I tried to search this topic, but there is no information I found useful. I'm moving to New York City in a couple months and I'm wondering if there's such a thing as a camera repair internship specifically for camera repairs? I'm pretty young (26), but feel like I'll be using film cameras as long as there is film. I'm pretty handy and tend to take on a DIY ethic. I've always been interested in learning how to CLA and repair film cameras. I know lots of the technicians who repair cameras are "aging out" so to speak. So, who is going to carry on repairing these things? I personally would be interested in learning the craft and also offering my labour in the process if this was possible. If anyone has any information on where to start or who to talk to about this type of thing, I would appreciate it.
Camera repair internship opportunities?
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- Thread starter jordanstarr
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A lot of technicians were trained by the major camera makers,maybe they still have programs but more focused toward the digi market.Try latching on to one of the older tech. guys.
Mike
Mike
Thanks Mike....maybe I'd just have to go around the city and find a reputable technician and ask him/her about this type of opportunity.
Anyone else have any ideas?
Anyone else have any ideas?
Send a letter to every camera maker asking about employment in their technical and repair departments. Follow up with a phone call if they do not respond.
Most camera manufacturers no longer repair analog cameras. Everything is electric.(digi) If you're lucky maybe one of the importers of LF might have somethingMany of the smaller shops still do older cameras but even they are forced to deal with a lot of electronics.
Since the introduction of the AE-1 cameras have been more and more dependent on moving those electrons around. Dag, Sherry Krauter, Flutot's & Paul Ebel specialize.
Since the introduction of the AE-1 cameras have been more and more dependent on moving those electrons around. Dag, Sherry Krauter, Flutot's & Paul Ebel specialize.
Andrew Horodysky
Jordan,
Here are a few places to start with:
PhotoTech
110 East 13th Street
New York, NY 10003
Tel: 212.673.8400
http://www.phototech.com/
The above shop is a few blocks from Union Square. I've taken older 35mm Canon bodies to them for maintenance and repairs, in the past, and was very pleased with the service. That was up to about 5 years ago. I don't know what they're like, today.
Lens and Repro Equipment
33 West 17th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10011
Tel: 212.675.1900
http://www.lensandrepro.com
The above is well-regarded in pro rentals, sales, and repairs. They repair traditional (analog) equipment on-site, and send digital equipment out. I've rented from them in the past. They're in the Flatiron/Photo District.
foto care
41 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10010
Tel: 212.741.2990
http://www.fotocare.com
The above place specializes in pro sales and rentals; they're also in the Flatiron/Photo District. I don't know whether they do repairs, but at least they might steer you in the right direction. I purchased from them in the past, and was satisfied with their knowledge.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Andrew
Here are a few places to start with:
PhotoTech
110 East 13th Street
New York, NY 10003
Tel: 212.673.8400
http://www.phototech.com/
The above shop is a few blocks from Union Square. I've taken older 35mm Canon bodies to them for maintenance and repairs, in the past, and was very pleased with the service. That was up to about 5 years ago. I don't know what they're like, today.
Lens and Repro Equipment
33 West 17th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10011
Tel: 212.675.1900
http://www.lensandrepro.com
The above is well-regarded in pro rentals, sales, and repairs. They repair traditional (analog) equipment on-site, and send digital equipment out. I've rented from them in the past. They're in the Flatiron/Photo District.
foto care
41 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10010
Tel: 212.741.2990
http://www.fotocare.com
The above place specializes in pro sales and rentals; they're also in the Flatiron/Photo District. I don't know whether they do repairs, but at least they might steer you in the right direction. I purchased from them in the past, and was satisfied with their knowledge.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Andrew
Last edited by a moderator:
...awesome information guys. I appreciate it. I have a few good starting points. I'll see where it takes me.
I went to a camera repair school.
JordanStarr: Interesting name, I'll talk about that latter. I went to National Camera Repair School in Denver, Co. back in 1976. I did a little repair work at a camera store and then went back home and started doing some at home. NatCam is no longer in business but their old manuals are available by the author (Larry Lyells I think is his name.) and Phil Zimmerman, as well as others. There was a course that you could take online and may still be available. I have some things to tell you to look into if you pursue this endevor. I suggest a BS in electronics. If not that, a good military training or some sort of minimum training in electronics. As was pointed out, when the Canon AE-1 came out, the whole picture changed. Before that cameras like the Nikkormats were the big cheese and they were expensive. Many of the 35mm cameras today either electronic or manual are not worth repairing. Now once you have the training, (and if you have never tried to put the diagram leaves back in place on a shutter, you have something to look forward to) then you will need to purchase test equipment. The last time I priced a shutter tester, it was something like $6000. You should also have a collimator for checking focus and other things are handy like a cleaning machine. Then you will need the manuals. Now they are usually on CD's so not as expensive as when I was doing it. It was not uncommon to get a manual for $50. Imagine buying five Nikon manuals and 5 Minolta manuals and you were talking some money. I would suggest limiting yourself to two or three cameras for that reason and others. You will notice in the magazines places advertise that they do Mamiya or Rollei repairs. Just like your car, you now take it to a GM dealer or a Toyota. The coming thing is going to be digital if you want to stay in business. At 26, you have to look at the next 30 years, and although there will be manual shutter cameras (film) if you are going to plan on eating, you will have to tackle electronic and digital cameras. The nice thing that you have going for you is the internet and such things as CD's or DVD's to teach you what you need to know and to help you through a problem. Many a time I had to spend hours trying to figure out something whereas now you can just email someone or buy a book on it. I got into repairing cameras at a bad time. So many things were changing that it was hard to keep up. When I started there was no such thing as auto focus lenses or stabilization. Even auto flashes were nearly unheard of. The biggest problem was electronics for me. Some of the top line Nikon's for example had 40 plus wires that might need to be unsoldered. Once you take down a camera for a good cleaning you have messed up all the settings for focus and such. There is a lot to disassembling a SLR and unless you can do it in an hour, you are not making a lot of money. Do try to be trained by one company such as Nikon or Pentax and then branch out from there. Good luck. Ric.
(P.S. About your name, I'm related to a David Starr Jordan, who was the president of Stanford U. in California and was a famous scientist.) Richard Jordan Trexell.
JordanStarr: Interesting name, I'll talk about that latter. I went to National Camera Repair School in Denver, Co. back in 1976. I did a little repair work at a camera store and then went back home and started doing some at home. NatCam is no longer in business but their old manuals are available by the author (Larry Lyells I think is his name.) and Phil Zimmerman, as well as others. There was a course that you could take online and may still be available. I have some things to tell you to look into if you pursue this endevor. I suggest a BS in electronics. If not that, a good military training or some sort of minimum training in electronics. As was pointed out, when the Canon AE-1 came out, the whole picture changed. Before that cameras like the Nikkormats were the big cheese and they were expensive. Many of the 35mm cameras today either electronic or manual are not worth repairing. Now once you have the training, (and if you have never tried to put the diagram leaves back in place on a shutter, you have something to look forward to) then you will need to purchase test equipment. The last time I priced a shutter tester, it was something like $6000. You should also have a collimator for checking focus and other things are handy like a cleaning machine. Then you will need the manuals. Now they are usually on CD's so not as expensive as when I was doing it. It was not uncommon to get a manual for $50. Imagine buying five Nikon manuals and 5 Minolta manuals and you were talking some money. I would suggest limiting yourself to two or three cameras for that reason and others. You will notice in the magazines places advertise that they do Mamiya or Rollei repairs. Just like your car, you now take it to a GM dealer or a Toyota. The coming thing is going to be digital if you want to stay in business. At 26, you have to look at the next 30 years, and although there will be manual shutter cameras (film) if you are going to plan on eating, you will have to tackle electronic and digital cameras. The nice thing that you have going for you is the internet and such things as CD's or DVD's to teach you what you need to know and to help you through a problem. Many a time I had to spend hours trying to figure out something whereas now you can just email someone or buy a book on it. I got into repairing cameras at a bad time. So many things were changing that it was hard to keep up. When I started there was no such thing as auto focus lenses or stabilization. Even auto flashes were nearly unheard of. The biggest problem was electronics for me. Some of the top line Nikon's for example had 40 plus wires that might need to be unsoldered. Once you take down a camera for a good cleaning you have messed up all the settings for focus and such. There is a lot to disassembling a SLR and unless you can do it in an hour, you are not making a lot of money. Do try to be trained by one company such as Nikon or Pentax and then branch out from there. Good luck. Ric.
(P.S. About your name, I'm related to a David Starr Jordan, who was the president of Stanford U. in California and was a famous scientist.) Richard Jordan Trexell.
I doubt that you need a BS in less you're aim is engineering. Practical electronics, theory, and a lot of troubleshooting is much better.
I'm with Ric though, I got into camera repair around the same time & had to deal with the transition to electric cameras & disliked it. A LOT! What he says about making a living is true, it's either high volume or you need to have some techs working for you.
If you gain some experience and specialize like some of the technicians mentioned on the forum you can do OK, Look at DAG or Flutot's. Flutot's actually stopped taking in repairs for a while so she could catch up with the backlog. Apparently DAG still has a serious backlog running two or three months.
I'm with Ric though, I got into camera repair around the same time & had to deal with the transition to electric cameras & disliked it. A LOT! What he says about making a living is true, it's either high volume or you need to have some techs working for you.
If you gain some experience and specialize like some of the technicians mentioned on the forum you can do OK, Look at DAG or Flutot's. Flutot's actually stopped taking in repairs for a while so she could catch up with the backlog. Apparently DAG still has a serious backlog running two or three months.
Let me correct myself...
In my post I said that a BS degree would be a good idea. After reading John Koehrer's statement that a BS wasn't needed, I realized I meant an Associate Degree but put down a BS. I also put in the original post that military training or equivalant would be a good idea. Ofcourse the military wouldn't give you anything equal to a BS degree. Another thing I wish I had talked about for camera repair is the problem of getting parts. Because cameras change so often, and the companies are only required to provide parts for 7 years, by the time a camera has broken down in many cases, parts are not available for it. Thus your only option is to use parts from other cameras like they do with cars. I hope this helps. Ric.
In my post I said that a BS degree would be a good idea. After reading John Koehrer's statement that a BS wasn't needed, I realized I meant an Associate Degree but put down a BS. I also put in the original post that military training or equivalant would be a good idea. Ofcourse the military wouldn't give you anything equal to a BS degree. Another thing I wish I had talked about for camera repair is the problem of getting parts. Because cameras change so often, and the companies are only required to provide parts for 7 years, by the time a camera has broken down in many cases, parts are not available for it. Thus your only option is to use parts from other cameras like they do with cars. I hope this helps. Ric.
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