I've been working intensively on photo equipment repair projects for a longer period now.
Cameras, motor drives, lenses - leaked battery acid, electronic problems, dirt, cloudy lenses, fungus and also blocked mechanisms.
I was able to restore some things, others ended up disassembled in a plastic bag, some things frustrated me and others made me feel better.
Little has fascinated me so much so far.
What did I learn from this?
Conclusions
There is no shame in giving up on a repair. At least there are always spare parts for future projects.
Cameras, motor drives, lenses - leaked battery acid, electronic problems, dirt, cloudy lenses, fungus and also blocked mechanisms.
I was able to restore some things, others ended up disassembled in a plastic bag, some things frustrated me and others made me feel better.
Little has fascinated me so much so far.
What did I learn from this?
- Trying to repair it yourself can save devices that would otherwise remain broken or would cost disproportionately to restore - if there is even a workshop to do so.
- Every camera, every lens, every motor drive is an individual construction - you always have to start from the beginning to understand it.
- The home workshop has its limits. For example, non-releasable screws, inaccessible lenses in the assembly or nested mechanics and electronics as well as non-existent spare parts can end projects abruptly.
- Mistakes, overestimation of oneself, fatigue, indifference or euphoria endanger every project.
- A repair may make a device functional again, but not better. Any intervention is disruptive and carries the risk of further damage.
Conclusions
- Therefore, I limit my activities to devices that I have already written off and to cases that are easy to handle with calculable risk.
- Valuable repair candidates with more complex problems are waiting for competent repairs, and this is a budget issue.
- Before I attempt a repair or purchase a defective device, I think three times and find out beforehand whether such an attempt has any chance of success. For example it makes no sense to try to remove fungus in optical assemblies that cannot be dismantled or to bring back zooms whose plain bearings are worn out and no replacements are available.
- Fortunately, good for collectors, only few things actually break on their own.
- I can only recommend getting active with the screwdriver yourself. It's fun, brings insights and restores values - not always, but often.
- And anything that cannot be repaired lives on as a spare parts warehouse.
There is no shame in giving up on a repair. At least there are always spare parts for future projects.
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