up at instant or return at correct time.

The upper part is , slow speed timer at right side of your pic, under the released button. Left side is the meter and my SL35M has old dirty lubs that glued them up. I cleaned it and the meter works again . The advance lever is a bit unnecessarily complicated from today's pov or even compare with japanese camera at the same period time .

The only thing I can't fix is the little separation of the prism. But anyway I am not dare to replace it since the wires and circuit are all around it .

Somehow it gives me a feeling that Rollei was struggling during the SL35M / ME / E models period. They are trying to catch up all japenese tech at once but they can't and making them much falling behind.

 

[ic-racer]

The SL35M was, I believe, an EAST German product Rollei inherited from Voigtlander. It is kind of an oddball that does not seem to fit in the progression from SL35 to SL35E to SL2000f to 3003.

 

[ic-racer]

Looking at my picture, I might want to get that un-repaired camera out again and try cleaning the goop from the prism. On my OM-1 I recently fixed, just cleaning the goop off the prism cleared it almost completely.