The future of camera repair: Do we have a duty to pass on our knowledge?

[Andreas Thaler]

Whether it’s SLRs, medium- and large-format cameras, or lens repairs—a wealth of knowledge has been accumulated here on PHOTRIO over the years. It’s no coincidence that PHOTRIO is cited as an excellent, publicly accessible international source for questions and answers.

As far as I know, training programs for camera technicians specializing in these devices no longer exist. The only exceptions are internal manufacturer training courses or offerings from The Society of Photo-Technologists for current cameras.

Film photography is on the rise

yet most of the equipment used for it is now decades old. Professional repair shops cannot meet the demand, as evidenced by long wait times. Some devices are not accepted at all.

For all of this, we as specialists have compiled solutions over the years that have been discussed and documented.

No botched work, as is unfortunately often shown in popular „How to Repair My SLR in 5 Minutes“ videos, but rather quality work that has withstood critical expert discussions among qualified members.

I therefore wonder whether we, as a collective of specialists

do not have a duty to pass on this knowledge—specifically, in a way that makes it available to interested parties in a compact format.

I’m not thinking of a knowledge catalog or FAQs, but rather a practical format. „How do I maintain a Compur shutter?“, „How can I adjust a lens to infinity?“, „How can I preserve the antique wood of a large-format camera?“ etc.

Short, concise tutorials on various topics that actively impart knowledge and know-how.

After all, where else would one be able to learn?

Or is all of that already there, and it just needs to be brought up using the forum's search function?

What do you think?

 

[fp3]

I’m in my 30s and I find repairing / CLA’ing LF cameras relaxing and a great intellectual activity, as to me it’s a mix of micromechanic, metrology, optics and chemistry (sonicator fluids, grease/oil/paint). I’m with you that finding material and courses it’s hard sometimes (I’ve hunted Sinar Norma repair videos for days!) and it’s a pity there are so few “young” person in this hobby or, generally speaking, in this field.

 

[lumoStoria]

I think most of the information is already available somewhere on the Internet. In my opinion, the main problems are:

• How long do I need to find it?
  (The correct hit might only occur on the 8th page of search results. No search engine covers the complete Internet.)
• How can I tell trustworthy sources from sloppy/unreliable ones?
• Is the information presented in a didactic way also suitable for beginners?
  (Most official service manuals are quite comprehensive but not easy to understand by a beginner, partly because they assume certain background knowledge or experiences the beginner does not have.)

Therefore, the main question is: What is the best way to collect, structure, and present the trustworthy information so that it is easier to find and access than using a Google search?

Regarding the title of this thread "Do we have a duty to pass on our knowledge?": My personal opinion is: Definitely not! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to share his/her knowledge and experiences, particularly Andreas' contributions. However, "duty" is a too hard word and can produce an excessive pressure on the individual contributor. Everyone should have the right to decide which information he shares, how often he shares information, and how many breakes he takes in between. I don't see a personal commitment to future generations (except to not mess up the world).

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Regarding the title of this thread "Do we have a duty to pass on our knowledge?": My personal opinion is: Definitely not! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to share his/her knowledge and experiences, particularly Andreas' contributions. However, "duty" is a too hard word and can produce an excessive pressure on the individual contributor. Everyone should have the right to decide which information he shares, how often he shares information, and how many breakes he takes in between. I don't see a personal commitment to future generations (except to not mess up the world).

Of course, you can’t force or oblige anyone to contribute to this.

I see it as a moral obligation to pass on what one knows, so that it doesn’t disappear along with you when you’re no longer here or can no longer contribute.

We face this problem with the transmission of knowledge whenever we deal with masters of their craft who worked with obsolete technologies (although of course I don't count myself among them).

 

[film4Me]

It's voluntary, no one is duty bound to impart their knowledge about repairs. Personally, I'm only too happy to post about a successful repair I've done, but only if I have the time and inclination to do so. A great benefit is a file full of repair photos. Pictures can explain more than words in most cases for members struggling to repair their cameras. I have hundreds of photos for future reference if I need to do a repair more than once over time. But those photos only cover cameras in my collection, and they're very handy for seeing where springs go, etc, etc.

A pool of repair jobs in one thread would be a good idea I'm thinking. Only successful repairs of course, with no opinionated time wasters. Also guidance about correct tools to use for the repair/maintenance of old and new cameras.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I’m in my 30s and I find repairing / CLA’ing LF cameras relaxing and a great intellectual activity, as to me it’s a mix of micromechanic, metrology, optics and chemistry (sonicator fluids, grease/oil/paint). I’m with you that finding material and courses it’s hard sometimes (I’ve hunted Sinar Norma repair videos for days!) and it’s a pity there are so few “young” person in this hobby or, generally speaking, in this field.

I can only speak for electromechanical SLRs. There isn't much out there.

Garry's and ICT come to mind, as well as Fix Old Cameras, but there wasn't a systematic guide on how to approach the subject, so I decided to give it a try.

The challenge is that this category of cameras requires a basic understanding of electronics to grasp. This isn’t common knowledge and has to be learned. That’s probably why it deters many people.

Information on how to service/repair these SLRs is largely available; it’s excellently documented by Master Larry Lyells in the SPT Journal. But you have to work your way through these technical journals—they require prior knowledge.

The National Camera Camera Technician Course covers technology up to the early 1980s (Learn Camera Repair).

Regarding Nikkor lenses, there are the works of Richard Haw; for general information on lenses and cameras, I’m familiar with the works of mikeno62 and Fotofix. I’m sure there are others as well.

Rick Oleson and Chris Sherlock are legends who actively share their knowledge. There are also several book authors.

But overall, as far as I can tell, there isn’t particularly much available, given the potential wealth of knowledge that exists.

 

[lumoStoria]

Of course, you can’t force or oblige anyone to contribute to this.

I see it as a moral obligation to pass on what one knows, so that it doesn’t disappear along with you when you’re no longer here or can no longer contribute.

We face this problem with the transmission of knowledge whenever we deal with masters of their craft who worked with obsolete technologies.

I understand that and appreciate all your contributions. However, even a self-imposed "moral obligation" can become a burden and influence your life and health in a negative way. It's not that the essential knowledge on camera repairs will disappear. Most of us hobbyist camera repairers learned the trade from "second hand" sources that were written down decades ago from people with "first hand" knowledge (camera engineers, professional camera repairers). This knowledge can be found in the official service manuals, SPT Journals, books, etc.). This knowledge will not go away. Based on these sources, you started to learn camera repair, made experiences, found out what works best for you, etc. Even if you would not share your experiences, someone else twenty years from now could start with the same "second hand" sources you used and reach the same level of experience if he will be dedicated to this goal. Would it be easier for him when he already got experience reports from us "second hand" experts? Sure. Would it be impossible for him to reach the level of knowledge and experience we have now without these experience reports? No. Of course, this is just my personal opinion but I doubt that knowledge will just disappear but experience will.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

However, even a self-imposed "moral obligation" can become a burden and influence your life and health in a negative way.

That depends on your personal perspective.

When I have a skill or knowledge, I’m happy to share it, because that way it benefits not only me, but others as well, and ultimately the cause that’s close to my heart. And that turns a duty into a joy, which motivates me to keep going.

But I also know of cases where someone who was a master of their craft (regardless of the trade or intellectual field) took their expertise with them when they left. Because they had no interest in passing on what they had spent their whole life doing.

Some may be motivated by money, an interesting book deal, publicity, etc. As long as it serves the cause, why not?

Of course, you can gather all the information yourself and teach yourself. But to encourage as many people as possible to do so, it makes sense to present it in the best possible way to make getting started as easy as possible.

As for electromechanical SLRs, my motivation stems from my desire to ensure they have a future and aren’t discarded simply because no one repairs them or because repairs are too expensive. The Minolta AF SLRs, Nikon F4, and Canon T series—the icons of their time—are certainly at risk. That’s why I’ve made an effort to offer something here. But there are other brands and flagship models that shouldn’t be left to fade away.

At least, that’s my view.