From lhawkins@annie.wellesley.edu Thu May 4 17:30:33 1995 Newsgroups: rec.photo.advanced Path: news.ifm.liu.se!liuida!sunic!sunic.sunet.se!news.luth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news2.near.net!wellesley.edu!annie.wellesley.edu!lhawkins From: lhawkins@annie.wellesley.edu (R. Lee Hawkins) Subject: Camera Repair Resource Guide/FAQ Message-ID: <1995May2.152836.24471@olaf.wellesley.edu> Sender: news@olaf.wellesley.edu (USENET News System) Nntp-Posting-Host: annie.wellesley.edu Organization: Department of Astronomy, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA Date: Tue, 2 May 1995 15:28:36 GMT Lines: 404 CAMERA REPAIR RESOURCE GUIDE, Tue May 2 11:28:19 EDT 1995 version. Begun by Michael Covington, mcovingt@ai.uga.edu, semi-amateur photographer and writer Contributions by Paul Archer, parcher@phoenix.phoenix.net, camera repair technician Maintained and posted by R. Lee Hawkins, lhawkins@annie.wellesley.edu Contents: (1) Should I try to fix my own camera? (2) How much will it cost to have my camera repaired professionally? (3) Where are some good repair shops? (4) My camera is jammed (I can neither release the shutter nor advance the film). What can I do? (5) What should I *NEVER* do when trying to fix a camera? (6) How can I learn how to repair cameras? (7) How can I get a service manual for my camera? (8) What tools will I need to fix cameras? (9) Where can I get camera parts? (10) What are some common camera problems and how easy are they to fix? (11) How do I get my camera open? (12) How can I modify my camera to use 1.55-volt silver oxide batteries instead of 1.35-volt mercury batteries? ---- (1) Should I try to fix my own camera? Presuming you have never repaired cameras before, the answer is: NO if the camera is expensive and you need 100% reliability; MAYBE if the camera is not worth sending to a shop. The rest of this file will address both situations. Cameras that have been salt-water damaged are automatically BER (repair term: Beyond Economical Repair). You may find that you can get a shop to work on one IF you waive the warranty. (2) How much will it cost to have my camera repaired professionally? About $50 to $100 in most cases, if no major parts are needed. It's worth it; camera repair is delicate, labor-intensive work. To save money, contact a repair shop yourself rather than having your local camera store act as agent (and take their mark up). Be aware that there are three kinds of repairs: - Repair by the manufacturer, with the manufacturer's warranty. Generally expensive, and available only for cameras that are still in production or were discontinued less than 10 years ago. - Full repair by a repair shop: they fix and adjust everything to bring the camera up to full factory specifications, and then give you six months' warranty. This is what most professional photographers want. (The warranty of course does not cover abuse or damage, such as dropping the camera or getting sand in it.) - Limited repair: They fix only the problem you have pointed out. This is cheaper. Bear in mind, however, that most cameras over 10 years old _need_ a full cleaning, lubrication, and adjustment in order to keep the shutter accurate. You may be getting inaccurate and irreproducible shutter speeds without knowing it. (3) Where are some good repair shops? Ask around locally. Ask local camera dealers whom they recommend. You will get better turnaround because you will not have to deal with shipping. (Even if you use a local shop, your camera should arrive accompanied by a *written* description of the problem. One of us [MC] had a lot of time wasted when a clerk at a repair shop failed to write down a full description of what needed to be fixed.) The following shops get consistently good reviews from many sources: Professional Camera Repair 37 W. 47th Street New York, NY 10036 (Repairs Nikon and other brands; custom-builds and modifies equipment. Trusted by professional photographers nationwide.) Essex Camera Service 100 Amor Avenue Carlstadt, NJ 07072 (Handles all kinds of cameras, including obsolete ones. Well recommended. Ad says "Most cameras $35-$75.") Photography on Bald Mountain 113 Bald Mountain Davenport, CA 95017 (Repairs obsolete cameras no matter how old; can make parts.) (4) My camera is jammed (I can neither release the shutter nor advance the film). What can I do? Several things: - If the camera is electronic, check the battery contacts and the batteries. If silver oxide batteries are specified, USE THEM, not alkaline and definitely not lithium (which gives lower voltages). - Try resetting the camera by taking the batteries out for several minutes or more and putting them back in. - Verify that you aren't at the end of a roll of film. - Press the rewind button and rewind the film into the cartridge. That way, you will at least be able to develop your film, and the camera _may_ unjam. - If the jam is caused by an electronic problem (either weak batteries or something else), you can unjam the shutter by switching it to a manual (non-electronic) speed, if any are available on your camera (e.g., M90 on the Nikon FE, 1/60 on the Olympus OM-2 and OM-4). With mechanical jams, the following techniques may work: - Slam the camera down moderately hard onto the palm of your hand. (This is said to work particularly well for Pentaxes.) - With some cameras, you may be able to accomplish something by very gently pulling slightly on the mirror (to move it toward the "up" position) and/or by setting off the self-timer. - If all else fails, remove the bottom plate of the camera and see if you can trip the shutter or unlock the film advance. Don't force anything; you're looking for a latch that is just on the verge of tripping. (5) What should I *NEVER* do when trying to fix a camera? - Never force anything; parts are easy to break. If something looks like it should unscrew, but won't come off, it's probably left-hand threaded. - Never use tools (screwdrivers especially) that are not suited to the job. (You will often have to re-grind cheap jewelers' screwdrivers in order to get a good fit.) If you use unsuitable tools, you will leave tool marks on the camera, which will alarm the professional technician even more than they alarm you. If a camera looks like it has suffered an amateur repair, many technicians will insist on sending it to the manufacturer ($$$) because they fear parts may be missing, misplaced, or damaged. And if you strip the head of a Phillips screw, you will NEVER get it out! Use a screwdriver that fits WELL, or make one by re-grinding as needed. - Never spray or squirt lubricants or cleaning solutions into a camera. Use liquids only when you can completely control where they are going. The correct way to apply oil is with a toothpick. - Never disassemble a mechanism if you're not sure you can get it back together. Most shops are VERY UNWILLING to work on a camera that arrives in several zip-lock bags and will charge a lot of money to do so! (6) How can I learn how to repair cameras? A good general book is: Tomosy, Thomas CAMERA MAINTENANCE & REPAIR (1993) $24.95 ISBN 0-936262-09-5 Amherst Media, Inc. 418 Homecrest Drive Amherst, NY 14226 Many books (including "Basic Training" and guides to specific cameras) are published and sold by: Ed Romney Box 96 Emlenton, PA 16373 (I [MC] have not seen them.) Reprints of manufacturers' service manuals (many on microfiche at $4 each), reprints from "Camera Craftsman" magazine (now defunct), and other useful materials are sold by: Infotech PO Box 370884 Denver, CO 80237-0884 Their catalog is well worth writing for. Other materials, tools, and junked cameras (for parts) are advertised in SHUTTERBUG magazine. (7) How can I get a service manual for my camera? From INFOTECH or Romney (see above) or from the manufacturer. As an example, Olympus manuals cost about $40 each. Factory service manuals are a crap shoot, at best. Some are fairly informative, and some are so poorly written (actually poorly translated from Japanese) that they are virtually worthless. Most Olympus manuals fall into the former category, while most Canon fall into the latter. (But the Minolta SRT-101 manual has nice cartoons!) The best manuals are by SPT (Society for Photo-Technologists). Unfortunately, you have to be a member to order them. (Minimum membership is around $120/year.) Exploded views of a number of popular cameras were published in Modern Photography, mainly during 1974. They do not contain dis- assembly or repair instructions, but they may be of some use. (8) What tools will I need to fix cameras? I suggest as a minimum toolkit a good Phillips screwdriver, a cheap ($3 or so) set of flat blade screwdrivers, a good pair of tweezers -- Dumont #7's, at about $14, are practically the industry standard, a small pair of pliers, and a small wire-cutter. In addition, a box of Kim-wipes and some cotton-tipped swabs (wooden, not paper or plastic shafts), and a container each of denatured alcohol and Windex are invaluable. Oh, and a magnet to magnetize the screwdriver will make a big difference. These tools can be found in most good hobby/craft shops, although a good screwdriver is hard to come by. Most tech buy theirs through Cam-Comp, the retail part of SPT. [-- PA] (9) Where can I get camera parts? From the manufacturer's parts department; from a few suppliers listed in Tomosy's book; and from junked cameras. By far the cheapest way to get common parts such as screws is to collect junked cameras (which people will sometimes give you for free). (10) What are some common camera problems and how easy are they to fix? * Electronic problems: Sometimes all that's wrong is that one wire is broken, a printed circuit board is cracked, or the edge connector that joins two printed circuit boards is making poor contact. The edge connector is the easiest to fix: just undo it, clean the contacts, and reassemble. If you are good at miniature soldering, cracked boards and broken wires are easy to fix using standard techniques. Everything is _small_ and I [MC] find that wire-wrap wire and #28 enameled magnet wire are useful. * Corroded battery: If you're lucky, the damage is confined to the battery compartment and all you'll have to do is clean contacts. Use a liquid contact cleaner if possible, applying it with a cotton swab, foam pad, or eye dropper, and then wiping it off. Abrasive cleaning methods (wire brush, sandpaper, etc.) work, but the surface is likely to tarnish again soon. Do NOT let liquids or dust get into unknown parts of the camera. * Dust on upper side of non-removable focusing screen: Remove the top cover and see if you can use compressed air to blow it away. * Foam rot: The foam mirror pads in cameras from the 1970s are now turning to dust or goo. You can replace them with authentic black foam (can someone recommend where to buy this???). Or you can improvise. I [MC] made a nice mirror pad for a Mamiya/Sekor 1000 DTL out of some brown foam furniture pads from the hardware department of a Wal-Mart. Another possible substitute is the pads sold for use on eyeglass frames; they are cream-colored rather than black, but this should not be a problem since the mirror pads are not in the light path when taking a picture. * Jammed camera: (See above.) Sometimes, the jam is a one-of-a-kind event and all you need to do is unjam the camera once. Unfortunately, it's more common for the jam to recur. * Sticky lens diaphragm: If you're patient, you can disassemble a lens, clean all the diaphragm leaves, and put them back in place. The leaves should have _no_ lubricant on them when you're done. Paul Archer's recommended technique is to use a small spanner to remove the rear element, put some denatured alcohol on the blades, and work them in and out till the alcohol evaporates. This usually does the trick. BTW, I [PA] would not recommend attempting any repairs on zoom lenses. They are notoriously hard to work on, and most shops will only have one person who is competent with zooms, even though they might have 6 or 7 techs. Keep compressed air handy for getting rid of dust. Resign yourself to getting some dust into the first lens you work on, unavoidably. It will not affect picture quality. * As noted above, cameras that have been in salt water are considered beyond economic repair. (11) How do I get my camera open? (CAUTION: Any camera that has built-in flash will contain voltages as high as 330V. I [PA] have personally seen a technician shocked so badly by one of these that he (involuntarily) threw the camera across the room. If you're going to open one of these up, be VERY careful, and use a 100-ohm, 1/2 watt (or larger) resistor, suitably insulated, to short across the flash capacitor. Discharge it for 5 seconds, then use a voltmeter to check the voltage of the capacitor, and, if necessary, discharge it some more. And always do this with the batteries out. If the batteries are still in the camera when you discharge the capacitor, you will run the risk of at the least having the capacitor charge up on you again, and at the worst, burning out the flash board.) If at all possible, you should obtain specific instructions before trying to remove the top cover of a 35mm camera. There are lots of tricks, including the Mamiya-Sekor ungrippable button (that you have to thread fishing line under and pull on) and the Olympus door spring that jumps across the room. Many specific models are discussed in Tomosy's book (see above). For the curious, here is ONE example (which is not in Tomosy), the Olympus OM-F (here described by Michael Covington): 1. Open back of camera (by pulling up on rewind knob) and attach a piece of tape to ensure that the back does not get latched shut again. 2. Unfold handle of rewind knob and remove Phillips screw. (To do this, you will have to keep the shaft from rotating.) (Note: If the camera back gets closed while the rewind knob is off, here's what to do: Push the shaft into the camera, where it will fall free. Then use a long pan-head machine screw as a tool to reach in and pull up on the latch.) 3. Remove black retaining ring under where rewind knob was. (Use spanner.) 4. Lift out switch, taking care not to lose the click-stop ball. 5. You have now exposed enough of the camera to repair electrical problems caused by dirty contacts. Clean the contacts ad libitum. (DO NOT USE SPRAY.) I have even found and repaired a circuit-board crack with no more disassembly than this. To proceed further: 6. Note the spring at the extreme left front of the camera, visible through the round opening you have just exposed. It is the door latch tension spring. When you remove the top, the spring will probably jump across the room. Be prepared to catch it, or carefully work it loose and pull it out now, with tweezers. 7. Remove the obvious six screws that hold the top cover in place. (The smallest two go in front.) 8. Remove the screw on the underside of the film advance lever. Plastic part of advance lever comes off. 9. Remove the screw on the axis of the (metal) film advance lever. 10. Note setting of ASA dial and exposure compensation. 11. Using a sewing needle, lift the central part of the ASA dial and pop it out. 12. Remove the Phillips screw and spring revealed by step 11. 13. Lift top cover off, taking care not to break the wires to the beeper (which is attached to the top cover). To reassemble, reverse this process; order of steps is not critical. CAUTION: Screws and other loose parts are easy to lose! Put the camera in a clean 8x10 developing tray, or similar, before you start disassembling it. The tray will catch the parts. (12) How can I modify my camera to use 1.55-volt silver oxide batteries instead of 1.35-volt mercury batteries? Several different options are possible: - If the meter consumes the same amount of current whenever the needle is centered, regardless of light level, all you have to do is add some extra resistance in series with the battery. Try 2000 ohms as a start. - Add a Schottky diode in series with the battery. That will subtract a constant 0.15 or 0.25 volts from the battery voltage (depending on whether you use a low-barrier or medium-barrier diode). Either way, you're much closer to 1.35V than you would have been without it, and the voltage drop is relatively constant regardless of current. - A circuit using a National Semiconductor voltage-reference chip is given in the Jan./Feb. 1995 issue of Darkroom and Creative Camera Techniques. This is a shunt regulator and consumes extra current, so it has to be placed after the switch in the circuit. - Pentax apparently sells a field kit to adapt the K-1000 meter movement to the Spotmatic. This completely solves the mercury battery problem with this camera. Folks who have helped out on this FAQ: Claude_Seguin@eureka.qc.ca Dave Morein (dmorein@netcom.com) Thanks, everyone!