Category: Photography

Kodak printomatic digital instant camera

I’ve just purchased three of these cameras for a total of £24:98GBP. All non working of course but when healthy they normally command a price around £35:00GBP each. Here is what the listing said for each one:

Camera one:

Camera one

Kodak Printomatic Digital Instant Print Camera

Camera does not print 

Can be repaired or used for parts 

EBay

Camera two:

Camera two

Camera is in good cosmetic condition.

Camera doesn’t charge. Battery charging light flashes but it doesn’t hold battery.

It hasn’t been tested further.

EBay

Camera three:

Camera three

Please look at the photos carefully, as they make up the majority of the description. 

It has two faults 

The springs on the back are broken, meaning the rear metal plate is bent , and it often doesn’t push photo paper through correctly.

The shutter button is also depressed.

EBay

This third one might be a longer term repair as I’ve never known a quick fix for a depressed button, that requires a psychiatrist… (That’s me just trying to be humorous, I’ll grab my coat and leave now 😂🤦‍♂️)

To be honest the issue with the third camera seems to be a regular problem based around the design of this camera. Too much pressure on the button normally results in the switch inside detaching from the main board, it’s poorly positioned at an angle and usually not soldered in place too well. The springs should be an easy fix.

I’ve brought these cameras from three different sellers. if I’m lucky I’ll be able to get all three up and running, worst case scenario is that I use one for spares and have two good working examples.

Anyway I’ll just have to wait for their arrival to assess them all, and decide what repairs are required. In the meantime here’s a little bit about these cameras that are again very similar to the Polaroid “Snap” camera range, that also use zink paper. And seeing what is quoted below, the Polaroid “Snap” and this Kodak Printomatic are in all aspects one and the same camera.

Well, since Kodak doesn’t really make its own consumer cameras anymore, the Printomatic is actually being produced by a company called C+A Global, which is just licensing the Kodak name and branding. C+A also licenses Polaroid, and was behind the two-year-old Snap. Both cameras were designed by Silicon Valley firm Ammunition Group, which confirmed to The Verge that the Printomatic is basically the same camera as the Snap, though simplified and rebadged. (The cherry on top of this corporate synergy sundae is that C+A also works with Zink.)

Released 2017

The PRINTOMATIC camera instantly and automatically prints high-quality, full color photos with point-and-shoot ease. It uses KODAK ZINK Photo Paper, so no ink cartridges or toners are needed. The photo prints are durable, water resistant, and adhesive backed for extra fun. The camera’s speed allows you to shoot a new photo while printing the previous shot. The KODAK PRINTOMATIC is fast, fun, and easy to use.

Features

  • 5MP image sensor
  • Prints automatically when image is captured
  • Vibrant 2″ x 3″ photo prints are durable, water resistant, and adhesive backed
  • Built-in flash
  • Optical viewfinder
  • microSD™ card slot

Kodak Ltd & The Verge

The reviews all vary, from very good to downright diabolical, I’m not really surprised since Kodak “Hoared” out its brand name to the lowest bidder many years ago. Am I bitter? A little, as I used to work for Kodak in the days when they were a world leader, the mistakes they made, the decisions and leadership were absolutely awful. And the fact that their demise has lowered my pension pot by about 40% due to their financial mismanagement is another axe that I regularly grind. Yes I am bitter, and since I’ve recently repaired and reviewed their competitors cameras I thought I’d give these a try. Will I be impressed or disappointed? Who knows but I do have an inkling on which way this may swing. But for what I’ve paid for three cameras I’m not really that fussed, it’s just pocket money.

Assessment:

Camera one:

Apparently doesn’t print. Well I’ve put a couple of sheets of Zink paper inside and two pictures were produced. The sd card slot is fine, the charging port is in good condition. Transport is working perfectly. It certainly does print. Just needs a bit of a clean. To be totally honest there is nothing wrong with this camera and for an outlay of £8:00GBP in total I have a working bargain. Kerching – a rare EBay win.

Printer works, camera works
Charges fine
Looking nice after a light clean – no marking

Nothing more to do on this one. So on to camera two.

Camera two:

It’s a bit grubby cosmetically but nothing that a light clean wouldn’t sort. This particular one cost £8:99GBP all in. It was dead on arrival so I’ve checked that the charging port was ok, and then put it straight on charge.

On charge

I’ve also given it a light clean whilst charging and the overall appearance has greatly improved. I must just be patient and wait and see if the unit does take a charge, or the original fault appears.

Initial red indication
Now a rapid flashing white indication

Whilst on charge the originally mentioned fault appears. The charging light was showing a steady red, it is now a rapidly flashing white light with the occasional steady red indication for all of a few seconds and then it’s back to the rapid white indication and it then all repeats. I’ll leave it for a while to see if there is an improvement, the battery just might be so dead that the inbuilt battery management system may just well be refusing to cooperate.the on/off button on the front doesn’t work as well, this might be also related to the battery issue.

Camera three:

Looking very nice and cosmetically very clean.

Nice camera

This one cost £7:99GBP all in. This one is reported to have two issues, a damaged paper pressure pad and a button stuck in the depressed position.

Paper pressure pad is bent and missing two springs
Exposure button stuck in, white light flashing as a result

But first I’ve put it on charge to see that it charges, I’m pleased to report that everything is alright in that aspect, and I’m pleased to say it charged fully with the correct lights illuminated. The white light on the top by the exposure button is flashing as a result of the button being stuck in the depressed position, I believe.

Camera has charged fine

This one will need the paper pressure pad repairing as well as the button that is stuck in the depressed position.

Repair:

Camera one:

See above. No repair required. Just a light clean and some TLC. Why did they sell it as damaged? Who knows just what goes on, in the mind of an EBay seller.

Camera two:

This will need to be opened to get near the battery. We may well be able to get the battery to accept a small charge and this may be just enough to fool the battery management system in the camera to take over and continue charging.

Cover off and the confusing lights

Cover off I’ve checked the battery readings and it’s reading a healthy 6.5v and as it’s a 7.5v rated battery I believe this to be healthy, it holds a steady charge the battery is fine. Looking at the led lights they are capable of two indications, red or white and that’s it. I believe the charging light flashes when it’s charged as it cannot possibly show a green light as there isn’t one. This is confusing as normally a flashing white/red light normally indicates that the battery needs charging. Everything that is happening goes against what the producer has published regarding the led indications. But I am convinced the battery is good despite it not turning on. Hold on, I think I’ve found out the problem here…..

Cable disconnected
Cable now connected

On off button ribbon connector was not in place

It appears that someone has been here before me or that the on/off button ribbon connector has disconnected itself over time. Either way it’s not where it should be. I’ve put the connector back in place and secured it. I now have power and control of the camera.

All lights working, transport whirring away let’s put some paper in to give it a try.

Printing
Dirty print roller

Well it prints ok, all pictures appear to have a “blue tint” to them, however there are big tramlines across the print as you can see, this indicates a dirty roller. What I’m going to do here is peel half the backing of a sheet of Zink paper as the back is adhesive allowing you to stick photos on whatever takes your fancy. By running a half sheet of exposed adhesive, upside down through the camera with the adhesive being the trailing edge, it should allow any debris and dirt to be collected on its way through. I will do this three or four times and even though I will no doubt get error lights appear I can just reset the camera with no further issues.

Zink adhesive exposed

And that worked. The tramlines have gone.

Tramlines on bottom left picture as a reference. All other pictures now clear.

I’ve also tried the black and white mode as you can see above. I’m very confident, in fact I am positive this camera is now working as it should. I have also put an sd card in the base and all pictures are being recorded as expected. A quick clean and we now have a perfectly good working example of this camera. Let’s move on to camera three.

Camera three:

We have to open up the camera to get to the issue with the button.

The paper pressure pad needs to be dismantled, straightened up and two compatible springs need to be found to keep the required pressure in place on the paper pad. I’ve dismantled the pressure pad and straightened it out, just needs a couple of springs to complete, I’ll sort these out later.

Bent up
Straightened out
Back in place just awaiting new springs

On opening the camera it was as clear as day that the depressed button was as I first thought, the three solder points below it had come loose, no longer making contact.

The working switch
The faulty switch that looks like it’s smiling

It’s plain to see in the pictures above that the button that is damaged has all three points of contact broken. these need re soldering to strengthen them. You can see this issue in the microscope pictures I took below.

Top: Before, Bottom: after

The switch has been tested and it clicks and operates as expected, this is a known weak point with these cameras and a design fault as well, although the manufacturer would probably deny this. It’s a given fact that the manufacturer wants to sell as many as these units cheaply to the throw away consumer, you only have to look at the main board below to see this…

Says it all really….

It really saddens me to see the levels the Kodak name has sunk to, these units are just replicas of the Polaroid touch/snap range, but even at this stage in the repair the Polaroid versions are far superior. Quality control and the cheap design of these Kodak units is borderline awful.

This unit is proving to be a right pain in the ass. The original fault with the exposure button has been repaired and the paper pressure pad is all but repaired, but it seems that being hidden by these two faults is a totally different issue. I have had this camera completely dismantled and have also separated the printer from the motherboard, but this issue of the permanently flashing white light still exists, so the fault is definitely only being carried on the motherboard.

Motherboard under microscope
Lens ribbon cable insecure
Motherboard separated from printer unit

I’ve checked the motherboard thoroughly using my microscope and there is nothing glaringly obvious at fault. I have checked for shorts on the board of which there are none. The only issue I found was that the lens ribbon cable was sitting off centre, however I corrected this but the flashing light issue still remains.

There are two faults that are connected with this flashing white light. One is that the light occurs whilst printing, this is not the case with this unit as it even occurs as stated with the printer disconnected. The other possibility is that it flashes when doing a firmware update, I have attempted to update with the latest firmware and the only difference is that I cannot turn the lights or camera off at all, I have to crash it by removing the battery.

It’s looking as if this could be the issue. The previous owner has probably bricked the unit by interrupting a firmware update and it has corrupted the system. I’m going to have one more attempt at updating the camera with a clean unused sd card to see if there is any possibility of recovery. If this cannot be done then this unit will become a spares unit that to be honest I’d rather not have as I don’t really want to purchase any more of these cameras. But you never know, someone may want one repairing.

Result:

Well in the wise old words of Meatloaf, I guess “Two out of three ain’t bad”. The grey one is bricked, as after numerous attempts of updating the firmware it just isn’t having it. It is just a brick. However there are numerous spare parts that can be used including a good battery, lens mechanism and a number of other pieces. I just didn’t want that though as i don’t really see myself going out of the way to obtain another one, they are as cheap and nasty as you could possibly find. The Polaroid versions are of a far better quality in my opinion, and they are hardly high class.

2 out of 3 ain’t bad

The positive here is that 3 cameras, quite obviously built for the throwaway generation have been saved from landfill and can be used again. What I’m going to do with the two I have is probably put them both back on to eBay to recover my out goings. If not, I will pass them onto our local hospice to sell on.

Been an interesting fix, but I’m not venturing back to these Kodak models anytime soon.

Thanks for passing by. Always appreciated.

Last nights pub crawl

Just back from our break away and some of us are still in the holiday mode, itchy feet the decision was made to take a short train ride out to one of the areas I patrol at work – Barrow upon Soar, a small town between Leicester and Loughborough.

Barrow-upon-Soar is a parish and large village, which gives its name to a Poor Law Union district, and a county court district. It has for ages been celebrated for its excellent limestone, and is pleasantly situated on the east side of the navigable River Soar, and on both sides of the Midland Railway on which it has a station 2 miles N. of Mount Sorrel, 3 miles S.E. of Loughborough, and 9 miles N. of Leicester. Barrow township comprises about 2510 acres of land and had 1099 inhabitants in 1801, 1638 in 1831, 1800 in 1861, and 1973 in 1871, the increase of the last ten years being ‘attributed to the opening of the limeworks.’ It is in East Goscote Hundred, but its parish comprises also the townships of Mount Sorrel North-end, Quorndon, and Woodhouse, all of which are in West Goscote Hundred. The area of the whole parish is about 9160 acres, and it had 5857 inhabitants in 1871.

Wikipedia

On the train we soon arrived after a 17 minute ride, and as always the difference between city and town is so noticeable, life is a lot more serene and uncomplicated in these small towns surrounding the city.

We tried four different pubs, had a lovely meal in one, took a nice walk on the canal, and ended up sitting beside the river soar to complete the evening. It was lovely and finished off the break away just fine. We now have the joy of a new working week to look forward to. Roll on next holiday….

Here’s a few pictures:

A rather pleasant pub crawl

Have a wonderful day. Thanks for passing by.

Just a few snapshots

No words or trying to speak “Proper” here. 13 of us have just arrived back from four most beautiful days on the east coast at Norfolk. Temperatures up into the high twenties, a phenomenon not often experienced on this coast in the UK. It made for a wonderful break away, and this family bond remains as strong as ever as a result. Here are some photos to chew on, all taken with my trusty iPhone 14.

All taken in and around Gorleston and Hopton on sea- Norfolk

Have a super day, stay safe and enjoy this wonderful weather.

Another Fujifilm Instax mini 8

Yes another one. Anyone that reads what I post will realise that these little cameras have really become popular with the youngsters within our family. I recently posted about a family get together: The garden gathering and in this post I stated that a young member of the family liked these cameras so much, that she went out and purchased a damaged one and asked if I could fix it for her. How could I turn down such an offer?

Another Instax mini 8 and that Iris should be closed

And here it is. Needs a little clean and immediately I can see an issue, what I’ve noticed is that the little iris lens protectors that close when the lens is retracted are missing, or not operating and opening properly. Everything else seems to be doing what it should, motor, film transport system etc, however the initial issue reported with this camera was that it’s exposure was sometimes hit and miss, it most definitely all related to the lens issue. A good clean wouldn’t go amiss with some extra attention paid to the light sensor area.

Anyway, enough chat, let’s crack on.

Assessment:

A nice tidy camera, needs a little clean, flash fires, film transport mechanism inside is working and the motor runs. It gives the impression that it is working fine, however….

Here’s a reminder from the young family member who made the purchase, regarding its issues:

I’ve just remembered, I think the advert said something about the photos coming out dark no matter what setting it is on! x

I’d already noticed the little iris mechanism on the front of the lens didn’t open and close when the camera was turned on, so I was going to be looking in this area anyway. But when I looked a little closer and moved the aperture ring on the side of the lens, the relative apertures in the lens were only moving to roughly the half way point, off centre, hence there was no corresponding fully positioned aperture, and in relation to the lighting situation that was presented, they were stuck and blocking the incoming light. In a nutshell there was not a sufficient sized aperture “hole” for any light to get through, resulting in the exposure issue stated above. This needs adjusting. You can see what I mean in the photo below. The lens aperture leaf does not sit central in the lens.

Incorrect aperture settings and positioning in the lens

Apart from the highlighted problems above, i don’t believe there are any other underlying issues. So I’m going to concentrate on the front of the camera solely in the lens turret area.

Let’s get on with the repair.

Repair:

The iris issue is within the lens turret so this will need to be dismantled to access the iris.

Lens top cover removed exposing the iris mechanism below

It was a bit of a head scratcher this one, as I spent a lot of time just staring at the mechanism trying to figure out how it worked. When the iris lids were manually manipulated to the closed position when the turret was retracted all was fine. When the turret was opened up the iris lens did the same, but then if you again retracted the lens the iris remained open exposing the lens. I was thinking it must be missing a spring somewhere and I was about to be proved right.

I found a replacement iris turret in my spares box for instax cameras

I found a replacement iris mount that fits within the lens turret. I had this in a spare box and used this as a reference to compare to the old non operating one. Here is where it was confirmed that there was a spring missing and this is why the iris was not operating.

Spring missing
Spring in place
The old iris mechanism compared to the working one

I replaced the old mechanism with the new one and this was installed back in the camera, this now works fine. I have however found a suitable spring for the old iris so I do now have another spare ready should another be needed in the future.

Iris mechanism installed and now working

The issue with the aperture positioning has been sorted by ensuring that the aperture ring is correctly positioned in relation to the cog mechanism in the lens turret area. It’s a bit like sorting out the timing belt in a car, it just has to be in the right position to achieve the correct aperture settings.

Springs and levers everywhere, and the “Timing” cog on the right that is in the turret area

This sorted, the last thing to do was to give the viewfinder a little clean. You have to be very careful here as the viewfinder is connected to the camera “ready to shoot” indicating light, and there are very fine wires all around this area. Be just a bit too clumsy here and you’d have a difficult soldering project to also add to the original problems. Anyway, no such issues today, the viewfinder was un clipped and prisms and glass cleaned and reassembled. All looking good.

Viewfinder and lots of little wires

I’m now happy that all the issues have been attended to and I’m just going to reassemble the camera ready for a quick clean. Luckily all the screws that came out went back in with none leftover. Result!

Result:

We now have a nice little unit, all aperture settings are working as they should and the lens iris is operating as it was always supposed to do. The viewfinder has also been cleaned and it’s now a nice clear unobstructed view. It just works.

All cleaned and now working, a lovely little camera

I’m guessing this camera will be coming away with the owner on a family holiday that we are all about to embark on shortly. I’m hoping to run some film through this soon but I am ultra confident it will work as all the issues have now been addressed.

I’ve just got some film and rattled off 4 quick shots, one of them indoors. Exposures are fine so I’m happy this is a perfectly good working camera.

4 quickly produced shots

I’m sure there will be one younger member of the family who will be very happy with her new camera. And may she have many years of capturing good times and fantastic memories. This is what these little cameras are made for after all.

Thanks for passing by, it’s always very much appreciated.

Ensign Ful-Vue II

I’ve had this camera sitting around since March 2023, when I first wrote about its purchase along with a couple of other cameras here: New old stock 📸

Barnet Ensign Ful-Vue II

I’m not sure what I paid for these cameras but it wouldn’t have been a great deal. I love the Ful-Vue due to its looks and the kind of Art Nouveau feel it has about it. It’s a very basic mass produced camera of its time and It is an old 120 film camera, and the bonus is that this film type is still readily available, in fact I still have a few rolls in my fridge at home today.

The shutter is an all mechanical, spring loaded system which swings a piece of metal over a hole to create the exposure. The approximate timing is 1/30th of a second and that’s slow. It is understandable when taking in to account that ISO 400 wasn’t that common in the 50s and would have produced very noisy results. It was far more common to use ISO 50-100 film and that would’ve required a slower shutter speed at the approximate f11 of the lens of this unit.

I obviously want to get it back into full working order. And want to do as sympathetic a restoration as possible. It’s a 120 roll film camera with a 6cm x 6cm frame inside, it was a cheap and cheerful camera of its day, sold as, “Easy, even for a child to use.”

In the meantime, here’s some history about this little camera:


Barnet Ensign Ross Ful-Vue II

Originally released in its initial form in 1939, this version was introduced in 1950 after further improvements were made. The new flash synchronised shutter, the turn-able lens barrel allowing three different distance settings instead of two, an all-plastic front panel, and an optional flashgun. The improved version was called Ful-Vue II. Pictures were 6×6cm on 120 film. It has been stated that colored models (red, white and blue) were sold in 1952-3, to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II; However, no other evidence for these cameras has been seen: in particular, the Ful-Vue is not mentioned in a coronation advertising supplement to the BJP Almanac of 1953. Colored Ful-Vues were advertised as ‘Ful-Vue à la Mode’ in late 1952. Examples of the regular Ful-Vue II, repainted and presented as the colored model, have been seen in online auctions.

Camera wiki.org

So I estimate this camera to have been produced sometime between 1950-54 when this particular model had its production run, just prior to yet another version becoming available. Making this particular camera approx 70+ years old. Let’s have a look at the unit that I am now in possession of.

Assessment:

The case is leather and is very dry and brittle, it’s complete, so I may well look at revitalising this one just as I did to an old Kodak camera in this old post: Kodak Brownie reflex. If I do, I will cover its repair in the following section.

The old leather case, very dry and brittle

The camera itself is in quite a good condition cosmetically, it has chips off the paint and a little wear and tear that will require some attention. There appears to be a screw missing on the front plate, this will be replaced.

A little wear and tear, nothing too worrying

The mirror inside the viewfinder seems to have moved and will need reseating, all glass and mirrors appear quite foggy and need a good clean, all workings within the camera inside appear ok. Light seals appear ok but may well need replacing purely due to their age.

Glass dirty and mirror has moved
Internals all ok
No issues on the winding mechanism

The lens barrel and shutter mechanism will be checked over to check correct operation, however at first glance, all seems to be ok. There is a little red window on the rear panel where you can see the film exposure numbers. A little thumbscrew can be turned to blacken this window out, this will be very handy for when we try to install a colour film to prevent any fogging issues.

Repair:

I want this to be a sympathetic restoration, so I will endeavour to keep the look and feel of the unit as original as possible.

The case:

I’m starting with the case as this is probably going to be the most time consuming and will require numerous periods of drying and moisturising, it’s probably about 70 years old now and to be honest has probably had no care taken of it during that time.

Mild soap sud wash to clean and introduce some moisture – see the dirt on the used cotton pads

Using some mild detergent, but just the soap suds on a cotton pad I have gently wiped all over the case, paying special attention to any old folds in the material. This has had a dual purpose of removing ing a lot of age related dirt (As you can see in the photos above, that show the dirty cotton pads) as well as adding a little bit of moisture but not too much. I want to do this in stages to minimise any more damage. I will now let this dry for 24 hrs and I will then do the same again.

24hrs later I have cleaned the case again, in exactly the same manner. let’s leave it another 24hrs and then apply a little polish to give it back some colour and a little bit more moisture. I’m keeping it as low cost as I can, no doubt a brown shoe polish will suffice for the result I’m looking for.

I’ve treated the leather and polished it twice using a black shoe polish. The third coat I have given is a tan regimental high gloss polish. I’m leaving this for a few hours and then I will buff the case up. I’m not repairing stitching or holes as I want it to retain age and it’s old look. I just want the leather to look healthier, last a while longer and to get some moisture back into what was a very brittle leather case.

Before and after treatment

I have today buffed the case up after all the treatments of the last couple of days. The case feels lovely and soft and much more pliable than when I first started on it. I’m now going to bring this part of the repair to an end as that’s as far as I wish to take it at this time. I want it to still carry its signs of age. Without further a do, let’s move on to the camera.

The camera:

I have decided to totally dismantle the camera and work on it bit by bit. In this case there is not a great deal to dismantle.

Unclip this spring inside the body
Off pops the entire mirror and optics head
Loosen the spring to release both optics

Firstly I release a retaining clip inside of the main body and this releases the “Viewing head” on top of the camera. This part of the camera contains the mirror that has become detached, and two glass optics that complete the viewer section of the camera. There is a single spring structure that holds both pieces of glass in place, release this and they just fall out. Easy.

All the glass and mirror removed
Rear of the mirror, caked in muck
Rear of mirror has cleaned up nicely

I’ve started by placing the three optical items above in a mild warm detergent soak. I will leave these there for about an hour, in hope that a soak will help in cleaning that muck off the back of the mirror. The two other optics are in great condition and I’m sure the soak and then a final rinse will be all that they require. This treatment worked just fine, and now onto the next part.

Next I’ve removed the shutter mechanism from the camera body.

Front view
Rear view
Taken apart
The camera has a beautifully simple mechanism that is a work of art to look at
Here is a very small video showing the simplicity of this shutter mechanism

A The mechanism is beautifully simple and is such a lovely piece of work to look at. To think im probably the first person to look in here in the last 70 years is special. All I’m going to do here is very carefully get rid of as much old ingrained dirt as possible and very gently clean the shutter leaf. I will use a minuscule amount of clock oil on the mechanism only, I will use some fine graphite dust on the actual leaf part of the shutter.

Gently does it, in minute quantities

The lens and mechanism have been cleaned now and reassembled, all tested, and working as expected.

The body work is fine apart from some small chips and paint flakiness. I’m going to retouch these missing areas with some enamel paint and a bit of thickener to enable me to obtain the stipple effect of the original paint job. Then I will finish with a nice black polish.

Touching up missing paintwork, mechanism now attached to body

Let’s now get the mirror back in place and the head back on the camera unit.

Mirror and optics all in place

And that’s it. Apart from a little polish we are now done here

Before and after

Result:

I’ve put quite a bit of work into this little camera. Some people will ask why bother as it was only a cheap mass produced camera? Well, I like it, it’s a lovely little camera and it deserves to be displayed. Now, as it’s also working it’s a big bonus. It gives me something to do, and it’s how I relax, as I’ve been shoulders deep in DIY at home recently and doing my shifts at work, so this is a welcome distraction for me.

All done, just needs a polish once the paint is dry
In its 70 year old leather jacket – nice

So that’s another one saved from scrap. This camera will now go into storage where I will vacuum pack it with some silica packets to prevent it from getting damp. I’m surprised just how good this camera “smells” considering its age, there is no mustiness at all compared to some cameras I get from this era.

Many thanks for popping by, you know it is always very much appreciated.

Have a super day.

The garden gathering

In a post I put up a few days ago I did mention that the wife had decided to invite some friends and family around for a gathering we usually have at the end of the football season, (Time goes so fast….) to either celebrate our success or to drown our sorrows. This year it was the latter as we were miserably incapable of putting on a decent show as a competitive team this season.

I stated that I had to put up the gazebo, due to the forecast saying there would be rain. I should have known better, as we are in a Bank holiday weekend it was bound to rain, I wasn’t wrong. Everyone had been invited around to help us celebrate/commiserate and to have a drink and something to eat, we also decided to incorporate a darts competition into the evening for a bit of fun.

Gazebo up and connected to the garden pub, bring on the rain!

The gazebo was suitably decorated with some football banners, food was in good supply in the house and a list of people who wanted to take part in the darts competition was drawn up.

The actual competition was a knockout format, and to add a little bit of extra fun I told everyone they had to have their photos taken in the pairs that they would be playing in, for this I had decided to use two of the “instant” Polaroid type cameras that I had recently repaired. My niece that I passed the first one I fixed on to, was more than happy to assist here.

The nights activity in miniature Polaroids

Pictures taken, lots of laughter and a lot of raised voices and joking about the competition began, 18 people took part and it was chaotic to say the least.

Games underway.

We eventually made it to the final with my nephew and cousin in the final, the younger talent shone through and young “J” won the competition.

Final pairing and the overall winner

I now have 38 fantastic little photos that really show the fun and spontaneity of the evening. We are going to get these into either an old style album or put them up on a board displayed somewhere around the house. Good old physical photos, on show just as they should be, not tucked away unseen on someone’s smartphone never to be seen by anyone else. At least people can look at these and say, “that group of people know how to enjoy themselves.”

I fallen in love again with this style of photo.

An interesting aside came from using these cameras. One other young family member loved these cameras so much she went onto a sale site and brought a broken one before approaching me and asking if i could fix it when it arrives. How could I turn that offer down so I had to agree. My brother in law who was there back in the day of the original Polaroid, wants me to get and fix an original one for him, it’s amazing just how young and old alike were totally impressed by this mode of photography, memories were rekindled, and memories were made….and I’ve got myself some work to do so I’m happy.

Another thing that made the wife and I extremely happy, is when one of the guests, our neighbours to be precise, brought us a gift for our pub which is totally Leicester city football club themed.

Our very generous gift from our neighbours

Last week i wrote of our captain and greatest player playing his last game for us : Jamie Vardy’s having his final party they brought us a shirt they had got signed by him and labelled up with the numbers he had achieved. I guess it helps that our neighbour actually works for the club, either way it was a superb gift that is very much appreciated.

So why are we looking at leaving this area, I don’t know 🤷‍♂️ our neighbours are just superb people. It’s going to be hard to match them anywhere else.

It’s been quiet in the vicinity today as I suspect there are a few sore heads as the last couple didn’t leave until about 3am this morning, we’ve spent most of the day cleaning up and had to get the gazebo and extra bits down and put away as they are coming to take the photos on Tuesday. I’m working late shifts so I’m not going to be around so I’ve got to do as much as I can to help prior to the full estate agent process kicking in.

Anyway, a great night was had by all, we have some super memories and meeting up with family and friends is always an enjoyable experience at gatherings such as this.

Have a superb weekend.

Polaroid Snap camera

What the listing stated:

Untested

EBay

Hmm….EBay untested, the number one way to try and flog knackered crap without accepting any responsibility. Caveat emptor as they say “Buyer beware”. Hey, I’m a rebel it might even work…who knows?

The camera I have purchased

About this camera:

The new Polaroid Snap camera attempts to recapture the fun of instant photography, but with a modern, digital twist. 

The Polaroid Snap prints out 2×3 inch photos straightaway using ZINK (Zero Ink) technology, and can even store a back up of the photo you’ve just printed on a memory card. The ZINK paper also has an adhesive backing so you can also use each print as a sticker if you wish. 

You don’t however get a rear screen, or an electronic viewfinder. There’s also relatively few changes you can make to settings. The Polaroid Snap is available in four different colours, with one of its unique selling points being a relatively low price (£89 in the UK). 

This cost doesn’t take into account the price of supplying it with the paper which you need to print your, er, prints though. 

The Polaroid Snap has a 10 million pixel sensor, and a fixed length lens. It was designed by the Ammunition firm, which has made its name working with the likes of Beats by Dre, Square, Lyft and other big brands.

Amy Davies – photography blog

The fact this camera has gone at such a low price speaks volumes to me. I suspect it has numerous issues. I have recently been working on a number of these “Instant” cameras namely the Fujifilm Instax range that are quite good to be honest on a similar photo output size of 3×2 inches. I’ve decided to have a look at the original Polaroid-range and this Snap camera became available. I believe these cameras came out circa 2016. The difference between this and original Polaroid cameras is that this one uses a 10mp camera and uses an additional SD card. With this camera you can also frame your shot using a number of different add ins and print using Polaroids Zink paper. The paper is a thermal type, and the picture quality is not all that brilliant if what I have read is to be believed. This camera is a bit more “advanced” than the basic Polaroid of the 70s, hence there is a bit more that can go wrong with it.

It originally retailed at £89GBP and is now discontinued. Current prices are between £20-£40GBP and I’ve purchased this one with postage for a total outlay of £10:94GBP. Film prices are similar to that of the Instax range.

Now we can do an assessment of what has arrived.

Assessment:

This camera is dated inside as November 2016, so it is currently a youngster at only 8.5 years of age.

It’s arrived and it’s a nice little unit. A little unclean but this will buff up ok. The battery is dead, but once I plug in a micro USB it’s charging ok.

Charging indicator

The port looks fine so there is no issue here. I open the back and whoops! There is some film inside but I hope this doesn’t fog! This is a film that uses a thermal printing process, but does still have its sensitivities. And in the SD card slot is an 8GB card, so for the price I’ve paid for this unit the card is a superb bonus.

All lights up
Smart look
8Gb Sd card – Bonus
8.5 yrs old

And as I’m impatient, I switch the camera on after a short charge and I take a photo, after adjusting a few settings the printer kicks into life and a picture starts to appear.

We have a picture

There were only two film pieces inside and I suspect they have been in there a few years as they are yellowed through age and this is noticeable on the rear where they are very yellow. I’ll have to get some new film to test for real.

So, at the moment it’s all looking very promising, the picture isn’t brilliant quality but that has always been an issue with these units, however I believe a copy is saved to the SD card so you’d always have a reference. The printer is a bonus I guess, for printing out those special moments that you want to see instantly just like good old Polaroids. As for repairs I suggest at this point there is very little wrong with this unit. I do though have to explore its functionality and settings and do some reading up on the basics. When I’ve done that I’ll have a better idea.

I’ve checked the SD card and can confirm it is taking pictures without the need for paper and saving to the SD card as it should. It did also contain 110 pictures of what looked like holiday photos from the original owner. I have contacted the previous owner and they have stated the photos aren’t required so i have reformatted the card. There lies the security issues with selling such items and not checking prior to sending off to strangers, it really is basic security folks, delete and format before selling anything to anyone.

The only items that seem to be missing from this unit are the charging/transfer cable of which I have quite a few, and a magnetic lens cover that really isn’t necessary. Other than that it’s a complete unit.

Repair:

The battery has been left to charge, and this has been achieved with no issues at all. All indications are as expected.

All charged – no issues there

The unit has been cleaned and this has come up lovely, I know the actual camera works as viewing the results on the SD card confirms this, and for a 10mp camera the results aren’t all that bad.

I now just need to get some film to check out all the features that are available, only then can I really say the camera is working.

There are only really six options available here on the camera, via the dial on the top you have the choice of black and white, sepia effect or full colour, and on the next button you have a choice of with or without the Polaroid type frame, hence that is your six possible options. I’ll show some examples of each below.

Colour – frameless and Polaroid frame
Black & White – frameless and Polaroid frame
Sepia – frameless and Polaroid frame

Result:

What a cracking little unit.

And it’s working
Looking pristine and clean

As basic as basic can be but a great fun item all the same. Nothing technically wrong with it and sold as untested just because the owner couldn’t be bothered to charge it and check it over. Their loss is my gain to be honest, and I inherited an 8GB Sd card as well, one of those rare occasions that you buy such an item and it falls in your favour. I deserve one of those moments to be honest, most of my purchases are faulty junk. This makes a pleasant change.

Im keeping this, for the while. There may be another youngster in the family interested in this one. I’m looking at obtaining the next one up in this range to see the differences, and the advancements that they have incorporated. (It must be broken of course 🙂)

Thanks for passing by, as always much appreciated.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 7+

What the listing stated:

Fujifilm Instax Mini 7+ Instant Film Camera Not Working Spare/Parts. When batteries are inserted into the machine, lots of clicking noises can be heard from the battery compartment. The camera button functions do not work and therefore I am selling this as spares and repairs.

EBay

I enjoyed my last repair on one of these cameras so much that I just had to buy another. You can read about that repair and the issues I encountered here: Instax Mini 8

Nice example. And no battery contamination

Here’s a little about this camera:

With its LED-indicating exposure meter manual exposure controls and automatic flash adjustments the MINI 7+ produces well-lit pocket-sized photographs. Easily shoot in-focus snapshots using the 0.37x real image viewfinder with target spot controls and a 60mm lens with a selfie mirror for in-frame portraits. With a shooting range of 23.6 and beyond the MINI 7+ is ideal for close-up portraits and close environments.

T’internet

I believe this camera was released around 2020 so it’s not that old. This particular unit is also missing the battery cover which is a bit of a pain in the Ass, however cheap replacements are available but not matching the cameras colour. Am I bothered? Of course I’m not, as long as it works I’ll be happy. I could even paint it up, that might be interesting.

This unit has cost me the grand total of £8:69GBP my Mini 8 project cost me £11:45GBP so I’m very happy with this price. The value may rise slightly as I will have to purchase a new battery cover.

Anyway, let’s wait for its arrival.

Assessment:

The camera has arrived and it is in good overall cosmetic condition. A bit of dirt on the back near the film counter, but this should clean off ok. There is a gaping hole where the battery cover should be, a pain yes, but I can always source a new one from somewhere.

Generally clean

The good news is that there is no contamination on the battery contacts, they are absolutely fine. When batteries are inserted the transport runs, but it runs too long, and then a red light shows at the end of it’s movement, and no buttons work, in theory it’s dead at this point.

A little movement of the camera and you can tell that something is rattling around inside, so something has definitely come loose or broken from within.

Let’s get it open and have a look.

Repair:

I’ve sourced a replacement battery cover however it’s in China and I’m probably not going to see it any time soon, maybe not even until next month. I’m not going to order just yet until I know if this unit is repairable. But as soon as I get an inkling that it might be repairable I’ll order it.

The replacement cover. It’s white. My camera is purple. Time to get creative.

Next I’m going to open the camera up to see what the source of the ratting sound is.

These are the items that are rattling inside once I have opened up.

The rattling suspects

One of the items i recognise is the spring that comes from the operating button, the other part is broken off of something, i will have to look through the mechanism of a donor camera i have to see if i can find a part that matches. And I’ve found it. It appears to be a film transport mechanism buried deep in the workings that had broken and become jammed.

Top, the broken piece and below the replacement part
Top the replacement part, and below the found broken part

The part is a right pain in the ass to replace, as it has to be in the absolute perfect position within all the cogs, and there is no reference to how the cogs sit. You have to reassemble most of the camera to test, then open it up again to make fine adjustments.

Capacitor sits underneath this battery housing
The replacement part sits under this cog housing on the top right.

So far I have done this about four times, and I still have to open it and do it again. Once again I’ve managed to twice make contact with the flash charging circuit giving myself a right quick electric wallop.

A nice impression of the two flash test probe points I seem to keep touching

I have learned my lesson though and am now employing capacitor discharge probes every time i remove the batteries, as I say in the website intro pages, don’t do as I do. I’m an idiot. These capacitors maintain about 300v to power the flash, believe me it’s a very quick jolt, but it’s a painful one. You certainly know it has happened, be safe, don’t be like me.

Capacitor discharge probes – use them!

I’m holding back on ordering the battery cover at this moment until I can confirm that the cogs and transport system are working in harmony with each other.

On my sixth attempt at lining up the cogs and transport system I believe I have it set correctly. I’ve compared the transport with another similar camera and it duplicates its workings perfectly. It operates well and there are no fault lights showing. The movement is free and unobstructed. I’m happy that the camera is now repaired so I will now go ahead and order the battery cover. The cover has cost a total of £3:12GBP including postage and that puts the total cost of this project up to £11:81GBP compared to my previous project cost for the Instax 8 of £11:45GBP, so I’m pleased with that, as costs are very similar. Oh, and I best get some more film to test it out as well. It isn’t classed as working in my eyes until I see some photographic proof.

Result:

This is my second repair of a camera in the Instax range and the most challenging to date. It’s been great to work on and as usual I have learned a lot about how these cameras work inside. I’m glad I had an old camera to call on for spares as that has proved invaluable in this case. In the past I think I just would have given up on a full repair and junked the camera as many people seem to do, however these cameras are very repairable, desired by the younger folk, and worth designating some time to as they can be saved. There are a lot of non working examples available out there at a fraction of the cost you’d pay for a new working unit. (Money to be made in my own personal point of view)

The unit has polished up very well and looks lovely.

And it works….

And it works just fine
Pictures as expected

I’m so pleased with this camera, it’s taken a lot of time and head scratching but we got there in the end, and it is as good as new. I’m still awaiting the battery cover, and we have guests coming around today so I’m going to use this for some random photos. Just got to make sure I don’t let the batteries fall out. Once again we’ve saved another unit from landfill and that is the big win here.

Three weeks later the battery cover has arrived from China. Perfect fit.

Camera complete

Many thanks to my lovely missus for allowing me to take photos. Rare because she hates having photos taken.

Thanks for passing by, as always it is very much appreciated.

Sangamo Weston Master V light meter

What the listing stated:

Sangamo Weston Master V  Exposure Light Meter includes Invercone & Cases The exposure meter is not working The invercone will also fit the Weston IV

EBay

Weston V light meter and Invercone

I have brought a little item from my past history here, going way back to the days when you had to work out the light levels in photography for yourself. The exact date of this unit is unknown, however it was manufactured between 1963 and 1972. That’s two years prior to my birth and up to the age of when i was 7 years old. And I was using them when I went into photographic work approximately ten years later. These units were made to last and did their job well, hence their longevity. I’ve paid the total cost of £8:40GBP and that includes postage. I’m surprised to be honest as not only is it the light meter, but also an Invercone (I’ll explain later) and two cases. An absolute bargain in my eyes as the Invercone itself, in a case can sell for more than I’ve paid for the entire package today. Oh, and it doesn’t work and to be totally honest I don’t think I will be able to get it working ever again, as the suspected component fault is one of those little things that are only dealt with by specialist craftsmen. Add to that the problem of locating a replacement piece, as they are nigh on impossible to obtain, or in layman’s terms, as rare as hens teeth.

But I have read about people reviving these parts and I’m going to give that a try. If I’m unsuccessful it will be a nice piece to get mounted into one of those box frames as a historic photographic memento.

What is this part you’re referring to?

A light meters main purpose is to react to available light and direct the photographer toward making a decision regarding the settings for his camera. Things like ASA, shutter speed and f stop settings.

Therefore it needs something to sense the light. It’s not a solar panel, these were not invented back then, but it was a similar system and it was called a selenium light sensitive cell. When exposed to light, the cell generates a small electric current that deflects the needle of an ammeter coil within a strong magnetic field. The whole system is basically a Selenium cell, a resistor and the ammeter coil. The lightmeter is entirely dependent on the light sensitivity of the selenium cell for accuracy. Over many years the selenium cell ages and degrades to the point that it just stops working. It dies. Its main cause for demise is usually moisture getting into the workings and causing degradation at the contact points on the Selenium cell.

There are a number of posts/sites I have visited that claim you can revitalise these items, however I am sceptical at this. There seems to be only one person in the uk that seems to totally replace these items and that is a guy called Ian Partridge, who I believe charges around £90GBP for a repair and his site can be found Here. A fully working serviced unit can sell for up to £189:00GBP.

I’m not doing that. No way. I’m going to see if I can even get it slightly working, I’m never going to use it seriously again but I’d at least like to see the needle moving without causing any damage to its original design.

Is that the only potential issue?

No of course not. There is one other potential reason why it is not working and that is related to the ammeter coil, the axis on which the needle moves, sometimes it can become stuck, if this is the issue then happy days, the fix would be a lot easier. However this is me, and things are never that easy for me 😂

There is also a fine tuning screw on the rear that someone may have been a little bit too enthusiastic with, in the past.

And of course. The pointer lock on the side of the unit could have been simply left on. Now wouldn’t that be nice and easy?

So what’s this Invercone thing you’re going on about at the beginning?

It’s that weird shaped piece of plastic with a bit of metal on it, in the pictures above.. it assists greatly in incidental lighting conditions where there is a back lit scenario.

The inverted cone shape is designed so that as the meter is angled to the light source, the readings remain accurate which they would not do if it were a dome. And because backlight effects the exposure, a small part of the invercone sticks-out beyond the top of the meter case to pick any such light up.

westonmeter.org.uk

A little history lesson…

Sangamo Weston was a company that made light meters, among much other electrical equipment. It is particularly known for the Weston Master series of selenium meters.

The Weston Master V was produced in the UK from 1963 to 1972. It was Model S461 in the UK and Model 748 in the US

Weston was founded by chemist Edward Weston—no relation to the famous photographer—who held many patents for electrical inventions, from permanent magnets through cellulose manufacturing, dynamos, arc and filament lights and the magnetic-drag speedometer to electrical measurement instruments (and even US 895218 – a fruit box!). Weston’s son, Edward Faraday Weston, applied for a U.S. patent on the first Weston exposure meter, granted as No.2016469 in October 1935. This was a cylindrical case with an electrical meter at one end, and an iris at the other; an adjustable scale around the meter opened and closed the iris, and showed the exposure. 

Sangamo was originally “Sangamo Electric Co.”, in Springfield, Illinois. It set up a British subsidiary in 1921. Sangamo acquired the Weston Electrical Instrument Co. in 1936.

Since Weston was one of the first makers of light meters, before film speeds were standardised, Weston had its own film speed scales.

At some point, Weston products were distributed by Ilford in the UK. The company was bought out by Schlumberger in 1976, but still exists, making electrical timers.

The EuroMaster light meter, very close to a Weston design, was later made by a company called Megatron.

Camera-wiki.org

Assessment:

For those who have made it this far, well done and thank you. Let’s have a look at what has arrived and assess the overall condition. It’s taken some time to arrive what with there being two recent bank holidays closely placed in proximity to each other in the calendar. Translated that means the UK comes to a halt during this period, whilst everyone gorges on poorly cooked barbecued food in bad weather whilst drinking too much alcohol.

And some of us are just working. Most annoying.

Anyway enough of the whining, here’s the assessment:

The meter has arrived and is in an excellent cosmetic condition, it came in a small leather case with a lengthy string neck strap. It’s all original and is still marked up with the original owners details on a small label. The Invercone is just what it is, a piece of shaped nylon/plastic and not much to rave on about. It is as it is, in good condition and also in a small leather case.

Original case
Excellent cosmetic condition

The calculator panel on the front is undamaged and in full working order, the light baffle on the rear is also operating as it should and the info panel under the viewing glass changes as the baffle is operated. The pointer lock is operating as is the fine tuning screw on the rear.

Baffle closed
Baffle open

There is a very slight movement when exposed to intense sunlight with the baffle open or closed however it is only very slight. It struggles to move past the zero indicator on the scale, hence as described it is safe to say that it is not operating as it should. We will have to look inside to see if there are any obvious issues, however I strongly suspect it is related to the Selenium cell. I would like to see if we can get this operating, I’m not overly worried about its accuracy as I’d just like to see it move through its entire range. It would be good to see if it is at all possible to revive a “dead” light meter. We can only learn from dismantling and investigating such items.

Repair:

I’ve left the unit in sunlight for a few days, as this has been known in some rare cases to just kick start it back into life. That doesn’t seem to have worked in this case so let’s have a look inside.

Remove securing thumb screw
Remove two nuts
Case lid lifts off
Carefully remove fascia plates
Remove sliding needle lift mechanism and expose selenium cell
Cell, armature ring and ammeter coil removed
Cell connecting ring cleaned
Cell contact ring, cleaned and renewed

The whole unit came apart quite easily to expose the selenium cell deep in its workings. Using a multimeter on the cell, indicated life in the item as values changed as the cell was moved from the dark into the light and vice versa so I am confident there is some life still present in this cell, but is it sufficient to power the meter? I have then used the lowest Ohms setting available and put the negative lead on the magnetic case (Ground) of the ammeter coil and the positive lead on the wire connected to it and there is no movement at all. This indicates to me that the ammeter coil is at fault and unresponsive to any voltage, I believe this is the problem and at this point the repair is not possible. I have cleaned the cell connecting ring to the point that it is now shining and free of any age related contamination. The contact ring on the cell itself I have revitalised with a metallic silver pen. I have checked continuity and that is also good and acceptable. One thing I did not see in this model was the use of a resistor that is used in most selenium cell light meters between the cell and the ammeter coil, maybe there was never one used within this range of meters, I’ll have to check that out. I have checked this out via numerous sources and it appears the Weston light meters never had a resistor placed in line at any point, so that has cleared that question up. This unit is dead due to a faulty ammeter coil.

Result:

The unit is cosmetically very good and I believe the actual selenium cell is functioning but at an exceptionally low level. The tests on the meter ammeter coil have come back negative indicating that there is no life in this part of the meter. I suspect the fine wires on the coil are possibly damaged. The only way I can get a working unit would probably be to obtain another faulty unit to transplant parts, I may well do that in a later post.

I hate not getting the fix done, however this unit is in excess of 50 years old and to be honest the odds were stacked against me from the start. I did state that I may actually mount this item in a frame as a photographic art piece, that may still happen but I’d love to prove the original cell is still functional if I can. Maybe I just might buy a donor unit to test my theory on.

I’ve learned a lot from this post on the repair and dismantling of these units so that is a big positive. Knowledge is always king as they say.

It will not go to landfill. It will be reused in some form, you may even yet see a follow up post regarding it.

Thanks for passing by, it is always very much appreciated.

Fuji Finepix S1500

I purchased this item from EBay in April 2024 and have only just got around to finishing what had been a draft post put together all that time ago. I had written about it briefly in this earlier post Fuji Finepix S1500

A little bit about this digital “Bridge” camera

Successor to the S1000FD (at the time the world’s smallest 12x zoom camera), the FinePix S1500 is the latest in a long line of very compact SLR-styled big zoom cameras designed to appeal to those wanting a lot of lens on a tight budget. The big change is the inclusion of optical (CCD shift) image stabilization, making the long zoom a lot more usable in less than perfect light, and for the money you’re getting a lot of features – including full photographic controls and a 7.5fps burst mode (at reduced resolution) – in a lightweight package. Price on the market back in 2009 was £219:00GBP

DP Review

Assessment:

This camera was launched in 2009. The unit has arrived and is cosmetically tidy, however when you open the battery door the issue is obvious, two of the contacts are badly corroded and despite some initial cleaning there is no continuity and no power present. The unit is very much dead and not working.

A tatty and unloved camera

The issue with these units is that the power chambers are hard to access and to get to the point where the battery connectors are, you have to remove the powerboard assembly and this involves de soldering a number of points. There does not however appear to be any major signs of corrosion on the visible side of the board, when it’s removed it may reveal a darker issue hidden below.

Power board assembly

It’s going to be no easy task but I may look at running six volts from the bench power supply to a point on the power board assembly to see if I can breathe life into this camera. I don’t want to waste time in the battery terminal area if there are issues elsewhere on the unit.

The corrosion on this camera is horrendous

Repair:

Looking at the boards again I am not going to pay them any further attention. The contamination has not reached under them and is isolated to the battery chamber so that’s where I will concentrate on.

I’ve started with the contacts on the battery door, as you can see above, they are particularly bad and have no continuity through them.

Corroded door
Contaminated contacts
Badly corroded
All clean

When reassembled the door section looks good, it will just need a good clean at the end.

Before and after

Rather than dismantle the whole camera, and because I know there is no contamination on the main board I was able to get down into the battery chambers with a steel braid pen that I have, that allows me to gradually scrape off the contamination. Followed off with a good chamber clean of Isopropyl alcohol, I was able to get the remaining acid contamination out of the camera.

Attacking the contamination in the battery chamber

Result:

Once I did all of this I paid some more attention to the exterior using some car cockpit polish, this removed those horrid white sweat marks you see on the faux leather coverings of these older cameras, and it came up quite well and had a lovely vanilla smell to it .

Looking mighty good….and clean
Polished

I have turned it on and hey presto we have life. Everything is working as it should. It’s a 10 Megapixel camera and I have a 1Gb Sd card installed and it is taking pictures as expected.

And it works

Nothing more really to say about it, it cost me about £6:00GBP spares and repairs as it was totally dead, thankfully we’ve managed to get it working instead of breaking it up for spares that would more than likely never be used anyway.

Finished item

This unit is of no real use to me, so I will get it up to our local Hospice shop for them to sell on.

LOROS our local Hospice

Even if they only get a few pounds for it, it will benefit someone who needs the help and assistance.

So another item saved from the scrap heap. Might be of use to someone.

Thanks for passing by.