Parts for old film cameras?

FoidPoosening · Jul 12, 2014

Hey everyone!

I have a question about the parts industry in film photography. When a camera technician or a do it yourself hobbyist wants to repair on old film camera, where do they typically get the parts for said repair?

I'd assume it's easier to get parts for older models if the company (Rollei for example) is still in business, but I can't seem to find anything significant on the web.

What then for an older film camera who's manufacturer is no longer in business? Does a technician buy an entire second broken camera and use it for donor parts? Or is there another way?

I ask because I'm curious, but also because I came into a broken rollei B35 and after being told it would be more expensive to repair it than to buy a working one (sidenote: does this expense problem cut out the market for used parts then? )--I took it apart for fun to learn more about it.

Best regards,

Dan

cmacd123 · Jul 12, 2014

The techs will not give away their sources, but places like "Microtools" will sometimes have parts.

The makers are all over the map as far as parts go, with some closing the door after 3-5 years, and others keeping parts until they run out. the fact that folks do buy cameras for parts is proven by compairing the e-bay results for working and broken cameras, sometimes particularly for Digital cameras the broken ones sell for all most as much as working ones.

Many parts for real old cameras can be fabricated with a lathe and milling machine. And the depths of Chinese industry will also make reproduction parts for some items.

The cost of labour does mean that some cameras can be replaced with working ones for about the cost to repair the old one. one shop I sometimes have used charges about 80 bucks to go over a camera. A lot of nice working cameras go on e-bay for less than 80 bucks.

FoidPoosening · Jul 12, 2014

cmacd123 said:
The techs will not give away their sources, but places like "Microtools" will sometimes have parts.

The makers are all over the map as far as parts go, with some closing the door after 3-5 years, and others keeping parts until they run out. the fact that folks do buy cameras for parts is proven by compairing the e-bay results for working and broken cameras, sometimes particularly for Digital cameras the broken ones sell for all most as much as working ones.

Many parts for real old cameras can be fabricated with a lathe and milling machine. And the depths of Chinese industry will also make reproduction parts for some items.

The cost of labour does mean that some cameras can be replaced with working ones for about the cost to repair the old one. one shop I sometimes have used charges about 80 bucks to go over a camera. A lot of nice working cameras go on e-bay for less than 80 bucks.

That's really good to know! Thanks for the answer . I'd love it others could chime in, but in the meantime...

Cmacd, does that mean then that there is no peer to peer market for used camera parts on this site or anywhere else besides occasional listings on ebay and between these techs that may or may not divulge sources? :/

Say for example if all I needed was XYZ part (shutter lever, screw set, backing, etc) where would I start to look to get it?

snapguy · Jul 12, 2014

idea

There seems to be an idea in a lot of folks' heads that parts for old cameras are worth a fortune. So I would not expect to get parts for an olde film camera for peanuts. I have been scrounging around for parts for a Crown Graphic I found with several parts missing, and other cameras, too. I have most of the parts for the Crown but I had to do a lot of looking on the Internet, camera stores that still have film and darkroom items, thrift shops and so on.
You can find parts for a 1967 Volkswagen Bug but try to find parts for a 1961 Simca Versailles. I had a Simca V., which was a model of an English Ford made in France after the French bought a Ford factory in that country. It is the same with cameras. But Bug part prices are cheaper, you might say, than well known brands of cameras, in my experience.

summicron1 · Jul 12, 2014

Good repair shops typically have a large boneyard to dig for parts on cameras that no longer have new old stock parts available. Essex in New Jersey did, and its lost in the hurricane a few years back was a huge blow to the industry as a whole.

Kawaiithulhu · Jul 12, 2014

Most common thing I've seen is entire, non-functioning cameras sold "as is" for parts. There's no business upside to time spent in dismembering and cataloging obscure camera parts individually versus cannibalizing parts one at a time as they're needed by a tech for repairs.

FoidPoosening · Jul 12, 2014

Kawaiithulhu said:
Most common thing I've seen is entire, non-functioning cameras sold "as is" for parts. There's no business upside to time spent in dismembering and cataloging obscure camera parts individually versus cannibalizing parts one at a time as they're needed by a tech for repairs.

I completely agree. Many camera internals (especially on older mechanical ones) can be more complicated than some watch movements with different linkages and all. However, would maybe lots of misc parts for certain areas of certain models (IE say Praktica LLC externals, internals) or something that broad across different brands, periods or models be a bit more viable?

It's really sad to hear about the wealth of parts at Essex camera being lost though. I live in NJ, and some areas are definitely still struggling to recover.

I say this coming from a both a digital and analog photography enthusiast's perspective, but also from a business perspective too. Something similar was the case for the paintball industry around the time of the 08-09 recession, but there was a small peer to peer market for parts on a forum and the industry has not been around as long. Now there are a few dedicated websites (two + ebay + forums) for filling that need.

Could something like that happen within the analog photography and/or digital photography industry? Any and all input towards this questions and more input towards my original question would be awesome!

Thanks guys

ic-racer · Jul 12, 2014

eBay. For example a while back a seller had many Yashica fx3 repair parts like mirror box, new top, meter Pc board, etc.

Truzi · Jul 13, 2014

I was given my Grandfather's Sears KS-2 35mm (re-branded Ricoh XR-7). Through ebay and garage sales/flea markets, I have at least 18 compatible cameras I keep for parts. They were sold "as-is" and "not working," though many of them are fine after putting in a fresh battery, or merely need to be re-sealed. It's easy to find serviceable parts this way, when people get rid of old cameras that have been floating around their homes for years.

A shop I'd taken the camera to for repair also had a lot of "parts" cameras for their repair work (they messed up my repair, though, which is why I now have my own stash of parts).

AgX · Jul 13, 2014

18 cameras as reserve/for parts!

And I thought I was hoarding cameras when having 3 of the same model...

cmacd123 · Jul 13, 2014

There are a couple of groups dedicated to "home" camera repair on Yahoo. some parts are exacheged there. I got a rewind knob fro a Seagull DF-300/Minolta X-300/Minolta X-370 from a gentleman in the UK using that forum.

Of course APUG also has WANTED forums.

BrianShaw · Jul 13, 2014

FoidPoosening said:
...
(1) I'd assume it's easier to get parts for older models if the company (Rollei for example) is still in business, but I can't seem to find anything significant on the web.

(2) What then for an older film camera who's manufacturer is no longer in business? Does a technician buy an entire second broken camera and use it for donor parts? Or is there another way?

(3) I ask because I'm curious, but also because I came into a broken Rollei B35 and after being told it would be more expensive to repair it than to buy a working one (sidenote: does this expense problem cut out the market for used parts then? )--I took it apart for fun to learn more about it.
...

(1) Not really. Parts for any product line is generally only available from the authorized source for so long. Appliances, for example - 3 or 5 years. Cars maybe longer but Ford cannot supply parts for the vast majority of cars they once sold. Chevy either. Part suppliers exist and parts hoarders too. They need to be sought out... often on a part-by-part basis.

Oh, and the Rollei of today really isn't the same Rollei of years ago.

(2) No. If they don't happen to have the part or a donor camera handy they will tell you that the camera is "beyond economic repair" and it might be better for you to go find a camera in better (working) condition. They may tell you that anyway because of the additional expense associated with harvesting the parts from the donor camera. Most people aren't willing to pay the real price of restoration.

(3) It really depends on what is wrong. What's wrong with it other than the fact that it has been disassembled already.

FoidPoosening · Jul 13, 2014

BrianShaw said:
(1) Not really. Parts for any product line is generally only available from the authorized source for so long. Appliances, for example - 3 or 5 years. Cars maybe longer but Ford cannot supply parts for the vast majority of cars they once sold. Chevy either. Part suppliers exist and parts hoarders too. They need to be sought out... often on a part-by-part basis.

Oh, and the Rollei of today really isn't the same Rollei of years ago.

(2) No. If they don't happen to have the part or a donor camera handy they will tell you that the camera is "beyond economic repair" and it might be better for you to go find a camera in better (working) condition. They may tell you that anyway because of the additional expense associated with harvesting the parts from the donor camera. Most people aren't willing to pay the real price of restoration.

(3) It really depends on what is wrong. What's wrong with it other than the fact that it has been disassembled already.

For three, the fact that I don't know how to put it back together properly and that the lens was jammed beyond use .

Thanks for the input though! So I guess a followup question to your answer to number two would be... would having some sort of service that supplies older specific parts or even specific lots of parts for older cameras decrease the number of "beyond economic repair" jobs? To me it sounds like it could, and more working cameras is always better.

BrianShaw · Jul 13, 2014

I know what you mean. I'd be lying to you if I said I have never done the same thing! An old low-value camera of mine ended up with a jammed shutter. I learned a lot by tearing it apart. I knew that there was no way that one would ever work again. But I learned a lot.

Regarding a parts supply service: I'm sure a lot of folks would love the person who did such a thing, but I can't imagine ever making enough money to call it a decent living... and surely not enough to raise a family.

Even with a bunch of broken cameras out there plenty still exist in usable condition by folks like us!

FoidPoosening · Jul 13, 2014

BrianShaw said:
I know what you mean. I'd be lying to you if I said I have never done the same thing! An old low-value camera of mine ended up with a jammed shutter. I learned a lot by tearing it apart. I knew that there was no way that one would ever work again. But I learned a lot.

Regarding a parts supply service: I'm sure a lot of folks would love the person who did such a thing, but I can't imagine ever making enough money to call it a decent living... and surely not enough to raise a family.

Even with a bunch of broken cameras out there plenty still exist in usable condition by folks like us!

That last sentence makes me smile.

And oh no I wasn't talking about a full time position or anything, but maybe something small scale, or something merely to see if there was an area in the market that would help me recoup costs if I should ever decide to pick up an older camera again and take it apart for fun.

Zedwardson · Jul 13, 2014

Really ebay does this with some ability in the sense that camera's are sold all the time for parts. however right now there is outside of some collectible cameras there is so many working cameras that it hard to justify repairing a lot of them unless you your hobby is to buy dozens of broken cameras and fix them up. Though i guess if someone was crafty they could use cameras as donors for homemade cameras.

Most pre 1980 camera's might be worth more if not working as decor then parts.

Truzi · Jul 13, 2014

In my case, my grandfather's camera, though unremarkable, has sentimental value. I want to be able to keep it working.

FoidPoosening · Jul 14, 2014

Truzi said:
In my case, my grandfather's camera, though unremarkable, has sentimental value. I want to be able to keep it working.

I completely agree. My Pop Pop's Canon AE1 Program is a fantastic camera, but isn't exactly something hard to find if you know what I mean . I will keep it running indefinitely too.

Xmas · Jul 14, 2014

It should be easy to dismantle a camera yourself or a lens.

Fixing can be simple normally SLR needs a drip of file oil.

A worn or broken part buy another camera keep the current one for parts. But the replacement probably worn in same way.

Some camera parts are generic across several types over along run some were varied for fault or reliability.

I get given Ziploc bags of bits...

Truzi · Jul 14, 2014

Foid, you can also search ebay and other sites for factory repair manuals. These can help greatly, and can be had rather cheaply.

AgX · Jul 14, 2014

Xmas, what does "file oil" mean?

BrianShaw · Jul 14, 2014

AgX said:
Xmas, what does "file oil" mean?

Translation from TypoBritishEnglish: fine oil.

John_Nikon_F · Jul 14, 2014

Keep your eyes peeled on the kehoutlet eBay store. Sometimes they list lots of cameras that they auction off for parts. Each lot may contain up to 10 cameras. Frequently, in my experience, 9 out of those 10 will be functional, but needing foam, etc. So, I combine the parts to make a few nice bodies, and part out the remainder.

Some cameras are no longer economical to repair, like Nikkormats. Great cameras, but, when you can get a good working body for $40, why bother fixing the one you have? I'm getting to the point where I will only buy one that's in good working order, but that might need some cosmetic attention. If it needs meter repair, other than new cells, I'll pass. It's more expensive to fix the camera than to buy one that works.

-J

Zedwardson · Jul 15, 2014

Yes, if you have a camera that is of sentemental value, the best thing you can do to make sure it will work in the future is to buy donor part cameras. Even if you go to a repair shop and you can source the parts you will be more likely to get it fixed.

Terrence Brennan · Jul 17, 2014

I have two junked Nikon Fs for parts for the four that are functional. In fact, when one of my usable cameras went down for the count, it was decided to use it for parts to bring one of the junked cameras back to life!

Parts for old film cameras?

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