Tag: Slr

Minolta 110 zoom Mk1 SLR

The world’s first SLR 110 format film camera. A strange creation that has its issues, from 1976-79. Can it be resurrected and put back to use?

What the listing stated:

The Untested MK1 1970s Minolta 110 Zoom SLR is a vintage film camera that comes with a case and strap, making it easy to transport and store. This compact camera from Minolta features manual focus and is designed for 110 film in a 13x17mm format. The black-coloured body gives it a classic and timeless look, perfect for film photography enthusiasts looking to experiment with older technology.

With its retro charm and unique capabilities, this Minolta 110 Zoom SLR offers a glimpse into the photographic world of the 1970s. Untested

EBay

Yes you did read right, this is a 110 format camera with SLR. Now, I have had this camera sitting amongst my backlog for a few months now, it was purchased towards the end of 2025. I believe I paid the sum of £14:00GBP for it, and considering current prices on the sales sites it’s quite the bargain I think.

Minolta 110 zoom Mk1

The reason I’m looking at this one is because I have been approached by someone to repair their one, now before I look at their issue (a stuck mirror) that seems to be a standard issue with this model, I want to look at my own one that I believe may well have the same issue. It’s best to learn how to deal with the issue on your own unit, before being let loose on someone else’s.

However, saying that, the listing was a little vague with only the standard “Untested” EBay catch all quote meaning it could be anything between a total wreck, to working perfectly.

Here’s some information regarding this camera:

The Minolta 110 Zoom SLR is a 110 format single-lens reflex (SLR) camera produced by Minolta of Japan between 1976 and 1979. It was the first SLR in 110 format. It has an unusual, flattened shape. Other 110 SLRs were shaped like SLRs in larger formats, but the 110 Zoom SLR took the flat format of the typical 110 pocket camera and added a larger lens and prism hump to it. 1979’s replacement, the Minolta 110 Zoom SLR Mark II, has a more conventional shape.

The 110 Zoom SLR provides aperture priority autoexposure; fully manual exposure is not available.  Light metering is with a CdS meter mounted on the front of the camera. An exposure compensation dial allows the photographer to compensate for unusual lighting situations; it also allows the use of film speeds other than the ISO 100 and 400 auto-selected by the cartridge tab, by applying the appropriate compensation factor.

The lens is a fixed 25–50 mm f/4.5-16 manual focus zoom with macro focusing down to 11 in (280 mm). This gives a field of view range approximately equivalent to a 50–100 mm zoom lens on a 35 mmformat camera. There is a built-in, pop out lens shade. The filter thread diameter is 40.5 mm. Minolta sold UV, yellow and 1B filters.

Available shutter speeds are 1/1000 second through 10 seconds, with a 1/150 second X-sync speed and support for bulb exposure. There is no built-in flash, but a hot shoe on the top allows an external flash to be attached. A tripod socket is provided.

Wikipedia

Let’s get the assessment out of the way.

Assessment:

The camera has arrived. And the most annoying thing about it, is that it appears to be working just fine. I have been through every possible combination of settings available, hoping to get the mirror to stick up (as is common with these cameras) but to no avail. Everything appears to be working just fine. Damn that’s annoying as the “untested” EBay get out clause used so often by questionable sellers, has on this occasion gone in my favour. If you refer to the opening paragraphs, you will see I wanted to work on this one to diagnose an issue that a potential customer has asked me about. I may well just send him this working one in exchange for his knackered one, how’s that for service!

Anyway, here is what I received, in a black Minolta case, it has been well looked after and is just a bit dirty and in need of a clean.

All in a good, just dirty/dusty condition

Lovers of lomography really rate these cameras, the 110 film cartridge is quite an expensive outlay these days and from what I can see with film costing about £9:00GBP for a roll and then about £18:00GBP for developing and scans only, you are looking at quite an outlay of almost £30:00GBP for the results. I don’t think I will be attempting this unless I come across a less expensive option, as I’m sure there will be one out there….somewhere.

So, with not much more to tell, let’s move on to getting it repaired….or should that be cleaned?

Repair:

Closer inspection of the lens when I’m cleaning shows me that there is a small area on the outer optic of the lens that has a solitary spore of fungus. It’s nothing too much, however a quick clean of the exterior of the optic, confirms the issue is inside. I’ve now got to dismantle the lens barrel to get to it.

Exterior of barrel dismantled
Fungus under the lens in the 11pm area

The fungus is on the rear, not the front of the outer optic.

Viewed from outer
Viewed inner
Light dust off
The fungus spore magnified

The bad news is that on close inspection and using a soft plastic pick, a tiny indentation at the point of the fungus can be felt, this shows that the fungus has eaten into the optic coating and no amount of cleaning will ever eradicate it. Two options here are a new optic, or to get the optic ground down, both totally beyond the value of the camera and to be honest totally unnecessary. The good news is that there is no fungus on the inner optics, and luckily this needs no cleaning or attention.

Inner optics clean and clear

To be totally honest, the negatives in these cameras are so small, and the outer lens magnification is probably sufficient enough to make this aberration appear as nothing more than a slight blur, if it even shows up at all! I’ll give it a good clean to prevent any further growth, and just put it back together again. There is a good possibility that a film will never be run through this camera again, even so I would like it to look as good as possible, and operate as it should, if there is even the remotest chance of a film being used in it, sometime in the distant future.

Result:

The camera has been reassembled and is looking quite nice. It’s a really weird camera. So weird that someone has offered to take it off my hands, as they believe it’s quite a novel item, so as soon as I’ve posted this report it will be winging its way to its new owner.

It’s probably best that I pass this on to someone who will either use it, or at least make a use of it should it become a display item.

Minolta 110 zoom

A nice little camera, but to be honest it’s more than likely more of a display piece rather than a working camera. It is fully operational though and has been nice to work on. I’m pleased someone else will eventually benefit from it.

Thanks for passing by, always appreciated.

Nikon F90x 35mm SLR Film Camera and MB10 battery grip

This camera influenced the partnership between NIkon and Kodak to produce one of the most expensive prosumer cameras of the 1990s. However this one is a lot less expensive but with some issues. Let’s have a look at it:

What the listing stated:

THIS UNIT IS FAULTY
SUTIBLE FOR SPARES / REPAIRS ONLY
SOLD AS SEEN

FAULTS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO,
MIRROR STICKS


COMES WITH EVERYTHING SEEN IN IMAGES

NO WARRANTY PROVIDED

EBay

Nikon F90X with MB10 battery grip

Just couldn’t let this one go. Whilst browsing the sites for my next challenge last evening, this little bundle of joy just popped from one of my preferred sellers for a quick sale, it was about 11pm and was just posted at a sale price of £30:00GBP, however with a voucher I had, I was able to secure it at £27:00GBP. Considering this is a good quality camera of the mid 90s it also comes with the added bonus of an MB10 battery grip, superb value in my eyes. A lot of camera for a very low price.

Here’s a little bit about this camera:

The Nikon F90x is a 35mm autofocus SLR using Nikon’s F lens mount. It was targeted toward the advanced amateur or prosumer; its feature set is comparable to that of Nikon’s current D100/200/300 SLRs. The name N90s was used for marketing in the United States; everywhere else, the camera was called the F90x. This camera was also used as the base for the Kodak DCS 400 series of digital SLRs.

The N90s/F90x was introduced in 1994 and discontinued in 2001. The camera’s predecessor, the N90/F90, was introduced in 1992 and discontinued in 1994. The successor to the N90s, the F100, was introduced in 1998.

Features & Specifications

Nikon N90s global naming N90S adapted into Kodak’s DCS460, a 6 Mp Digital SLR

  • Bright viewfinder with 92% coverage, .78x magnification
    • Current settings are displayed at the bottom of the finder; information area is automatically backlit in dark conditions
  • Top LCD displays current settings and facilitates changes
    • Backlit for use in dark conditions; the backlight switch is near the left die of the viewfinder
  • Cross-Type Wide Area AF System
    • Choice of wide-area or spot AF
    • One CAM246 AF sensor
    • Continuous AF mode with release priority in addition to standard AF with focus priority
  • 4.1FPS capable with continuous AF; 4.3FPS with standard AF
    • 2FPS mode available
  • 3D Matrix Meter when used with a D or G-type Nikkor lens
    • Center-weighted and spot metering are also available and usuable with AI lenses
  • 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash capability (with Nikon Speedlights SB-800/80DX/28DX/28/27)
  • Seven Vari-Programs: Portrait, Portrait with Red-Eye Reduction, Hyperfocal, Landscape, Silhouette, Sports, Closeup
    • Explained in detail in the instruction manual
  • Four exposure modes: Program, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, Manual
  • Shutter speeds of 1/8000 – 30 seconds + Bulb
  • Flash sync speed of 1/250
    • Flash sync modes: normal, slow, rear, red-eye, FP high-speed
  • Self-timer: 2-30 seconds
  • ISO/ASA Range 6-6400
  • DX-enabled (automatically reads speed information from film canisters)
  • Eyepiece shutter stops excess light from entering the viewfinder and interfering with metering
  • Overall strong build throughout (comparable to Nikon’s current D100/200/300SLRs)
    • Stainless steel lens mount
  • Requires 4 AA Batteries
  • Extensive system compatibility & accessories; see below

Accessories & Compatibility

F90X with MB-10 grip

The N90s/F90x is compatible with nearly all Nikkor F-mount lenses as well as all Nikon SB series speedlights.

Additional, camera-specific accessories available are:

  • MF-26 Multi-Control Back
    • Long Exposures to 100 hours
    • Freeze Focus: triggers the shutter as soon as a subject comes into focus
    • Custom Reset: customizes which settings are affected by the green-button reset
    • Date Imprinting: can also imprint shutter speed and aperture information
    • World Clock
    • Flash exposure compensation
    • Interval timer: up to 100 hours between pictures for 99 frames
    • Limit frame count in continuous shooting mode
    • Multiple exposures
    • Customize which settings are affected by AE-L and AF-L (auto-exposure lock and autofocus lock)
  • MF-25 Data Imprint Back
  • MB-10 Vertical Grip
    • Takes 4AA batteries or, with the MS-11 battery holder, two CR123 lithium batteries
  • Interchangeable focusing screens
    • E screen provides grid lines in the viewfinder

with 28-80mm, 20mm and 80-200mm

Lens Compatibility

  • All functions, including autofocus, work properly with Nikkor AF, AF-I, AF-D, and AF-S lenses.
  • AI and AI-S lenses are usable, with the loss of these functions:
    • Autofocus
    • Shutter-priority exposure mode
    • Programmed exposure mode
    • Vari-program exposure modes
    • 3D Matrix metering (though center-weighted and spot metering remain functional)
  • The camera does not use VR with any lens.
  • G-type lenses (lenses without aperture rings) can be used with the loss of some functionality: only the lens’ smallest aperture can be used in manual or aperture-priority exposure modes.

Camera-wiki.org

Now my experience with this seller is that unless it is absolutely perfect he will not even entertain it. He doesn’t take the time to check and fettle, if it isn’t working from the start he will just get rid of. This attitude of his has meant I’ve had some right bargains in the past with very little wrong with them. I refer you to a recent purchase Canon EOS D60 that had very little wrong with it, but was also a lot of camera for a very low price.

Now I’ve always wanted a Kodak DCS 400 series camera, especially a 460 version as it takes me back to my days when I was working at Kodak in Harrow, I remember when the DCS 400 series came out and back then they were introducing such a new technology that they were commanding a huge price of around $35,000 at the time. These cameras were basically digital versions of the film camera I have purchased above. So whilst I’m on the lookout for a reasonably priced DCS 400 series camera, I guess I will just have to do with the camera that started it all off. And for £27:00GBP I’m not complaining.

I think I may know why this mirror is sticking, and if it is what I believe it to be it could be quite an easy fix. (Famous last words)

So let’s stop all the reminiscing, and wish list writing and get on with this camera’s assessment.

Assessment:

It’s arrived, and as expected it’s a beautiful looking item in an extremely good condition.

Stunningly good condition

The mirror appears to be in a semi raised position, the battery pack is clean with no signs of contamination and battery leakage, so now seems a good time to put in four AA batteries and slide the battery pack into place and secure it.

Battery pack clean and contamination free

Turn the battery on and the mirror clicks back into its closed position. And here I am, probably 40 or 50 actuations later and I can’t recreate the sellers fault of a sticking mirror. The mode the camera is set in, is indicating long exposure times, maybe this has given the impression of the mirror sticking when in fact it’s just doing what it should relative to the light it is seeing. I need to check in clear daylight, but I’m sure this is part of the issue….if there is one.

With a 28-100 lens added

I have a 28-100 lens mounted that I use for testing, the autofocus is working really well and all seems good.

However, take a look at the picture below. It contains two photos of the LCD screen on the top of the camera. What do you see in the top photo that would make you think there is an error?

Is that an error?

For the un-informed, those who are not familiar with this camera or its operation, you will instantly see the letter “E” that is commonly known as an error indicator, in later models it is shown as “ERR”. I do believe the seller has possibly mistaken this for an error code, but if you refer to the bottom photo where I have now installed a test film, it becomes clear that the “E” on this camera represents the word “empty”. No film installed, a simple and easy to make mistake. The bottom picture indicates a film is installed and that 4 exposures have been taken.

As these cameras have in the past been known to have a mirror sticking issue, I will replace the mirror bumper felt. It is well known that when the felt has deteriorated to such a level, the felt becomes sticky, and the mirror just sticks to the felt when it opens. It’s an age related issue that is easy to repair. Even though I have not experienced it with this unit, I will replace it as it will probably fail at some point. I will also check the light seals and replace them if I deem this necessary.

Repair:

The light seals do not need replacing. In fact there are only two small spots of light seals on this camera and both are in good condition.

The two areas where there is light seal – with no issues

However the bumper seal was showing signs of degradation, so this has been replaced.

Old seal
Removed

The old seal peels out but leaves a sticky residue behind, this has to be removed with some IPA prior to cutting new foam to size and reinstalling. Whilst I was in the lens are I also removed the focussing screen to clean it and remove the old ingrained dust and dirt.

New bumper foam installed
Focus screen removed to clean
Some of the dirt and debris from inside

The area within the mirror area is now clean and dust free after I have used a small air blower to get the last of the debris out of the barrel area. Mirrors have been cleaned and polished and the body cap has been put back on the front of the camera to ensure no further dirt or contamination gets in there whilst I work on the outside.

I’ve printed a hot shoe flash cover purely for aesthetic reasons, I’ve also printed a sync cable cover, for similar reasons, but generally just to ensure any open and exposed areas are covered up. It does make it look a lot nicer.

Hotshoe connector
Hotshoe cover in place

The sync cable cover also helps keep the exterior tidy as well as protecting the connector.

Without
With

All I need to do now is clean the exterior of the camera where there is some light dust and dirt. When this is done I will use my usual car cockpit polish to finish the camera off.

When that’s done I will do a quick fly through of all the settings to check if they are all functioning as they should.

Result:

The camera has cleaned up very well and looks glorious. All settings are functioning as expected, and there have been no issues with a sticky mirror or any other issues. The camera is just working well and doing exactly what it should be doing.

A lovely looking, fully functional camera

I’m using a G type lens so I’m restricted on the type of photography I can do, it stays on its lowest aperture (F:32) but that’s perfectly fine In bright sunlight conditions. I need to purchase myself another lens for testing to allow me the use of the full spectrum of apertures on this unit. That said, my lens has performed perfectly on this unit.

As I’ve stated before, this seller is one of my favourite suppliers as his cameras are always in a good condition, he doesn’t like anything unless it’s absolutely A1 perfect, so this is where i benefit as every unit I have purchased from him is perfect in my eyes, and in many cases need very little doing to them to bring them back into a working condition. This is one such unit.

So, I have yet another lovely piece of 90s “Big” tech restored and working perfectly. The next thing I need to do is to put some film through it. I’ll let you all know when I’ve done that.

Thank you for passing by, have a wonderful weekend, I really appreciate your being here.

Take care.

Canon Eos 10 test shots

Learnings from testing an old camera with expired film stock

Earlier in November 2025 i repaired a Canon Eos 10 camera from the 1990s and then took it out to test it with a roll of Kodak 400 asa film. You can find the repair here: Canon EOS 10

Canon EOS 10

The caveat is that the film expired in 2005, 20 years ago. As a result I have overexposed it at 200 asa to compensate for the deterioration in sensitivity from such a long storage period. It may work, it may not, previous tests on a 200 asa film showed that a one stop over exposure was quite sufficient. Fingers crossed 🤞 on this one.

I don’t expect anything much, I expect quite a bit of grain and a definite colour hue over the entire roll. Who knows there may be nothing on it at all 🤷‍♂️

I’ve sent the roll off to our local photo guys in Leicester : Classic Photo Supplies and hopefully something will be on the medium res scans that i have requested. If there are pictures below, then there was some success, if not, enjoy the blackness.

Well, the scans are back and to be quite honest this one is a bit of a disaster. As stated the film is over 20 years out of date and there appears to be two problems here. Underexposure is one issue, I over exposed this by one stop but I don’t even think that is enough. If I’d overexposed at 2 stops though I might have improved the brightness, the already heavy grain would have been even more exaggerated. I think it’s fair to say this 400 asa old film stock I have is passed its time and not really fit for use.

Look at the grain at plus one stop overexposure
Hello what’s that line?
Heavy grain and a magenta cast
That shutter sync problem
Slower speed, shutter ok

So. Though the results were not good and I have now realised that this old stock film is probably best for me to use as test film only. There is heavy grain, a distinct cast over the film and a quite obvious shutter curtains sync issue. These frames above a shutter speed of 500 seem to be the issue, and that is where the shutter speed has not synced the curtain, it’s definitely running slow. The film has been beneficial in identifying an issue in this part of the camera. I will now do a CLA on this camera shutter assembly to try to remedy this issue. I wasn’t using flash here, it was a dull cold English Sunday afternoon.

This is an old camera that has been sitting idle for many years, it may sort itself out after a few more rolls of film, however I can do something about it now. And this is really a lesson to be learned for anyone buying old film cameras, they do need that little bit of tender loving care to get them back into a good working condition.

I’m pleased I’ve highlighted this issue, I will get the work done to improve the shutter sync and then run another roll of film through it.

Maybe now is the time to buy a shutter speed optical tester. That may save me a bit of expense on processing costs and will also allow me to make these checks before committing to film.

Canon EOS 3000

Another entry level camera, unloved, made good

Here I have another basic, entry level camera made by Canon. Produced around 1999? this camera is probably around 26 years old. These cameras don’t have the traditional identification number printed within the film spool holder that the older cameras had, hence the precise manufacturing date is difficult to confirm.

Canon EOS 3000

This is a camera passed onto me by a good friend and professional photographer, Jon, as can be seen in this post: Cameras…i need more!

Here’s a little information about this camera:

The EOS 3000 is an autofocus SLR for 35mm film introduced by Canon in 1999. It was sold as the EOS 88 in Asia. (It was not sold in the US.) The pentamirror viewfinder and manually-activated popup flash helped keep this a lower-cost model; but a full range of autoexposure modes were included, including off-the-film flash exposure setting. Film transport is motorized and the camera requires two 3-volt CR123 lithium batteries to operate.

A compact, lightweight, low-priced SLR camera. Successor to the EOS5000, but with greatly expanded basic functions. The camera incorporates the Mode Dial and most other basic features of the EOS Kiss/EOS REBEL XS/EOS500 and includes six-zone evaluative metering linked to three focusing points. In addition, the flash is linked to the measurement point so that during shooting the flash out-put level is constantly adjusted for optimum exposure control. For reasons of cost, the flash unit is manual pop-up/retractable head type. The EOS3000 is compatible with system accessories for the Kiss and New Kiss. The high-quality design has a feel of genuine elegance.

Canon/ Camera-wiki.org

This camera was pitched at a low cost to attract people into photography, and to encourage those who were just hobbyists to upgrade to something more than the traditional point and shoots/disposables available at the time.

There is not a lot wrong with this camera as far as I can see, let’s have a look and do some tests.

Assessment:

It has a grip that’s starting to develop the sticky issue so that will need cleaning. The mirror and prism are dusty and will need a cleaning.

Sticky grip and dusty internals

Overall the condition is very good, again this was a training camera, and seems to have had a quite low usage, as there is no scratches or marks. And only one dink as such. That dink happens to be the right hand strap holder that has been bent down to a point where the rear case does not open completely, it restricts its full movement.

Strap holder bent, restricting door opening
Door doesn’t open fully

Top and bottom of camera look fine, no bleed on the LCD screen that is always a good sign

No screen bleed
Bottom clean

Battery chamber is clean and there is no contamination. This camera takes two 3v Lithium CR123A batteries. Let’s put two in to see if we have any life.

Clean chamber
Batteries installed

With the batteries installed we have a good display on the screen with no pixelation and it’s nice and clear. I install a roll of test film to see what happens. This camera winds the whole film onto the take up spool and winds back one exposure at a time. The take up when the door is closed works perfectly.

All lights up fine
Film ready to load
24 exposures loaded on to the take up spool

I then operate the shutter, to fire off the 14 exposures, all viewfinder indicators are good, with my 28-90 EF lens attached it focuses well and fires well. When the last exposure has been taken the film rewinds as expected with no issues. In reality the camera is working very well with no internal issues.

Repair:

First the dirty stuff. Let’s get that goo off of the sticky grip. I use my IPA and lint free cloth method that I posted about in a previous post here: Sticky, Rubber camera grips. This one is actually worse than I thought and has taken four applications to remove the deterioration on the grip. It feels a lot more pleasant though now that it is done.

The dirt from this grip can be seen on the cloth. Each black blob is one application

The issue with the strap lug restricting the door movement. Quite simply, a gentle movement with a pair of pliers was all that was required. Gently does it as these parts are brittle and easily broken. Don’t over do it, give up when it looks right.

A little gentle coaxing was all that was required

I’ve checked the film pressure pad and this is fine, there are no sharp ridges and the light seals are good. I don’t expect them to be bad as in theory they are not that old, they are in a good healthy condition.

I have cleaned the prism and the mirror with a swab and they are now fine. Using a B setting I have opened the mirror and curtain and used some compressed air to clean throughout. A brush blower was used with the curtain closed to clean around the film spool area and back plate. A quick final blow of the mirror and the aperture is then sealed with a cap to insure no further dirt and dust gets into the internal parts of the camera.

The final action is to use some cockpit polish to finish off the exterior of the camera.

Result:

I’ve cleaned the exterior and used some ceramic cockpit polish to finish it off, I must admit it’s looking very good.

Cleaned up lovely
Looking just gorgeous

Here I have yet another nice little camera packed with features that will make a great camera for someone to learn the basics of traditional photography with. However, it’s remaining in my collection for the while.

It’s yet another camera that I need to test, another one that needs to have a film put through it for its final test, however I am 100% confident of it’s capabilities and the fact that it operates just fine and all its settings, buttons and controls are doing exactly what they should. When I do get to put a film through, I will link to it here.

Another successful restoration and return to use of another old camera that had been put to one side. Not that this one really required a lot of attention, just a bit of servicing and tlc.

Thanks for passing by. It’s always very much appreciated

Canon EOS 500N

A nice entry level camera, from the mid 90s, now back in working order

Here I have a very basic, entry level camera made by Canon. Produced between 1996-9 this camera is currently between 26 – 29 years old. These cameras don’t have the traditional identification number printed within the film spool holder that the older cameras had, hence the precise manufacturing date is difficult to confirm.

Canon EOS 500N

This is a camera passed onto me by a good friend and professional photographer, Jon, as can be seen in this post: Cameras…i need more!

I believe this camera was previously used by a large photographic organisation, to teach staff and students wishing to learn traditional 35mm film photography techniques. It was a training camera, at entry level specs.

It is a very good example of this model of camera, and despite its simplicity, low cost appearance and feel, it is in a very good condition cosmetically.

Here’s a little information about this camera:

The Canon EOS 500N is also known as the EOS Rebel G in the Americas or the New EOS Kiss in Japan. Sometimes it’s referred to as the EOS Kiss 2 as it followed the release of the EOS Kiss in Japan. This camera was released in 1996 and replaced the EOS 500. The Japanese version of the camera had the date back as standard. Its successor was the EOS-300 / REBEL2000 / Kiss III, released in 1999.

The body of the Rebel G is plastic, weighing 370 g (13 oz). The only colors available were black or a mix of silver and black. The Rebel G has an EF lens mount making it compatible with any EF lens. The viewfinder offers a 0.7x magnification, 90% coverage, center auto focus, wide auto focus and many more. The Rebel G shooting modes consisted of 6 basic modes, full auto, portrait, landscape, macro, sports and night scene. It also has 5 advanced modes, P, Av, Tv, M, A-DEP. These modes would continue on in the Rebel G series. The camera features a built in flash, and can shoot at 1 fps. The fastest shutter speed with flash was measured at 1/90 of a second.

A few new features include compatibility with ETTL type flash. It still has the same 1/90 of a sec sync speed of the previous model, but when equipped with a Canon Speedlight such as the 380EX, 220EX it can be used at 1/2000 of a sec. Focus has improved a bit as as a AF assist light is now available. Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) can be use from -2 to ++2 in 1/2 stop increments. The command dial now has an easier to access night scene mode. The body is able to use the BP-8 vertical grip that can also accept four AA batteries.

Camera-Wiki.org / Wikipedia

Assessment:

As Stated, this camera is in a good cosmetic condition with no sign of dents, dinks or wear. Considering this was a camera used in training I can only presume the students were extremely careful and respectful, or it was lightly used. Having worked with some of these students myself, i very much suspect, it’s more than likely going to be the latter option.

There is another such unit I have of this very same camera however that is damaged with a faulty screen that requires replacement and that will be dealt with in a future post. Meanwhile, let’s get back to this one.

A sticker on the rear

There is an old ownership sticker on the rear and this is one of those old vinyl type ones that will be able to be removed, but just may take a little while, as they are brittle and break off into lots of little pieces that go everywhere.

The battery chamber is clean and there are no signs of contamination. The screen is clear and does not show any bleed, though I haven’t powered it up just yet.

Clean battery chamber
No screen bleed

The film chamber, back pressure plate and shutter curtain all appear to be in good order. Again I will further test this when I put some batteries in and run a dummy film to check transport.

Curtain and film chamber appear fine
Back pressure plate and door working fine

The unit is quite grubby and dusty, the mirror is dirty and the prism is as well. initially all looks good. Batteries, and the dummy film might tell us something different.

Repair:

Let’s get that sticker off the rear, a little soak in IPA to soften things up, and then using a small plastic modelling spatula to gently get under the label, I was able to remove the sticker relatively easily. If I’d used the metallic option I may well have scratched the casing. I’m happy that this option has worked well for me. A final clean at the end with some car cockpit cleaner should bring the detail out nicely.

Sticker now removed

Let’s get some power in, and fire this unit up. It takes two CR123A 3v lithium batteries.

CR123A batteries
We have power

Batteries in, and everything lights up, all menus function and as stated earlier their is no bleed from the LCD screen.

I load the film in and it instantly winds the whole film on to the take up spool. Here on the display, you can see that this roll is 24 exp and it has wound fully on to the take up spool. I fire off these 24 exposures to check the shutter and that fires fine, film transport also works well and the final rewind of the film at the end also works. In a nutshell, this camera works!

Film in and film out

I clean the prism and the mirror with a soft swab and you can just see the dust and dirt lift. A final brush over with a bulb blower completes this task. The internals are now clean.

It just needs a very thorough exterior clean and polish.

Result:

I’ve cleaned the exterior and used some ceramic cockpit polish to finish it off, I must admit it’s looking very good.

Here I have a nice little camera packed with features that will make a great camera for someone to learn the basics of traditional photography with. However, it’s remaining in my collection for the while.

Looking clean and presentable
From all angles a lovely clean example, operating just as it should

I’ve cleaned the camera throughout and used compressed air to finish the clean prior to sealing it from the elements. It’s yet another camera that I need to test, another one that needs to have a film put through it for its final test, however I am 100% confident of it’s capabilities and the fact that it operates just fine and all its settings, buttons and controls are doing exactly what they should. When I do get to put a film through, I will link to it here.

Another successful restoration and return to use of another old camera that had been put to one side. Not that this one really required a lot of attention, just a bit of servicing and tlc.

Thanks for passing by. It’s always very much appreciated.

Canon EOS 30

Cleaning, repair and maintenance of an old Canon EOS 30 35mm SLR

I’m calling this camera my EOS Dirty, it really is suffering a bad case of the sticky rubber syndrome that was widely experienced on cameras of this era, where the Vulcanised rubber used in its construction, had a falling out with its own internal polymers, and they then decided to part company. Creating a sticky mess. This camera is currently 25 years old, originally manufactured in the year 2000.

A lovely lump of a camera
My hand, simply after handling this camera for no more than a minute.

That said, it’s a lovely camera with a lot of features, this was pretty much one of the last 35mm cameras that Canon produced, and they threw a lot of R&D into these units prior to producing its “D” Digital offering, hence it was packed with lots of pre “D” technology. It has “Eye” control, the Eye Control focusing feature makes selective focusing quicker for many. It uses IR to detect eye movements to determine focusing areas. Up to 5 eye presets can be stored for different users. I wonder if that still works?

This dirty sticky pup, needs some heavy cleaning

Here is some information, about this camera:

The EOS 30 (or Elan 7 / Elan 7e / EOS 7 / EOS 33 in different global markets) is a Canon autofocus 35mm SLR camera that uses the Canon EF lens mount. The camera was introduced in 2000.

There are three main auto focusing modes. Automatic, manual selection focusing, and Eye Control (EOS 30, EOS Elan 7E). It was given the 7 name because it has 7 auto focus points in manual selection mode. The Eye Control focusing feature makes selective focusing quicker for many. It uses IR to detect eye movements to determine focusing areas. Up to 5 eye presets can be stored for different users. Some users with corrective lenses may experience problems using this feature. The shutter speed ranges from 30 sec. to 1/4000 sec. in 1/2-stop increments with bulb. X-sync at 1/125 sec.

Metering modes use a TTL max. aperture metering with a 35-zone silicon photocell. The included modes are evaluative, partial and center-weighted averaging metering. The measurement range is from 1 to 20 EV (at 20-degree with 50mm f/1.4 lens, at ISO 100). The ISO can be set automatically with DX-coded film at ISO 25 to 5000. Exposure compensation can be adjusted from +/-2 stops in 1/2-steps.

Exposure modes available include Program mode, shutter priority, aperture priority, Depth-of-field, Auto, scene modes with (Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Scene), manual exposure and bulb mode. Flash exposure includes modes for E-TTL, A-TTL and TTL program flash modes. The motor drive is capable of up to 4 fps. The finder has dioptre adjustments built-in with settings from -2.5 to +0.5 dpt. Two CR123A batteries power the camera.

If equipped, the QD (Quartz Date) / Date back require the use of one CR2025 coin type battery. Imprint display modes include M/D/Y, D/M/Y, Y/M/D, D/H/M and off. The last date the unit can imprint is Dec. 31, 2019

Camera wiki.org

Assessment:

As stated in the sections above, the biggest problem with this camera is its stickiness, and to be honest that is not really a problem. I have cleaned many of these in the past and this one will be no different. Here’s a post I wrote a while back about sticky camera bodies: Sticky, Rubber camera grips

This really does feel like a lot of camera. You can see the digital “thought” that the development guys introduced into this camera in preparation for the arrival of its “Digital” brothers and sisters, I’m going to have to do a bit more reading up on its full operation and capabilities. This camera is in very good condition, no dinks, dents and very few scuffs, all doors are functional and when a battery is installed (a 2CR5 – 6v lithium) everything lights up, and appears to do what it should. I will check this thoroughly though later.

The horrendously sticky areas
Rear
Mode dial
Screen

The battery chamber is clear of any contamination, and looks nice, the mirror will need cleaning and the area within it will need a blow through, the shutter curtain seems to be working well at this stage. I will test it more after the clean.

Clean battery barrel
Dusty mirror and curtain chamber

So. Let’s get on with the repair and maintenance.

Repair:

I’ve started the clean of the rubber and it is filthy. The amount of black that came off on the first clean has required me to get another cloth as it really is that bad. Another two applications and the cloth is a lot cleaner, it has removed a massive amount of goo and dirt and feels a lot better to the touch, and my hands are staying clean and that’s a good sign. I will give a final clean with the car cockpit polish that should finish it off nicely.

Looks beautiful after a proper clean

I’ve cleaned the mirror and prism above using a swab and the effect is instantaneous, there was a lot of dust here. Opening the curtain in a “B” setting I gave the whole interior a good blast with compressed air that has left the chamber as free of dust and contaminants as I can get it. With the curtain back down, a bulb blower and brush is all that was needed to complete the task. A lens mount cover is now in place to prevent anymore dirt getting in.

Transport tested

I’ve put in one of my old test films to check the camera’s function, and it’s transport & rewind, and I’m pleased to say this works just fine. At a shutter speed of 4000 I’ve never heard such a sweet sounding camera. This really feels like a lovely camera that I can’t wait to take out and run a film through.

All functions and options tested via the display screen

Going through the function screen, there are no bad pixels and all options are available. I have tested the eye control function and programmed my own profile into the camera, it does seem to be working, it might be a little hit and miss, I programmed it very quickly so maybe I just have to read up on it more, just to tweak its use as such.

All rear sub menus working, and buttons operable

All sub menus on the rear of the camera are operable and all buttons and dials are doing what they should. This camera is ready to go, and is in a perfect working order.

Result:

She’s a beauty
Canon EOS 30

This camera was probably discarded to one side when the sticky grip problem started to rear its ugly head. It really is a shame that this happens, it’s such a simple problem to eradicate. This is an absolutely superb camera and packed with technology that would eventually have gone on to be incorporated into the soon to appear professional digital offerings from Canon. For 35mm photography this was a perfect swan song, 35mm photography had peaked with this range of cameras and Canon had perfectly produced cameras that in effect had pushed this theme of photography to its highest level. It was the best of the rest at the time.

This camera deserves some respect, it feels superb in the hand, looks good, sounds terrific and performs exceptionally well. There will always be the haters out there, there always will be. But as you will have gathered, I don’t really report badly of any of my cameras as I truly love them all. They are superb items of modern and semi modern technology that have captured history. They just deserve to be preserved and protected and most of all enjoyed.

I will shortly be posting some pictures from this camera that can be found here:

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

Canon EOS 10

An old EOS 10 was in need of attention. And I was able to lend a helping hand

Here I have a Canon EOS 10, a quite superb little camera. The date code within the film barrel is HE1213, indicating that this camera was manufactured in December 1990. At the time of manufacture this camera sat firmly at the top of Canons camera tree only surpassed by the EOS1 professional camera that had been released the year earlier in 1989.

My EOS 10 35mm SLR

This camera was amongst a selection of cameras and equipment passed on to me by a good friend and professional photographer as can be seen here: Cameras…i need more!

Here is a little history regarding the EOS 10

The Canon EOS 10 is an autofocus 35mm SLR introduced in 1990. The model name was EOS 10S in the Americas, and EOS 10QD in Japan. There was a commemorative metallic-silver version introduced in 1991 to mark Canon’s 60 millionth 35mm camera sold.

The improvements over the original EOS cameras are a newly improved autofocus sensor. Focus modes include One-Shot AF for non moving subjects and AI Servo AF for moving subjects. It is able to detect and switch automatically between the autofocus modes. Shutter ranges from 30 sec. to 1/4000 sec., with B. X-sync at 1/125 sec. Similar to the EOS 750, is has a built-in flash with a guide number 12 (at ISO 100). It uses one 2CR5 lithium battery and weighs approx 625g for the body without battery.

Camera wiki.org

Assessment:

One of the nuances introduced on this camera was the barcode option. Introduced at a time where barcodes were starting to creep into our life, in a knock at Minolta and their use of specific expansion cards for specific scene settings, Canon thought it would be good to utilise barcodes that you could scan, to automatically set your camera with these options without expansion cards. Needless to say it didn’t take off and was soon dropped from later camera production. It was a sign that the development teams were looking for advancement opportunities.

That barcode mode – soon forgotten

These cameras are available at fairly reasonable prices now partly due to the dreaded sticky rubber grip issue that tends to send buyers running for the hills, god knows why, it’s an easily remedied issue that just takes a little time and patience. I did a previous post about cleaning these cameras here: Sticky, Rubber camera grips it’s all down to the polymers in the Vulcanised rubber breaking down and reacting with hand sweat and other stuff. Have a read, and never throw away a camera just because it’s sticky.

This camera has some stickiness but it is not an advanced case. It will still be cleaned in the same manner, to prevent it developing any further.

The camera is just a bit dusty and in need of a good clean. The mirror is dusty and needs cleaning, a blow out of the interior should suffice as the shutter blades are opening and closing with no issue.

Inside clean shutter blades are ok
Film plate unmarked
Mirror is dusty and requires cleaning

The battery is a lithium 2CR5 cell. The battery chamber is clean with no signs of battery contamination, this is a very good sign. When placed into the camera the screen comes on, is clear with no damage. A lens put on the front confirms that auto focus can be achieved and the camera fires and winds as expected.

Camera screen working
Battery chamber is clean
2CR5 battery cell

To be quite honest, there doesn’t seem to be a lot wrong with the camera. It really seems to be just a clean and maintenance issue. I’m going to give the camera a thorough look over, dust and clean, a thorough clean of the external rubber and finish it all of with a good exterior body treatment. I will then run a roll of used film through to check the DX reader is working, as well as the transport system. Fingers crossed nothing major raises its head during the repair process.

Repair:

Straight in and at the cleaning, and to be honest the rubber wasn’t too bad. I only used two applications and not a lot of dirt came off on either. After it has dried, it does feel a great deal better.

Heavy cleaning, wasn’t that heavy

The mirror has cleaned up nicely, so has the prism above it, however whilst in there I noticed that the mirror damper felt was failing, so this I have now removed and will have to replace prior to using as I don’t want to cause any further damage.

The missing damper felt area, highlighted in red

I’ve had to order some new material that will hopefully be here shortly, as my supply, as is always the problem lately, is in storage with all my other gear pending this house move that will probably never occur. it’s a real pain in the butt not being able to access your most required kit. Hey ho.

The light seal has arrived, and so I start by getting the damper felt put in place. First I cut it to size, remove the sticky back paper and just wipe the sticky bit with some water, this allows me a little more time to reposition it before the adhesive does its work.

Cut to size
Dampen the adhesive
Then put in place

Below is a very small video with me putting the camera into manual mode on a single exposure setting to test the actual worth of the damper foam.

All working fine

I’m happy with what has been done so far.

Strap cleaned and restored

I’ve even given the neck strap a good buff up, the rubber on it was almost white rather than black, a bit of a clean and a polish and it’s now been restored to it’s original glory.

With the new damper in place it’s now time to run a film through it, I have an old test film I use for this purpose, I’m going to set the camera to its highest shutter setting and just run the whole roll through in quick succession to check the transport and rewind.

And here is that test, it went super fine and the full roll rewound at the end.

Transport works just fine

I’ve tested all settings, shutter speeds and functions including the flash and all is as it should be. I’m happy to say that this camera appears to be in full working order.

Now for the final clean and presentation.

Result:

Well, a little bit of car cockpit cleaner has done wonders. It looks beautiful and has a nice aromatic smell as well. I know I’m biased when it comes to cameras but I think this is an absolute beauty.

All polished and looking fine
Covered from all angles looking resplendently clean and tidy

I’m really pleased with this camera, I’m heading out later today to watch a relative play football and I’m going to take this along to grab some snaps with an expired film from 20 years ago. It will be a good final test of the capabilities of this camera, and should finalise its renovation. It’s been a great camera to work on and is yet another worthy addition to my collection. I will post the photos here when they are finalised. Canon Eos 10 test shots

Thank you all for passing by, it’s always most appreciated.

Canon AE1 35mm SLR

A sympathetic restoration of a 70s classic camera.

This is a Canon AE1 that was produced around May 1977. I know this because of the date code within the spool area where the film sits. Seeing these units were produced between 1976 – 1984 this particular unit is quite an early one. It is currently 48 years old and looking very good.

Canon AE-1

This camera is part of a batch of cameras recently received from a good friend of mine Jon, who has been in the photography business for more years than he cares to remember… it’s a big number and that’s all I’m saying. I did discuss his very kind donation here: Cameras…i need more!

How did you date this camera?

Surprisingly quite easy. There is a number on most Canon cameras externally, and contrary to belief this is not the ID number, the id number we require is inside the camera, printed in the film spool bay in a very dark ink. You have to position it in the light to view it properly.

ID number in film barrel
The ID number

The number can consist of 4 or more digits. In my case the number is R519. If you go to this site by a guy called Bob Atkinson he has a chart here that explains how to source the date of your Canon Camera or lens: Bob Atkins Photography- Date codes

So using Bobs code the letter “R” refers to the year of manufacture and in this case represents 1977 or 2003 (the dates were recycled when they reached the end of the alphabet) seeing this camera’s production run was between 1976 – 1984, “R” in this case represents 1977. The next two digits represent the month of manufacture, and occasionally in months 1-9 the preceding zero was omitted. In my case considering the number 51 does not represent a Month, the zero was omitted in my case therefore making the month of manufacture “05” hence month 5 – May. So this unit was more than likely produced in May 1977. Occasionally there would be a final letter such as an “F” that would represent the factory it was made in. “F “ would have been the factory in Fukushima. See, that’s how I dated this unit. Check Bob’s site out and date your Canon equipment.

Anyway, here’s a little history about this superb little camera:

The Canon AE-1 is a 35 mm single-lens reflex (SLR) film camera for use with interchangeable lenses, manufactured by Canon Camera K. K. (today Canon Incorporated) in Japan from April 1976 to 1984. It uses an electromagnetically controlled, horizontal cloth focal plane shutter, with a speed range of 2 to 1/1000 second plus Bulb and flashX-sync of 1/60 second. The camera body is 87 mm tall, 141 mm wide, and 48 mm deep; it weighs 590 g. Most are silver, with black grip and chrome trim, but some are black with chrome trim.

Its name refers to the fact that it is an electronic camera using aperture control for automatic exposure. The AE-1 is the first SLR containing a digital integrated circuit, which allowed Canon to integrate more functionality while making the camera smaller. Both the digitally-controlled automatic exposure and the small size helped to make the camera a success: backed by a major advertising campaign, the AE-1 sold over 5.7 million units, which made it an unprecedented success in the SLR market.

Wikipedia

So there is a lot of them about, but it’s rarer now to find one in a good condition. I think I have one that is in a good condition, has very slight signs of ageing (Patina) and shouldn’t take too much effort to get it working again.

Let’s have a closer look at my inherited camera.

Assessment:

It’s been in storage within a foam lined metal box for a few years and this appears to have assisted in maintaining its overall good quality. There are a few slight signs of wear that are present as you would expect with a camera that has been well used but cared for, but there are no major dinks or signs of bits being broken. It has been loved.

Curtain clean and smooth
Silver worn, nice patina
Just a bit dusty
Just needs a good clean

Looking at the shell all the buttons are doing what they should, it’s a bit dusty and grubby and looking through the viewfinder you can see a lot of dust in the view, but I believe this is just dust on the mirror, or at least I hope so.

The camera has attached to it a Canon power winder “A” and this does not work, it has serious corrosion that I suspect that has gone behind the contacts and will need dismantling, cleaning and rebuilding. I will cover this activity in a separate post, whilst this one covers the camera and is a separate activity.

The winder looks good
Inside tells a different story
Old batteries
Serious corrosion

Anyway back to the camera. The wind lever seems to be locked, it can’t be cocked. The shutter doesn’t fire but there does seem to be movement in the exposure meter in the viewfinder but it seems erratic, not quite as it should be. I have a feeling and in fact I’m quite confident it is an electrical issue, as with the Canon A1, a bad power source would render the entire camera useless.

Repair:

With my suspicions about the electrical element on this camera the first thing I did was to do a battery check in the camera. This camera has one cell in it, mounted on the front face just to the right hand side of the lens in a small chamber. It is a 6v lithium battery. I suspect this one has been in place many years.

Battery check button

To check the battery power you look through the viewfinder at the light meter to the right of your field of view and depress the little black button on the top left of the viewfinder on top of the camera.

This. Battery is dead

As you can see above, when you push the little battery check button the needle on the exposure meter moves. It may settle, it may move about, but the battery should be indicating below the 5.6 level to prove it has life, this battery is indicating dead. Let’s confirm that on an external battery checker for confirmation.

Yep. It’s dead

And I think that confirms things for us that this old battery is dead. Fortunately I have plenty of replacements available so I just put a new one in to see what happens.

New battery

The new battery is in place and now you can see the indication has dipped well below 5.6 indicating a healthy battery supply. I push the shutter button and it fires perfectly. Power has been restored.

The lens on this camera is pretty much the stock issue FD 50mm. I have removed it and exposed it to high lighting levels to see if there are any imperfections and I’m pleased to say there are none. No Mould or fungus build up, I must admit my friend who passed this on to me has stored it perfectly. Apart from a little dust build up, I was able to use a lens cloth on both the lens and mirror and the issue was sorted in minutes, not that it was ever an issue really.

View through back
And front

I’ve used a dummy film and the carriage works fine, the lens apertures all react smoothly, and the shutter speed’s respond as they should. There is no shutter scream or lag, and everything seems just right. After spending a good few hours going through the instruction manual and checking all its functions I am happy it is doing just what it should. It is very rare to find such a good condition of camera that requires very little maintenance. It’s a credit to the previous owner.

This is a sympathetic restoration. I’m leaving it looking as it is. I’m not fixing something that isn’t broken, and I will attend to it with lubrication and maintenance as and when it is needed. I will very soon run a roll of film through and see just what comes back as a result. I have a number of films here that are now 20 years out of date so there could be some interesting results.

Result:

A beautiful camera
Stunningly beautiful

The camera has cleaned up beautifully after a good deep clean and polish. I have a superb little example of a well loved and well used retro superstar of the late 70s. In perfect working order and ready once again to be used for what it was designed for. Taking great photographs.

As stated I’m going to run a film through and I will post the results on here whenever I get the time to do so. See the test results here: 20yr old Kodak Gold

My plan is to have this displayed in a case in my workroom alongside my Canon A1 when I have completed its repair. I took up photography in the period of time that these cameras were produced, and they hold great memories and sentimentality for me. They come from a time when cameras had style and innovation, before they all started to look the same, quality and style, it’s what’s missing today.

For someone like me that loves old cameras, I think these are superb and will always hold a place in my heart.

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

Pancake/Cookie lens

It’s a colloquial term for a flat thin lens assembly that started to emerge from the 60s through to the 80’s, commonly seen in compact SLR cameras of the time. This then developed into a body cap lens, an extreme type of pancake lens that is designed to both protect the camera internals as a body cap normally would, yet still allow the user to take photos. These lenses are manual focus only and generally have no more than a couple of optical lens elements, no image correcting elements, a very-slow fixed aperture, an extremely thin focusing ring (if any at all), and a retractable lens element cover. Due to this compromise in design, body-cap lenses generally suffer from numerous image quality issues such as heavy vignetting and poor image sharpness.

Recently there has been a resurgence in this type of lens culminating in the one that seems extremely popular at this time, a cookie lens.

Cookie lens

It’s not hard to see why it is named so, it looks like a big Oreo cookie, it even looks as if it has the cream between the two biscuit pieces. These current ones are sold as being recycled from old disposable cameras. Original pancake lenses can cost many hundreds of pounds, however these ones are classed as disposable, and are priced at around £30 to £40GBP, being sold by a company called Retropia. But hold it! Don’t waste your money on that one, as they can be purchased for at least half that price from Ali Express of Temu, just make sure you shop around. By looking at the reviews £30 can still be a bit of a hefty outlay for what is basically a cheapo lens out of a disposable camera set in a cookie shaped piece of plastic.

One guys in depth review of the “Cookie” lens

These lenses have risen in popularity, as the new mirror less cameras have become more accessible. This lens allows these cameras to be used as a straight forward point and shoot camera, no focussing or metering. achieving that retro disposable camera look, but in much more modern equipment. It’s a fun item and for an outlay of around £13GBP, which is what I paid for mine, it’s not too big an outlay to do some experimenting with, and if it turns out to be a load of old bilge, then it’s no real loss. Reviews are mixed, but in general it seems people are having fun, and that’s what photography should be.

I’m waiting for mine to arrive, and when it does I shall post some photos below to see how I’ve got on with it. Oh, and I now have a suitable camera to use with this lens and that can be found here Sony A7II Mirrorless camera.

The lens has arrived
Lens installed

It’s such a simple thing. It turns a complex camera into a quite basic point and shoot disposable, lomography type of camera. Perfect for street photography and just everyday randomness, yep kind of like you’d now find on your mobile phone. However this is more fun and you actually have a camera into your hand, Perfect.

The lens is 32mm, and the CCD in the camera is full 35mm so there is a kind of small vignette around the edges of each shot, but that just adds to the basic rawness of the lens. it’s a bit of fun.

Angles in the living room
Garden pub
Rusty chair
Across the kitchen early morning

Above are a small selection of some of the scenes around home, taken quite randomly and all I have done in the post process is added some vintage presets. The light has been so poor lately that to be honest this already added to the vintage effect. If we see any sun I suspect the results would be very similar to the hazy 70s effect that the disposables always managed to achieve. Don’t expect too much from these lenses, they are just fun to experiment with, and that’s just what photography should be. Fun.

Thanks for passing by. Always appreciated.

Canon Powershot S5 IS

What the listing stated:

This is a Canon Powershot S5 IS Digital Bridge Camera which is faulty and sold for spares or repair only.

The camera is in excellent cosmetic condition but when switched on there is an error message saying lens error please restart camera (see photo).

It takes 4xAA batteries and SD cards (not supplied)

Canon Powershot S5 IS

A little bit about this camera:

Released in June 2007, the PowerShot S5 IS is the successor to the S3 IS model launched in April 2006, which was well received for its optical image stabilization, high zoom ratio and ample movie-shooting capabilities. Like its predecessor, the high-function, high-performance S5 IS features a 12x optical zoom lens equipped with a lens shift image stabilizer and realizes fast, quiet zoom performance by means of a high-speed Ultrasonic Motor (USM).

Compared with its predecessor, the PowerShot S5 IS delivers improved imaging performance through the incorporation of an 8.0-megapixel CCD sensor-increased from 6.0 megapixels in the S3 IS-and an upgrade to Canon’s high-performance DIGIC III image processor from the earlier model’s DIGIC II. Additionally, the S5 IS employs a 2.5-inch high-resolution (approximately 207,000 dots) vari-angle LCD monitor that offers a wide viewing angle to realize a high level of shooting flexibility, and includes a hot shoe for compatibility with Canon EX-series Speedlite flashes.

The new Canon PowerShot model supports the recording of high-quality movies by enabling users to make use of the camera’s optical zoom and Face Detection AF/AE functions. The S5 IS also offers an LP movie mode, which employs a higher rate of image compression to enable longer recording times for VGA movies, as well as high-quality stereo sound, and seamless transitions between the shooting of still images and movie recording.

Canon

I’ve been watching this one for a little while, it looks very good cosmetically and I’m surprised as I was the only one that bid on it. I’ve paid a total, including postage of £8:81GBP and I think that is an absolute bargain. An issue with these cameras has always been a motor/lens error. These motors within these cameras are an ultrasonic motor (USM) and to be totally honest they can be quite delicate and are known to give up as such, if even a grain of sand was to get stuck in the lens gear mechanism. They are delicate souls that don’t really like hard work 😂

A good clean is sometimes all that is needed to get these cameras working again, however I’m not going to get ahead of myself here, as I just don’t know what kind of pain the previous owner has inflicted on this camera. I just hope they have not been too brutal.

Assessment:

Now this is an absolutely beautiful looking little camera in pristine cosmetic condition. The previous owner has in fact been extremely careful and treated this camera very well.

The elephant in the room

The only issue that I can see is the one that flashes up on the screen, continuously when to turn on the camera. Even moving the telephoto/wide switch when starting up does not clear the fault. I really need to get the lens extended to see what’s going on. If I can do that without getting the screwdriver involved then that is even better.

Repair:

The lens remains stuck in the closed position despite there being movement with the lens iris, all other actions are as expected, just no extension of the lens turret. It does sound as if something is trying to move inside.

I’ve tried resetting and going back to factory defaults with no joy. I have been noticing though that when i put in a time and date, it is resetting every time i turn the camera off and then back on again. This is usually a sign that the small internal memory battery is dead, and as it’s probably been in the camera since 2007 it’s probably a good idea to change it. If I can find it. That is.

Internal memory battery located

Panic over I have found the memory battery (CMOS) it was located in the battery chamber beside the SD card slot. It’s a small CR1220 coin battery and I have one of these in my battery box, so this will be replaced as soon as I get it home, now replaced all is working as it should be.

Time set
Resets when powered down

Back to the error. The error is more often than not caused by something, even a grain of sand getting in the turret area and catching in the workings, as these cameras are so delicate. We have to somehow get into the turret area to see if we can dislodge whatever is causing the problem.

Lens turret no movement
A strip of paper down the turret

I’d advise against using canned air here, as doing so would most probably dislodge the obstruction, however the route down the turret leads directly to the image sensor and you don’t want debris on that. Careful is the buzz word.

A strip of paper down the turret
Released, and a clean with an optics cloth

I cut a small strip of paper and feed this down between the tiny gap between the lens and the body. I manoeuvre this around the full circumference of the lens, and as I do I can feel some slight resistance as if something is there. I go around again and that resistance has gone. I turn the camera on and still there is no extension of the turret. At this point I put the mode dial on the camera into video mode and then turn it on. Straight away the turret extends and what looks like some grains of dirt fall from the lens area, at last we have the lens extended and there is an image on the LCD screen.

We have successfully freed the lens turret

I clean the lens turret with an optics cloth and you can see it was very dusty inside, there had definitely been some debris enter this area causing the issue.

I operated the on off button a number of times to ensure the turret motion was smooth, and it was. There are no further obstacles in this area, causing the mechanism to seize.

Test photos

I have taken a number of test photos trying out all modes and features and the camera is just perfect.

The camera is now working
The camera operating as it should

I’ll show a few more photos below, once I have been able to download them.

Result:

This camera is simply a little beauty. It is probably one of the best looking of the later generations of bridge cameras but maybe not the best photo quality wise at 8mp. But who cares though, when you are as good looking as this?

The handsome devil

The camera is pristine in my eyes, and for just over £8GBP this is a bargain. These fixes do not always involve a total dismantling of the item, sometimes it is so simple it’s unbelievable. Here I used a piece of paper and a lens cloth, that’s all. Now a camera destined for an old box in the loft and then the tip has been saved to carry on taking photos for a good few years yet. In fact here are a few photos that I have taken randomly around work, and around my garden.

I’m probably going to use this camera with its pivoting screen to construct videos to display on this site regarding future repairs, I’m going to ensure it gets good usage under my ownership.

Did I tell you how much I love this camera and how handsome it is? Oh, I did, sorry about that, I get really carried away with these older cameras, I just wish everyone else could get as excited as I do, and maybe so many of these wonderful machines wouldn’t then, just get thrown out with the bath water.

Thanks for passing by. It’s always most appreciated.