The Sub Club

DOING YOUR OWN REPAIR WORK

There are those who would never, under any circumstances, attempt to repair a camera -- let alone a tiny submini. And, of course, there are others who have eagerly jumped into several cameras and ended up with a pile of parts instead of a usable tool. Wherever you fall on the do-it-yourself continuum, there are a few points to keep in mind. First, repairing a camera yourself, is not always an impossible task. Second, it's best not to take on more than you can chew.

If you are wondering if camera repair is for you, ask yourself these questions. Do you currently have a camera that is not operating correctly? Do you have any interest in repairing it yourself? Can you find anyone else who can repair it at a reasonable, appropriate price? Do you have the time to tinker with your camera? Are you a methodical person?

Remember that a camera repair can range from a loose screw to a complete rebuild. Most repairs are actually minor -- cleaing out some accumulated dirt, oiling a joint, tightening a screw or straightening a piece of metal. The hard part is knowing what part is causing the trouble and then getting to the part. One place to start is the library or book store. The books listed below will give you a good idea about the obstacles that you will face. (Check out the LIBRARY for more information) :

Ed Romney, Basic Training in Camera Repair -- It covers Compur, Copal and most other leaf shutters, cloth and metal focal plane shutters, rangefinders, autofocus systems, meters, mirrors, lenses, wind systems, testing, cleaning, lubrication and adjustment. It uses a systems approach so you can fix most cameras. Easy to understand. No higher math.
Thomas Tomosy, Camera Maintenance and Repair, 1993 -- Good book to help you keep that old clunker going and avoid costly repairs. Also helps with diagnosing problems. Covers the basics of repairs, though you still need to be brave. You can often find "dead" subminis at "give-away" prices to experiement with.
Thomas Tomosy, Camera Maintenance and Repair Book 2, 1997 -- If you've read the first book, this one will take you to the next level. It covers many camera models not addressed in Book 1, as well as advanced repair techniques, such as repairing broken, irreplaceable parts. It also covers repairs to the more modern, electronic cameras.
Thomas Tomosy, Restoring Classic and Collectible Cameras -- A must for camera buffs and collectors. Clear step-by-step instructions show how to restore a classic or vintage camera. Work on leather, brass and wood to restore your valuable collectibles. 128 pages with photos and illustrations.
Thomas Tomosy, Restoring the Great Collectible Cameras (1945-1970), 1998 -- Covers rangefinders, SLRs, focal plane shutters, medium format cameras -- regarding cleaning, disassembly, lubrication, making new parts, making tooks and testing your gear.

While these books are great for general information, they only deal with SAMPLE cameras, and the sample that they use most likely will not be the exact same camera or lens that you have. In that case, you can check out the website

LEARN CAMERA REPAIR

It has hundred of repair manuals, service manuals, parts lists, exploded views, etc. for cameras, lenses, flashes, and other gear. It also offers lots of learning material. And, yes, some of the material covers some subminis.

A good next step is to work on a dummy camera. There are many broken cameras that can be purchased for next to nothing -- and sometimes nothing. Once, I almost had a guy pay me to take a camera away! The junker that you buy won't have the same problem as your camera, but it will give you experience with taking things apart and putting them back together. And who knows, you might even fix the darn thing. And if you don't, you'll only be out a couple of bucks and a couple of hours. If you don't like these waters, don't go any deeper.

Here are some sample repair job tips to help encourage you.

Do-It-Yourself repairs -- Buy broken subminis and save
How to dismantle a Minox C
Repairing a Minox B
How to dismantle a Minolta P or Ps
How to repair a Minolta QT
Opening up a Yashica Atoron Electro
Repairing a Steky III
Repairing a Selenium meter
Repairing Minolta 16 and Kiev 30 series 16mm cameras
Repairing Minox and Minicord cameras

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