I feel privileged to own and use so many different cameras, but not all of the collection are in working order. That is the risk you take when buying old analogue cameras, unless you buy from reputable dealers or sellers which I don’t!

Although I like to shoot all of mine, some just do not want to play ball!

One such camera is my latest purchase - the Petri Flex V, which was kind of working when I bought it but has since locked up!

When I first got it the shutter did fire, but the rear curtain was very slow to close. I will take it apart and see what I can do and as it was only £5 there is nothing to loose.

On the flip side is my gorgeous Zenit 4 which is also locked up and will not wind or fire, but was certainly not a £5 camera, so a lot more care needs to be taken! I did shoot a roll through it, but at the end of the roll the winder seemed to lock up as the film reached the end. Now nothing will work. I am guessing it is a simple case of the winding lever did not go through the full motion. But whether it will be a simple fix, we will see….

A camera that is the polar opposite to the Zenit is my Elop Elca, that is so simple in it’s construction - it continues to baffle why it won’t work!

I have had it apart multiple times - the last time got the shutter working, but when I reassembled the front, it stopped working again! It is as if the front panel is pressing on the shutter stopping it from moving. If you loosen the screws holding the front on it rattles and moves, but the shutter fires! Weird!

I am in no shape or form a camera technician, but willing to have a go if I can - I have fixed many of my own cameras over the years. Most that have been fixed were simple issues, and some I have stripped down and given up. I have boxes of dismantled cameras like the Exa 1B the needs the curtain ribbon attaching to the drum, that one day I might have another go at, or cameras that are put aside for spares in case another one needs a part.

Sometimes though, it is better to just buy a new one! Like the Vivitar TW 35 and Petri Pro7 below, I ended up with three of each until I got a working one!

The moral of the story really is if it is cheap enough, and not sentimental, just have a go - there are plenty of resources available online for popular models, but I do not tend to buy popular models - I like strange and rare ones, which brings it’s own rewards and challenges.

Broken cameras…

ФЭД Заря - Индустар-26м