most frequent camera repair

[laptoprob]

Inspired by another thread I realised what are the most frequent repairs our beloved cameras need?
Thinking mostly of technical repairs. Not reskinning, painting etcetera.

My M2 jammed recently because of a torn shutter. Torn off of the metal edge. This probably means curtain replacement.

[Steve Bellayr]

Foam deterioration is no. 1 for me with meters being second.

[kully]

Foam for me too. Not limited to old cameras either, had it go in my < 8 month old R2a.

[haagen_dazs]

frame patches misalignment

[PeterW]

Most of my leaf shutter RFs have needed a shutter CLA to get the slow speeds anywhere near accurate. So far, most with focal plane shutters have always worked OK. I have had foam seal problems but only, it seems, with Japanesae compact RFs. The foam on these often turns to sticky goo.

PeterW

[laptoprob]

So the - now - relatively big portion of shutter repair or adjust is mainly because of leaf shutters?
And foam is in the last category.

[nikon_sam]

I only have RF's with Leaf Shutters and all of them at one time needed to be cleaned (oily)...I learned with the first one how to do this and just did all the rest when I got them and when they needed it done...Image focus alignment and seals would be second...

[Wayne R. Scott]

Cleaning of leaf shutters is by far my most common repair. It is not limited to rangefinder cameras, also included are tlr's and large format leaf shutters.

Second most common repair would be foam replacement.

Third would be focal shutter speed adjustment.

This is just from my limited experience in having cameras repaired.


Wayne

[Bryce]

My repairman knows me by name, but that's just because he's good that way.
Seriously, my repair list in the last 5 years or so goes like this-

New foam- 2 very old Pentax slr's and my Mamiya c330 needed it. I did two myself, had the other done professionally.

Shutter repairs- Only one. Mamiya TLR lens was getting a little slow, repaired professionally.

Rangefinders- Mechanism became sticky in Fuji GS645s, repaired professionally.

Winding mechanism- Bessa L. Should have gone to the shop, but a new one only cost $99 at the time. I ruined it before finding a screw had come loose...

FP shutter, holes burned in- FED 2, liquid electrical tape failed to do the job. Lost interest.

[john neal]

Foam, possibly followed by Yashica G series Pad of Death replacement

[pvdhaar]

My Bessa-T had its shutter and advance mechanism broken, all in one go. The Bessa-T seems to be paricularly sensitive in this department given the number of times threads about it have popped up..

My Leica M4 is plagued by bits falling and breaking off.. nothing that I couldn't handle, though I've had to kitbash a lens release catch from scrap metal..

[mike goldberg]

I have two Fed-2's with moderately smooth film advance. Shutters fire with a definitive "thwack." Further, I wonder about accuracy of top speed of 1/500? Thus, shutter adjust gets my vote. Bessa R & M2 are, thankfully, OK.
mike

[oftheherd]

In my case of cameras bought new or that worked when I acquired them it would be foam replacement first. I think I've only had one shutter go bad; my 65mm for my Super Press 23. That will require a professional repair. I took a look and it is beyond me.

[FallisPhoto]

Light seals and dirty shutters (usually dried lubricant) hands down. One kind of goes with the other.

[maumau]

Hello! i stumbled upon this site because i currently have an open-case olympus cheap camera, but i want to know if there is somewhere on the web a photo manual as how/where to apply some silicone lubricant so the shutter runs smoothly again.

thank you!

[The Fondler]

For me it is replacing the leather.

[Mael]

As a camera repair, the main reason customers send me their RF cameras is for shutter curtains replacement, especially Leica screw mount, Canon RF and Zorki/Fed stuff.

[Dean C Williams]

Having done about a dozen curtain replacements on Canon rangefinders over the last year, along with a few for Exaktas, Leica, etc., that would be near the top of the list in my little shop. Leaf shutter cleaning takes the #1 spot, though. RF adjustment and cleaning runs around 3rd place. I don't really think of foam replacement as a repair. Just a messy job.

[Photon42]

Shutter problem on a F2. It released sometimes when I advanced the film. Was fixed but unfortunately shows now up again. Need to talk to the repairman.

LCD bleed on F4. Don't care yet.

Refoaming and adjustment on both of my F2 cameras by the time I bought them.

FM2 now works for 25 years almost. Looks really used but does not want to show any problem yet.

[DrLeoB]

Most of what I have seen in the last 2 years has been damage caused by film fragments or other foreign objects in the curtain path or mechanism.

There is also a fair number of knitting/crochet needle induced failures....:)

[JohnTF]

Usual CLA and RF mirrors on older Leicas, and I had three Nikon shutter failures, in one a leaf actually became detached and flopped around, two new SLR bodies, one fast the other slow. You can guess which got the slides and which got the C41.

Film chips in the shutter, a Canon needed a factory clean out.

Kievs, just keep the repair shop on speed dial, shutter and film advance, same for Pentacons.

Contax G2, manual focus did not function, and could not change the film speed back to DX. Factory took care of it.

And, Feds, several with holes in the shutters, I read someplace about a kind of paint you could dab on the holes, never found it.

Had a beautiful 28mm M mount Minolta, fungus looked like measles, I had bought it new.

Lots of old fixed lens RF's with sticky and slow shutters.

Murphy lives in my house.

That said, the Leica under my name was just tested and everyone seems to work.

[ZeissFan]

Replacement of foam applies almost entirely to Japanese cameras. It's very uncommon to find light-seal foam in a German camera.

Not to bash the Japanese, but they took shortcuts -- and continue to take shortcuts -- in designing the film backs. A proper design requires no foam and still blocks light.

I've had to replace the foam in every one of my Japanese cameras, no matter how inexpensive or costly the camera is. The foam in the small Konica 35 often has been the worst, turning into a mushy goo.

Other foam has dried and crumbled and made its way into the viewfinder.

Regarding leaf shutters, all of them (Japanese, German and American) have needed to be serviced.

Rangefinder adjustment is very common, and that generally is accompanied by a routine CLA that includes cleaning the viewing system. As always, watch out for the semi-gilded mirror.

Of my cameras, the Agfas have nearly always exhibited two problems, and most people here know what those are: Stuck helicals and pinholes in the plastic bellows. Agfa's choice of these materials leaves much to be desired.

I've been using a small Crayola fabric marker to fill pinholes in shutters. It works great, because the shutters are still pliable, and the holes are filled.

[newspaperguy]

Occupational hazard? My gear spends too much time banging around on the floor of my old truck. Loose screws are my most frequent repairs.

Only serious repairs - complete shutter replacement Canon 7, ditto Bessa R.

[micromontenegro]

I've spent many hours CPR-ing old selenium meters. Lotsa fun

[rxmd]

Foam for me too. Not limited to old cameras either, had it go in my < 8 month old R2a.
I'm surprised that there is a foam light seal in the R2a! I don't think there was one in my R - I'd assume that the Japanese should have the art of making light traps figured out by now...

Philipp

[JohnTF]

I've been using a small Crayola fabric marker to fill pinholes in shutters. It works great, because the shutters are still pliable, and the holes are filled.[/quote]


Sounds like the answer to my Fed/Zorki litany of "holy" shutters, though I am not familiar wit Crayola fabric markers, would one find them at an office supply?

Regards, John

[LADP]

The 1st M3 I bought needed a CLA overall, but it definitely had shutter speed problems. Don @ DAG made it as good as new.

I just received a new (to me) M3, that looks to need rangefinder focus patch adjustment. The images are not aligned vertically. I suspect the shutter speeds could use some adjusting too. Also, the rewind isn't as buttery smooth as the one that Don did the CLA on, so I imagine that will improve too. I've sent an email out to Don to see if he can take on my CLA at the moment.

[Vince Lupo]

Most of my recent camera repairs pertain to pre-war Contax shutters. I just went through having my Contaflex TLR overhauled (new shutter straps, general going over, etc) and the camera had to be re-repaired because of capping at higher speeds (it works great now!). My Contax I shutter needed work, and my Contax II needed shutter work as well. Maybe I'm expecting more from these cameras than I should.....?

Other common repairs concern slow shutter speeds on LTM Leicas and rangefinder adjustment.

[jerkmam]

how do yoy repair a bessa r4a .shetter.it is 1 year old ,2 repair on shrtter,1 on rangerfinder , leica 15 year old 2 rangerfinder calibration. R4A IS AGOOD CAMERA ,WHIN IT WARK S PS NAT GOOD IN EMAL

[FallisPhoto]

Sounds like the answer to my Fed/Zorki litany of "holy" shutters, though I am not familiar wit Crayola fabric markers, would one find them at an office supply?

Regards, John[/quote]

Go to an art supply store and get a small tube of lampblack (or you can go to the watercolors section and get black "guache"). Take it home, mix a teaspoonfull with a few drops of white glue and add one drop of liquid soap. Be sure to mix it thoroughly. Apply a tiny amount to the pinholed curtain and let it sit and dry for about a week. This is the traditional, old fashioned, tried and tested way of patching pinholed curtains.

[FallisPhoto]

And, Feds, several with holes in the shutters, I read someplace about a kind of paint you could dab on the holes, never found it.

Probably fabric paint (the stuff used on T-shirts). You find it at art supply stores. Traditionally, pinholed shutters have been repaired with a mix of lampblack (from the same art supply store), a few drops of white glue and a single drop of liquid dish soap (to keep it pliable).

[marcr1230]

I officially hate my local camera repair man - I have now repaired the same camera 3 times for the same problem for the past year. It's never really been right. I just don't use it often enough to test the repair quickly. I'm now down $400 and have a jammed transport. I had picked it up last Friday, took it out today Tuesday, and wound it 4-5 times and it jammed. so now I get to go back, futilely ask for my money back, or have the same Bozo's try again to fix it.
Hate, Hate, Hate them! The camera is probably only worth $500 if working

[David Murphy]

Of course it depends on the camera. If it's a 70's vintage SLR, it's probably light seals, and maybe the meter. If it's a Leica IIIc, a Leotax, or a Minolta 35, it's probably shutter curtains. If it's a Canon 7, VT, VI-L (etc.), the shutter mechanism probably needs servicing (for capping and the like - the rangefinder can be user-adjusted in many cases). If it's an Exakta VX (and the like), I can almost guarantee you the shutter mechanism and/or curtains need service. And so on and so forth!

[jonmanjiro]

I officially hate my local camera repair man - I have now repaired the same camera 3 times for the same problem for the past year. It's never really been right. I just don't use it often enough to test the repair quickly. I'm now down $400 and have a jammed transport. I had picked it up last Friday, took it out today Tuesday, and wound it 4-5 times and it jammed. so now I get to go back, futilely ask for my money back, or have the same Bozo's try again to fix it.
Hate, Hate, Hate them! The camera is probably only worth $500 if working


Sounds like a repairman to avoid! Is this the same guy who said he's worked on a few reissue Nikon RFs?

[Bill58]

I don't consider foam re-sealing as as a "repair", rather routine maintenance since no designer ever considered this to be a lifetime item.

My most frequent repairs have been coupled CDS meter repairs to my RFs and electronic shutter release repairs to my 2 problem-prone XAs. Every time I take my XAs out, I take a deep breath hoping NO failures.

[marcr1230]

yes - one and the same! aargh!

Sounds like a repairman to avoid! Is this the same guy who said he's worked on a few reissue Nikon RFs?

[ampguy]

Not sure about cameras in general, but for M Leica's, it is the rewind mechanism, according to a couple of techs I've talked to.

[Clovis]

I'm surprised that there is a foam light seal in the R2a! I don't think there was one in my R - I'd assume that the Japanese should have the art of making light traps figured out by now...
l
Philipp

I think the only foam light seal on an R2A is behind the metal hinge and for the film window. I don't think it would be possible to have a film window without using foam seals.

[ZeissFan]

Depends on the camera. With leaf shutter cameras, it's usually the shutter. With Nikon rangefinders, you should inspect the shutter curtains for holes. With many rangefinders, you need to check the rangefinder.

With the Zeiss Ikon Contax II or IIa, it usually requires a total overhaul. With the Contax I and II, it usually means replacing the shutter straps.

With the Leica LTM, check the condition of the shutter curtains, the slow-speed escapement (if it has one) and the rangefinder.

These are the ones that I am thinking of at this moment.

[Roger Hicks]

Overall, worn out strap lugs (Leica M + Nikon F). But then, I carry my cameras a long way and use them a lot.

Cheers,

R.

[The Dark]

My Hasselblad 500CM shutter malfunctioned recently and to make things worse, I have to drive 300km to get it repaired by the ONLY person able to repair Hassies in my country.
Going to be very, very careful next time:(

[Bobbo]

For my own stuff, foam. For a "real" repair shop, impact damage (mostly from from drunk people dropping their cameras down a flight of stairs/out the car window/into the bar's toilet).

[Vics]

You asked for "most frequent" I voted for transport, because my most frequent has been the film transport on my Rollei MX. Even Harry has his hands full keeping that wonderful camera running (knocking on wood here)!

[ColSebastianMoran]

For me:

Yashica RFs: POD on all the Electros.

All Japanese cameras: foam light seals decaying over time.

In general: things coming loose. Loose front element in a 135mm f/2.8, for example.

Leaf shutters and irises: slow, sticky, or a blade getting lost or out of position.

Stupid things I've done: dropped camera is #1. Left batteries to corrode has happened.

But, on the whole, my SLR and MF cameras have been remarkably trouble free. With a car, I'm seeing the shop more than once a year. With computers, maybe once a year. With my cameras, I'm seeing the shop maybe once a decade.

[Moriturii]

Shutter. Leica's shutters hold up to general standards for a long time but with very loose tolerances (1/5 shutter accuracy at best, 1/3 accuracy at high speeds, that means your exposure might be a third off). Prone to dragging, bouncing, burning holes in shutter etc. It's a dinosaur.

[KoNickon]

Definitely cleaning leaf shutters. And I need to learn how to do this, but they are intimidating. I hit my knees and offer thanks to the rangefinder gods when the camera in question provides access to adjust the RF without removing the top cover.

[sepiareverb]

Overall, worn out strap lugs

and associated impact damage?? :rolleyes:


I've had more shutter repairs than anything- an F4 and an FE2 years ago and more recently a CL, an M7 and a G2. I've had two meters need help an M7 (a stop off) and an MP with some electrical problem. Had to get a repair on a Copal 3 once too.

I have a Mamiya TL1000 that my father used forever taking all our family snaps. I remember him getting it new in Puerto Rico in 1967 or 8. It's well brassed and has a few dents now. I've been using it for the last few years as a demo camera in my Photo 1 classes. It needs shutter work but my regular SLR guy won't touch these anymore.

[Benjamin Marks]

I haven't voted, mostly because the way the question is posed, it is hard to know what the results mean. If you have a community of folks who are using 40 year-old cameras, what does it mean that a shutter needs a tune up?

For example, in general, all of my cameras are reliable. I have a shutter tester that lets me measure the accuracy and repeatability of most of the shutters in most of the cameras I own (the LTM Leicas being the the big exceptions). More useful information would be something like the mean time between failures of your cameras. With Leica M's it seems to run in decades (two shutter replacements and one circuit board out of 8 M's over 20 years, 6 of which I still own). With Nikons it is about the same (one shutter replacement (F4) between 1991 and 2010 out of 7 cameras, all but one of which I still own). One Rolleiflex with a jammed film transport out of 2 cameras owned for 15 years. One jammed Hassleblad lens out of three bodies and five lenses over 25 years. Oh and a Hassie wide with a slow 1 sec shutter. Cameras that have never broken: Two Pentax K1000s over five years; one Pentax LX over three years (although the rewind crank fell off once and got lost); Pentax 67: one body four lenses over 25 years, numerous LF cameras and lenses over 20 years (although I did have a sticky Linhoff/Compur shutter that was 35 years old cleaned) and a Wisner 5x7 that arrived new from Ron Wisner all fouled up; 6x7, 6x4.5 Fuji rangefinders, Olympus Pen, etc. etc. You see where I am going with this? Without plotting the failures on a time axis, or knowing how many cameras the responder has, what does it mean that foam seals are the most common complaint? If I own only 1 camera and the only thing that goes wrong with it in 40 years is that the foam seals need replacing once, it hardly means that the camera is unreliable or that the foam was defective. Similarly, if you have more cameras than sense (as I do) and you aren't using the gear enough to stress it, a lack of repairs doesn't necessarily mean that the gear is reliable, it just means that you aren't getting anywhere near the equipment's failure rate (and aren't likely to).

Ben Marks

[Shutterspark]

For me it would be rangefinder calibration, but I tend to do that myself.

Aside from physically damaged cameras, I've only ever sent off for shutter curtain replacement and the odd cleaning.