Camera Rescue: New jobs for camera repair technicians

[Henning Serger]

Hello film friends,

for several years now the "Camera Rescue" team in Finland is searching for unused film cameras, checking them, repairing them if needed and selling them to new owners worldwide for a new life in usage. They have built up their Camera Rescue Center in Tampere as a new film photography "hot spot" including lab, show rooms, educational rooms, camera and film store and - as the important "heart" of the center - a very modern and excellent equipped repair facility with several very experienced repair technicians and camera makers. One of their activities has also been education of young repair technicians.
They have been very successful so far with their activities and want to further expand them especially concerning increased camera repair capacities.
So we have the very positive news from the Camera Rescue team that they want to hire several new camera repair technicians. But they also offer a trainee programme and traineeships/internships for camera enthusiasts who want to learn. Spreading the camera repair knowledge is also one of Camera Rescue's main intentions.

Please have a look here at all the detailed information:
https://camerarescue.org/work2020/

The Camera Rescue team has fortunately a very strong focus in education and training of new, young(er) camera repair specialist. Their team currently consists of older, very experienced camera repair specialists, and younger ones educated in-house by their older experts in the last years. And they want to further increase their educational activities.
They have also done their first steps in producing new spare parts. They also want to go ahead in that field, too.

Fortunately they are also not alone with their projects and giving the knowledge to new, young repair enthusiasts. I know of young camera repair technicians in Germany. And e.g. in the US Rolleiflex repair expert Harry Fleenor https://www.rolleirepairs.com/ is transferring his know-how also to his son, so that the 'family-business' can be continued.
An example from the UK is Pierro Pozella
https://www.ppprepairs.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/ppp_repairs/
Only 23 years old, but already with almost a decade of experience in camera repairs. He has lots of knowledge in electronics, too, and is doing "little wonders" in repairing electronic cameras (he is permanently demonstrating that lots of electronic failures can be repaired).

The film revival is getting stronger. Step-by-step. All real film manufacturers have clearly said they are committed to film and lots of new investments are currently done. There are much more than 100 million currently properly working film cameras around, and dozens of millions which are currently out-of-order, but can be repaired.
Therefore the film camera repair business has a very good future, and offers a perspective for young, skilled and interested camera enthusiasts.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[radiant]

This is in my town. Feel free to ask me anything related to Tampere as a city if you're interested. The camera rescue guys are good dudes.

 

[foc]

Thanks Henning for the update and the links.
Good news is always a pleasure to hear.

 

[Henning Serger]

The camera rescue guys are good dudes.

They are indeed. I met some of them personally, really nice guys.
And they are working extremely hard for their projects. And are completely committed to film.
I hope they will be inspiration and motivation for other film and film camera enthusiasts on other continents, who could follow this route and start similar businesses on their continents.
We already see that the idea of a "grassroots movement for film" is very strong and working: New small labs have opened all over the world promoting film use not only in direct personal contact, but also via social media.
Film photography cafés have openend, working in a similar way. Same for new used film camera shops. Almost all of these new small film companies have been founded by young(er) film enthusiasts, which were inspired and motivated by others who have started just a bit before them.
Some years ago I have said (and worked for it in several projects) here on photrio and other film photographer places that such a grassroots movement is exactly what we need, and what can and will power the film resurgence.
And now it has become reality. Very good to see that .

Best regards,
Henning

 

[Henning Serger]

Thanks Henning for the update and the links.
Good news is always a pleasure to hear.

Felim, you are welcome.
Or as we say here: "Keine Ursache, gern geschehen."
People like you - working very hard with their labs and promoting film use on a daily basis - are the backbone of the film revival.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[Europan]

Here’s a young camera tech, only 58 years!

 

[BSP]

Thank you @Henning Serger for bringing this to my attention. I had never heard of this project and their webshsop lists a huge selection of nice stuff. I will surely check with them whenever I feel the need for more camera's and lenses.

 

[4season]

Would you say that a sense of environmentalism is a significant part of what drives them, in the sense of wanting to extend the life of things which already exist, rather than consuming so many new ones, with the carbon emissions that inevitably entails?

 

[BSP]

Would you say that a sense of environmentalism is a significant part of what drives them, in the sense of wanting to extend the life of things which already exist, rather than consuming so many new ones, with the carbon emissions that inevitably entails?

Your point certainly drives me. I almost always prefer to purchase pre-owned stuff and I will happily pay for the value added service of a reputable life-extender.

In fact I just purchased a nice Olympus XA from them. Only the shipping from Finland to The Netherlands will generate some carbon. But that will be a whole lot less than the manufactureing of a similar product in China and shipping that to me.

 

[Henning Serger]

Would you say that a sense of environmentalism is a significant part of what drives them, in the sense of wanting to extend the life of things which already exist, rather than consuming so many new ones, with the carbon emissions that inevitably entails?

That is certainly also a motivation for them. But the main starting point of the Camera Rescue Project was to keep cameras working for the next photographer generation(s). They are not only enthusiast film photographers, but most of them also young fathers. And to make it possible that their children, when they have grown up, also will have the possibility and freedom of choice to use film if they want to, was and is a major intention for them.
All very good reasons in my opinion.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[Henning Serger]

Thank you @Henning Serger for bringing this to my attention. I had never heard of this project and their webshsop lists a huge selection of nice stuff. I will surely check with them whenever I feel the need for more camera's and lenses.

You're welcome.
Yes, their store has a huge amount of offers. And very reasonable prices. And the gear is all checked.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[radiant]

Would you say that a sense of environmentalism is a significant part of what drives them, in the sense of wanting to extend the life of things which already exist, rather than consuming so many new ones, with the carbon emissions that inevitably entails?

Primary driver is probably business. However all the guys are (as Henning told) camera geeks to the bone and the whole business started when two of the guys just traded old cameras on ebay. So I would say they do it for the money and while looking at their premises they are doing pretty well

Yes, their store has a huge amount of offers. And very reasonable prices. And the gear is all checked.

Best part is that you get good and checked stuff from them but I think that prices have gone thru the roof already. The prices have risen in general of course - but checked cameras have their price increased with the same percentage of total price.

 

[BSP]

Best part is that you get good and checked stuff from them but I think that prices have gone thru the roof already. The prices have risen in general of course - but checked cameras have their price increased with the same percentage of total price.

Such is life and luckily I am not dependent on my analog camera's for my livelyhood (only for my sanity ).
I have no problem at all paying a fair price for decent camera gear but I do hope they don't up-market themselves too harshly falling into the trap of growing too fast for quick cash.

I have just ordered a Olympus XA from them for about 25% more than I would pay over here for an unchecked specimen without any waranty. Not too bad, I woudl say.

 

[BSP]

Received my Olymups XA today already from the Kamerastore and in very nice condiiton indeed.
I loaded it with some Rollei RPX400 to push to 800 for some loose style street shooting over the coming days.
I can already see and feel why the reviews of this little marvel of a camera are so positive. I just hope the results are in accordance with my first impression.