Film is back — and good gear is out there
Film photography has had a real revival, and a lot of excellent gear is sitting in drawers and at flea markets. Mechanical cameras from the 60s–80s can last another lifetime if they are sound — but decades of storage cause specific, checkable faults. Here is what to look for.
The camera body
- Fire the shutter at every speed. Listen: slow speeds should sound clearly slower than fast ones. A shutter that sticks or sounds the same at 1s and 1/60 needs a service (CLA).
- Light seals. Open the back and check the foam seals around the door. Crumbly, gooey foam causes light leaks but is cheap and easy to replace — a fair negotiating point.
- Light meter. If it has one, does the needle/LED respond to light and roughly agree with a phone meter app? Many old meters use discontinued mercury batteries, so check what it needs.
- Film advance and rewind should be smooth; the frame counter should reset when the back opens.
- Rangefinder/viewfinder: on rangefinders, check the focus patch is visible and aligns. Look for clear, bright viewfinder optics.
The lens — the part that matters most
- Fungus: shine a light through the glass and look for web-like growth. Light fungus can sometimes be cleaned; heavy fungus can etch the coating permanently.
- Haze and separation: a milky internal haze softens images; rainbow/oily patches between elements (separation) are serious.
- Aperture blades should be dry and snappy — oily blades stick and ruin exposures.
- Focus ring should turn smoothly, not gritty or loose.
- A little dust inside is normal and harmless; scratches and fungus are not.
"Untested / as-is" listings are a gamble — sometimes a bargain, often a paperweight. Price them as if they need a full service unless the seller can show test photos.
Classics that hold value
Well-built, repairable bodies (think the popular mechanical SLRs and rangefinders) and sharp prime lenses keep their value because demand is steady and supply is finite. Complete kits with caps, cases and the original box command a premium.
Compare across the whole market. The same camera can vary wildly in price between a local flea market and a global marketplace. Search broadly and check sold listings before buying — see
spotting bargains. Then run the
general inspection checklist at the meet.