The shift from film to digital really changed how people treat their gear

I've been fixing cameras for about 15 years, and I've seen a big change in the type of damage that comes in. Back around 2010, most repairs were for worn-out shutter mechanisms or film advance gears from heavy use. Now, at my shop in Austin, I'd say 70% of the jobs are for cracked LCD screens or broken USB ports on mirrorless bodies. People just handle them more like phones. Has anyone else seen their repair bench fill up with more impact damage than mechanical wear?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew7911mo ago

Yeah, and it's not just the screens. The whole body design pushes that way too. Old film cameras were metal tanks you could knock around. Now they're covered in thin plastic and have these huge, fragile lens mounts sticking out. You see a lot of cracked mounts from just being in a bag wrong. Makes you wonder if they're built to be fixed at all, or just replaced.

skylerp201mo ago

Ever notice how this planned weakness shows up in everything now? My last phone had a battery that died right after the warranty, and fixing it cost more than the thing was worth. Feels like they design the problem in so you have to buy the next model.