I have been repairing photo equipment from the 1980s for about three years now and have completed or written about 240 projects and essays on the subject, pretty much all of which are here.
The number of successes is greater than the failures in the projects, I would say the ratio is 4:1. I write failures off as „learning/experience“ as far as I can.
I have been working with the well-known major brands of the Japanese photographic equipment industry, with a focus on electronically controlled cameras and manually focused lenses.
Milestone Canon A System
A large part of my journey through the past camera world of Japan will be the Canon A system, starting with the Canon AE-1, the first microprocessor-controlled SLR. There are excellent technical documentation and repair instructions available.
The Canon A system is probably the one with the greatest chance of success for DIY, as there is a chance to understand the mechanics and electronics of the corresponding cameras. These can be disassembled and reassembled with manageable effort compared to later SLRs.
Was it worth it?
What are my most important experiences as a DIY repairer and author, was the work worth it for me?
I'll try to summarize in five points:
DIY gives me a lot of freedom as a user and collector.
The chance to fix problems myself, and with a high success rate, makes me independent of repair shops.
I formulate what I can't do myself as a requirement and can then select repair shops specifically because I am knowledgeable. Because I can do most things myself, I save money.
I can identify and sort out repairs or adjustments that are no longer possible because only the manufacturer or its service centers could do them, or repairs that are too complex.
Working with photo equipment technology has opened up another dimension for me in addition to using and collecting.
Cameras are even more impressive and exciting under the hood. The ingenuity and beauty of technical solutions are fascinating. It becomes clear how much creativity and engineering work goes into these devices. Incredible things have been achieved in Japan in terms of optics, mechanics and electronics.
Writing about repair projects deepens what I have learned, and it is often the first time that connections become clear to me, which of course photos contribute to.
Writing it in such a way that it can be read without any prior knowledge forces you to think through all the processes consistently. Even when you are working on the device. That promotes a lot of discipline which benefits the success of the repair project
There was a clear threshold for me in my development as a DIY repairer.
Before that, it was the handling of tools and basic techniques that had to be learned. It was often hard and frustrating because many things didn't work out. Here you have to stick with it and keep going. And suddenly you reach this threshold and your plans succeed. From then on, the journey becomes enjoyable.
If DIY works so well, should you try to make money out of it?
For me, that's a clear no. My higher goal is to make my experiences public and thus contribute to ensuring that these wonderful photo devices can continue to exist in the future.
And point six - probably the most important, otherwise points 1 to 5 would not exist:
I have never had so much fun
www.photrio.com
The number of successes is greater than the failures in the projects, I would say the ratio is 4:1. I write failures off as „learning/experience“ as far as I can.
I have been working with the well-known major brands of the Japanese photographic equipment industry, with a focus on electronically controlled cameras and manually focused lenses.
Milestone Canon A System
A large part of my journey through the past camera world of Japan will be the Canon A system, starting with the Canon AE-1, the first microprocessor-controlled SLR. There are excellent technical documentation and repair instructions available.
The Canon A system is probably the one with the greatest chance of success for DIY, as there is a chance to understand the mechanics and electronics of the corresponding cameras. These can be disassembled and reassembled with manageable effort compared to later SLRs.
Was it worth it?
What are my most important experiences as a DIY repairer and author, was the work worth it for me?
I'll try to summarize in five points:
DIY gives me a lot of freedom as a user and collector.
The chance to fix problems myself, and with a high success rate, makes me independent of repair shops.
I formulate what I can't do myself as a requirement and can then select repair shops specifically because I am knowledgeable. Because I can do most things myself, I save money.
I can identify and sort out repairs or adjustments that are no longer possible because only the manufacturer or its service centers could do them, or repairs that are too complex.
Working with photo equipment technology has opened up another dimension for me in addition to using and collecting.
Cameras are even more impressive and exciting under the hood. The ingenuity and beauty of technical solutions are fascinating. It becomes clear how much creativity and engineering work goes into these devices. Incredible things have been achieved in Japan in terms of optics, mechanics and electronics.
Writing about repair projects deepens what I have learned, and it is often the first time that connections become clear to me, which of course photos contribute to.
Writing it in such a way that it can be read without any prior knowledge forces you to think through all the processes consistently. Even when you are working on the device. That promotes a lot of discipline which benefits the success of the repair project
There was a clear threshold for me in my development as a DIY repairer.
Before that, it was the handling of tools and basic techniques that had to be learned. It was often hard and frustrating because many things didn't work out. Here you have to stick with it and keep going. And suddenly you reach this threshold and your plans succeed. From then on, the journey becomes enjoyable.
If DIY works so well, should you try to make money out of it?
For me, that's a clear no. My higher goal is to make my experiences public and thus contribute to ensuring that these wonderful photo devices can continue to exist in the future.
And point six - probably the most important, otherwise points 1 to 5 would not exist:
I have never had so much fun
Photo equipment from the 1980s: Repair projects and recommendations
I would like to bring together a selection of my previous contributions here in the hope that they will help readers with their work or inspire them to get involved in repairs. It is always worth trying to repair something, because if you do nothing, a camera or lens will definitely remain...
www.photrio.com
Last edited:
