A chat with a collector about old repair manuals

I was at a flea market in Portland last week, talking to a guy who collects old camera repair guides. He said, 'We used to fix things with a diagram and a hunch, now you need a software update just to open the case.' It really hit me how much the job has changed. I spent most of the 90s working on mechanical SLRs with just a set of JIS screwdrivers and a service manual. Now, half the calls I get are about error codes on mirrorless bodies that need a proprietary cable to even diagnose. Has anyone else found a good way to keep up with the digital side without losing those hands-on skills?

4 comments

4 Comments

zarat382mo ago

Oh man, I just started volunteering at a repair co-op on weekends!

cooper.drew2mo ago

That sounds like a great way to waste your free time.

jana8812mo ago

Honestly that sounds like a cool way to spend a weekend, good for you.

sage_moore3716d ago

Waiting for the day someone figures out how to make a weekend out of learning a useless niche skill like identifying 1960s vacuum tube brands by their smell or something. Not joking either because I bet there's some weird satisfaction in knowing something that obscure. Plus you can always drop that fact at a party and watch people's eyes glaze over then gradually light up when they realize you're actually serious. Kind of makes me wonder if low stakes expertise is the new version of collecting stamps or something.