Things to note when buying old cameras and lenses

Many people will naturally fall in love with the texture of film photos after discovering it, because digital photography still cannot replace it; and even though the iPhone App has countless filter effects, they are far less than using different filter effects. The real touch brought by film cameras; Moreover, in fact, many good film cameras are of high quality and low price, and the second-hand market is always in supply and demand. Therefore, for those who like to play with different cameras and lenses, in fact, old film cameras are a good choice. choice.

The question is, what should we pay attention to when buying second-hand cameras? The following points need to be noted, starting with the lens.

1. Observe the lens glass

The glass may have scratches, flaws and dust. Scratches on the outside are fine, but scratches on the inside are more serious. Note that dust outside the mirror and inside the mirror are two different things. Dust outside the mirror can be wiped away, but dust inside the mirror may require an additional fee to be dealt with by a professional. Of course, one or two bits of dust is not a big problem, but if there is more, you have to deal with it.

2. Check if there is oil on the aperture blades

If you can check it, check it. Some lenses will provide buttons to let you close the aperture blades, and others will provide a depth of field preview button. Same thing. If there is oil on the lens blades, especially in severe cases, which affects the speed and even function of the aperture opening and closing, you may need to pay for treatment.

3. Check for mold and open glue

Take out the lens and put it under the light to look at the situation inside the mirror. In addition to the dust mentioned before, check to see if there is any Mold, if you find a lot of it, might as well save your money and buy a second camera or lens.

There is also a condition in older lenses called glue opening, that is, the glue used to stick the two lenses has aged. In some cases, it does not affect the shooting, but it will fog when exposed to strong light. To see the effect of molding, checking whether the lens has glue opening requires your eyesight. Generally speaking, as long as you check the lens from multiple angles, you will find a phenomenon similar to mold.

4. Check for light leakage

The most basic problem with old cameras is often the aging of the sealing sponge. When checking, simply open the back cover. If the sponges are dry and intact, the condition is ideal. If they are sticky or even have missing pieces, there may be a light leakage problem (but not necessarily). But this is also a small problem. Firstly, you can try to take photos of light leakage (which is also a kind of fun). Secondly, even if you need to replace it, the cost is not high.

5. Open the camera and check

Don’t hesitate, open the back of the camera and check whether there is any damage inside, and then check whether the shutter curtain (especially the cloth shutter) is in good condition. Good: Is it clean? Is the shape correct? Are there any holes? Since shutter curtains are relatively expensive, you may want to buy another camera if they are in poor condition.

6. Check the viewfinder

In fact, the situation is similar to that of the lens. Although the impact is much milder, if the viewfinder is filled with dust or the like, or the reflector is very If it is dirty, it will also affect the shooting, so this is something you need to pay attention to.

7. Check the battery compartment cover

In most cameras before 1980, the battery was only used for metering, but in later years many cameras had electronic shutters, so If the battery is not installed, it will basically not work, so make sure the camera can install the battery.

8. Formal test

Since you want to buy it, you might as well put a roll of film in, load it, set it up, then look at the viewfinder and press the shutter to take a test shot. You should even open the back of the camera and test it at different shutter speeds, such as 1/1000s, 1/60s, 1/15s, etc. You should see a clear difference to confirm that the shutter function is normal.