Do you destroy the village to save it?? - modifications

[Andreas Thaler]

Why shouldn't I modify a camera, maybe even improve it, even if only for my own needs?

These are not one-offs, but rather examples from industrial series production, so no damage is caused by this. Whether the manufacturer agrees to this if I intend to sell these commercially is another question.

Photographers who work with a camera every day sometimes cover up LCDs that are not needed, fix or remove switches so that they are not accidentally activated, engrave their name on the base plate or scratch the company logo off the viewfinder.

These are all modifications, as is re-covering a camera with pink imitation leather.

 

[r_a_feldman]

There are users and there are collectors. To a collector, a camera might have less value if it does not have the original box and manuals, even if the camera is in pristine condition.

I’m a user. I have a used Olympus Pen FT that has the previous owner’s name and social security number engraved in the top and bottom plates and has a small dent in the top corner. I bought it to use it, and the price was good. After a number of years, the meter began to be erratic (the semi-silvered mirror was loosing its silvering), so I removed the meter and put in a full-silvered mirror (and also removed the self timer, as the lever was snagging on my clothes). For me, it now works better than the original. I still have the parts that I removed, so I could restore it, but I doubt that I ever will.