What is your latest dead camera? Post obituary here.

Cholentpot · Jun 26, 2017

I've seen threads for Latest New Old Camera, or First Camera, or Best Camera. But we know that our fleet of cameras are getting old and shuffling off this mortal spring one by one. What is your latest dead or not worth repairing camera? Vent your soul if you feel the need. I'll start.

My Asahi Pentax K1000 passed on today on a trip to the Zoo. The advance jammed and I maybe used too much force to unjam it. I tried the fixes online but to no avail. The cost of fixing this camera is not worth the price as I have a newer copy of this camera and another two PK mount bodies.

I came across this camera in Buffalo NY in Nova Photo of blessed memory. I had a few cameras already but had never bought one. I picked this copy up for $25 plus a 50 2.8 and off to the races. In the life of this camera the meter died, came to life, died again and came to life miraculously. While it did eat a few precious rolls I never gave up hope and kept trusting it to get the job done. I'll miss the comforting weight of this film hammer against my hip. K1000 you did me well.

RIP Asahi Pentax K1000 1972 (2013)-2017

Jeff Bradford · Jun 26, 2017

Mamiyaflex A. The only thing consistent about the shutter is that it is unpredictable. Also my Kodak Vigilant Six-16 has so many pin holes in the bellows, I may use it as a spaghetti strainer. But the Ricoh Super 44 is still rocking, so long as I can keep sourcing reasonably priced 127 film.

paladin1420 · Jun 26, 2017

XA2 - stopped working a few months ago. The shutter now stays open for about 2 seconds every exposure. It was great to carry around, literally pocket sized. Maybe it spent too much time in my pocket

Johnkpap · Jun 26, 2017

Hi Everyone

My Pentax MZ3 has died with the the dreaded mirror motor plastic gear failure.

Replacement brass gears seem to be very hard to find....It now lives in the broken box.

I will be using my Pentax LX and my K2 alot more.....Auto focus Who needs it anyway.

Johnkpap

Sirius Glass · Jun 26, 2017

I feel badly. I do not have a candidate to post. Now I have to go out and buy a dead camera. Oh fuss and bother!

removed account4 · Jun 26, 2017

only camera that died was a yashica T4
after hundreds of rolls of film through it
the focus crashed. it was a fine camera !

Cholentpot · Jun 26, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
I feel badly. I do not have a candidate to post. Now I have to go out and buy a dead camera. Oh fuss and bother!

I can give you one.

RalphLambrecht · Jun 27, 2017

Cholentpot said:
I've seen threads for Latest New Old Camera, or First Camera, or Best Camera. But we know that our fleet of cameras are getting old and shuffling off this mortal spring one by one. What is your latest dead or not worth repairing camera? Vent your soul if you feel the need. I'll start.

My Asahi Pentax K1000 passed on today on a trip to the Zoo. The advance jammed and I maybe used too much force to unjam it. I tried the fixes online but to no avail. The cost of fixing this camera is not worth the price as I have a newer copy of this camera and another two PK mount bodies.

I came across this camera in Buffalo NY in Nova Photo of blessed memory. I had a few cameras already but had never bought one. I picked this copy up for $25 plus a 50 2.8 and off to the races. In the life of this camera the meter died, came to life, died again and came to life miraculously. While it did eat a few precious rolls I never gave up hope and kept trusting it to get the job done. I'll miss the comforting weight of this film hammer against my hip. K1000 you did me well.

RIP Asahi Pentax K1000 1972 (2013)-2017

all alive and well!

DWThomas · Jun 27, 2017

I have one dysfunctional film camera -- actually "it's not dead, it's just resting." It's an early sixties vintage Konica FP that has a shutter problem. Oh, and my first Bronica SQ-A body has a problem, but that was fixed with two more bodies at less than $100 each. My shortest lived camera is of the "other" technology that barely lasted ten years -- unh hunh.

R.Gould · Jun 27, 2017

Ensign 1620 shutter blade came adrift, that was around 4 years ago, all the rest work fine
Richard

OptiKen · Jun 27, 2017

Lord 4D
Shutter and winder completely locked up at a half completed wind

OptiKen · Jun 27, 2017

Lord 4D
Shutter and winder completely locked up at a half completed wind

Jacob Weiss · Jun 27, 2017

Minolta Al-f ://

Helios 1984 · Jun 27, 2017

Kodak VR35 K80 - Auto rewind failed, the mechanism literally disintegrated.

Cholentpot · Jun 27, 2017

Helios 1984 said:
Kodak VR35 K80 - Auto rewind failed, the mechanism literally disintegrated.

I got one of these, the plastic in the viewfinder got so fogged it's near useless. Took decent photos though. I have the VR35 K4

railwayman3 · Jun 27, 2017

A Minox 35GT-E - the shutter works intermittently, but the wind-on release works when you've pressed the shutter. So you get a strip of good negs interspersed with blank frames.
I enquired the cost of repair by Minox Germany a year or two ago (around £250 ! ) so it went to rest in a drawer, but I recently noticed that MS Hobbies (Southampton) appear to offer a repair for £90, which I'd find acceptable. I've bought from this firm in the past satisfactorily, but wonder if anyone has any experience of their repair service, either for Minox 35mm or Minox sub-min ?

John_Nikon_F · Jun 28, 2017

Last camera that took a dump on me was my previous FM2n. Meter coupling ring stopped springing back. Returned it to the shop I bought it from. Current FM2n seems to be fine.

-J

Marcelo Paniagua · Jun 28, 2017

Not a camera but just dropped my Lunasix 3 light meter this morning and seems its dead now

Going to open it tonight and see if it is fixable or not. Got spare light meters but Lunasix is one of my favorite.

Regard.

Toffle · Jun 28, 2017

Nikon N-80. It's been on life support for at least a half dozen years. I hit the brakes to avoid hitting the neighbour's dog and it slammed against the dashboard. It has worked on and off since then, with the occasional 'ERR' message. Recently it has stopped working altogether. My camera guy has looked at it and pronounced it dead. (It outlived the dog)

My XA is in a fragile state as well, having followed me through a hole in the Lake Erie ice five years ago. (My mother told me I wasn't very smart) It works fine when it's warm, but the shutter won't fire in cold weather. Hopeful that it will last awhile longer, as it's a great pocket camera for travel.

Tom

Cholentpot · Jun 28, 2017

Toffle said:
Nikon N-80. It's been on life support for at least a half dozen years. I hit the brakes to avoid hitting the neighbour's dog and it slammed against the dashboard. It has worked on and off since then, with the occasional 'ERR' message. Recently it has stopped working altogether. My camera guy has looked at it and pronounced it dead. (It outlived the dog)

My XA is in a fragile state as well, having followed me through a hole in the Lake Erie ice five years ago. (My mother told me I wasn't very smart) It works fine when it's warm, but the shutter won't fire in cold weather. Hopeful that it will last awhile longer, as it's a great pocket camera for travel.

Tom

Catch any perch? I heard the walleyes go after XA's. They find them tasty.

Toffle · Jun 28, 2017

Cholentpot said:
Catch any perch? I heard the walleyes go after XA's. They find them tasty.

I did feel something nipping at my toes. (but it might have been frostbite)

Lake Erie perch is indeed delicious.

Ces1um · Jun 28, 2017

I lost my pentax k2 about 2 years ago. It lead an interesting life. It was seized at the border many years ago and was eventually sold off by crown holdings. My father bought it at one of their auctions. It came with a case that had coasters from japan, stickers from israel and hawaii and a few other odds and ends showing it was well travelled. The case also held 28mm, 55mm and 135mm smc pentax M lenses. My father used it for years and gifted it to me. It worked great for a while but there was some corrosion in the battery compartment which travelled along some of the wires. There was also some issues with the magnets that controlled the shutter speed. That's what did it in. The camera repair centre felt it wasn't worth trying to repair as it was quite far gone and parts for it were uncommon and 30 years old already. I kept the lenses and bought a k1000 body so the lenses are still living on.

What is your latest dead camera? Post obituary here.

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