Care and Repair of Classic Cameras for Photographers and Collectors [Paperback]

Joe Lippincott (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0967207908 | ISBN-13: 978-0967207902 | Publication Date: August 1999

"Care and Repair of Classic Cameras for Photographers and Collectors" is a concise, precise publication for reading or reference that tells you how to buy, maintain, repair, and modify mechanical and electronically-controlled photo equipment.

Written by a photographer, collector, and camera dealer for photographers, collectors, buyers, and sellers, this 144-page book with more than 300 illustrations is everything most photo enthusiasts need in order to understand and enjoy their classic cameras, lenses, and accessories.

Features include
.Information about miniature, medium, and large format cameras, lenses, and accessories.
.How to check used mechanical and electronic photo gear before you buy.
.Generic and specific partial disassembly, adjustment, and repair of many common

problems, including focal plane and leaf shutters.
.How to:
- Clean, check, lubricate, and maintain your cameras and lenses.
- Modify classic lenses to fit many 35mm and medium format cameras.
- Build your own top-of-the-line medium format wideangle camera.
- Adjust Leica, Kalart, Koni-Omega, and other rangefinders.
- Cure the ‘Canon Squeal’ in A-series cameras.
- Adjust Pentax K1000 (Leica-type) shutters and meters.
- Auto-Index (AI) older Nikon-mount lenses.
- and much, much more!

While many other books on this subject specialize in just one brand of camera or one specific type of problem, "Care and Repair of Classic Cameras for Photographers and Collectors" provides techniques and methods which cover a broad spectrum of equipment. This is the only book many photo enthusiasts will ever need on the subject.

This information can be used by anyone with mechanical ability, manual dexterity, and patience. The mechanics of camera design are mostly straighforward and systematic; many of the tools are simple and common. The rest comes with practice.

This excellent book is printed in horizontal 8-1/4 "x 10-1/2" format for easy reference as you examine, perform maintenance, or perhaps repair your antique, classic, or modern photographic equipment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...tells in easy-to-follow text and excellent detailed photographs how to buy, maintain, repair, and modify cameras, lenses, accessories..." -- Vol. 1, No.5 "Snapshots", publication of the Photo Historical Society of New En gland

"As an amateur camera enthusiast, this book helps me to finally bring some of my old cameras back to life." -- Gary Dicker, professional photographer and camera enthusiast, Putnam CT

"I am quite impressed with (Joe's) breadth of knowledge...information is both accurate and lucid..." -- Frank Marshman, CAMERA WIZ Camera Repair, Harrisonburg, VA

About the Author

Like the great majority of you, author Joe Lippincott has had no formal training as a camera repair technician, just a long-standing fascination with how photographic equipment functions and a great deal of satisfaction from making ailing cameras, lenses, and accessories work the way they should.

Lippincott has been and is a serious user, collector, and admirer of classic as well as antique and modern photographic equipment. He also has invented, adapted, and modified photo equipment for photojournalistic applications.

Joe grew up in Somerset, PA, and first became enthused with photography when his parents bought him an Ansco box camera and home developing outfit for his eighth Christmas. The next year, he had his first photographs published in the local daily newspaper. After high school and several years as a reporter, photographer, and sports editor for several Pennsylvania dailies, Joe studied photojournalism at the University of Iowa.

Since graduation, Joe has worked as a staff photographer for the ‘Miami (FL) Herald’, public relations director for Lock Haven (PA) State College, assistant editor for Caterpillar Tractor Company’s ‘Caterpillar World’ magazine, staff photographer then picture editor for the ‘Detroit (MI) Free Press’, supervisor of photographic operations for Michigan State University’s daily newspaper, photography instructor at Lansing (MI) Community College, and photo editor of ‘The Detroit (MI) News’ and ‘The (Quincy, MA) Patriot Ledger’. He currently teaches photojournalism at Boston University and operates a classic, antique, and modern camera business.

As a photographer and manager, Joe has participated in Olympics, World University Games, Goodwill Games, World Series, Super Bowls, U.S. Open Golf tournaments, Formula One auto races, and other major events, including national political conventions, representing event organizers, newspapers, The Associated Press, United Press-International, and Gamma-Liaison picture agency.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Joe Lippincott (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967207908
• ISBN-13: 978-0967207902
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,024,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful Manual of Mechanical Camera Repair, June 19, 2004

By 

Keith Carlsen "widgeonkeeper" (Asheville, NC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Care and Repair of Classic Cameras for Photographers and Collectors (Paperback)

Joe Lippincott is a working photojournalist who took up repairing his own mechanical cameras out of necessity and has produced a very nice book on this subject.

Lippincott covers all the bases of mechanical camera repair that he feels the beginning and intermediate technician or hobbyist is safely capable of, and directs readers to "know when to say when" and send the unit in to professional facilities with fixturing and experience in the particulars involved. He covers repair, tools needed, modifications, and use of these cameras, with detailed assembly descriptions in many cases.

Previously, the Ed Romney book, "Trade Secrets: Basic Training in Camera Repair", a volume published by Romney via toner process and GBC-bound, was the standard reference for beginners outside the "secret society" of professionals. Romney passed away in 1992, and his books suffered from time as hard use would cause them to disintegrate or the paper would age poorly-they were in essence photocopies.

Also, many readers objected to Romnney's political and religious views which Romney occasionally digressed upon in his books and extensively on Usenet. Lippincott is strictly focused, makes no statements anyone anywhere could object to, and this book is very professionally offset print and bound.

Lippincott's book is much more tightly focused than Romney's, which makes it less suitable as a casual primer or background read for the photographer just wanting an overview, but more useful to someone with good mechanical aptitude who wants to start in on a camera with minimal fuss.

Romney's professional background in electronics-he wrote extensively on Amateur Radio and repair of vintage equipment-puts him ahead of Lippincott, who repeatedly refers to the unit of capacitance as the "ferrung" and shows little inclination for working on electronic cameras,in that department.

Is Lippincott better than Romney? In some ways, clearly so, and in others I would prefer Romney's book combined with the specific service manual for the camera involved. (Many of which Romney reprinted as well.) The fact is, I like both of them and hopefully someone will eventually publish Romney's work in a proper book, preferably durably shop-manual bound on acid free paper. In the meantime, I recommend this book without reservation for people intent on repairing _mechanical_ cameras.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good but very limited, July 11, 2004

By 

"1handclapping" (Broomall, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Care and Repair of Classic Cameras for Photographers and Collectors (Paperback)

Despite the book's all encompassing, comprehensive title, the information contained within is a series of very specialized essays on a number of small topics. Look at the table of contents and/or index to see if the topic you are interested in is covered. If it is not; look elsewhere.
For the topics covered, the text and illustrations are very good.
Good for what it covers.

4.0 out of 5 stars Learning but not what I expected, December 28, 2011

By 

jayd3 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Care and Repair of Classic Cameras for Photographers and Collectors (Paperback)

The author's depth of experience and knowledge is refreshing in an age of articles and books particularly online by people who's credentials are questionable at best.

Having been a student of photography for over 20 years I was surprised that I learned some new things about using cameras and lenses.
RE: repair this is the best book I've seen of general explanation, Quick fixes, and do it yourself kind of stuff, it is not as comprehensive a repair manual like Thomas Thomsey or Romney, but a well experienced knowledgeable working photographer sharing his long experience with readers.

If your looking for a reference in the for Dummies spirit I highly recommend this book.

Jay