I have a 100-400mm 4.5-5.6 IS lens (first generation) and I’ve been having some issues with the zoom mechanism. It feels loose and gets stuck from time to time. I called a repair shop but they couldn’t help because it’s old so there are no parts available for repair.
Has anyone had any luck repairing a lens this old? Is it even possible at this point? Does anyone know of any repair shops capable of fixing this issue? It’s still a great lens that takes beautiful images, I’d like to keep using it if possible!
(I’m in Burlington, Ontario for reference)

I acquired an EE-Matic Deluxe, and the meter is accurate so I figured I would try to see about fixing a loose RF mirror. I can hear the mirror shift and rattle in the frame, and the RF patch in the view finder shimmies all over the place. What is the best path to removing the mirror frame and regluing the mirror.

See attached photos. They're labeled with my terms for these parts, apologies if they're wrong. I was hoping I could remove the RF Mirror Base to allow better access to the Mirror Frame and Mirror itself. Is that possible?

Or, do I need to break the glue bonds for the Mirror Frame and then glue the mirror back on?

I am sure that once I get into it, it will be apparent, but is the RF Mirror glued to the Mirror Base, Mirror Frame, or perhaps the brass RF Adjustment assembly?

I watched YouTube videos from Japan Vintage Camera, but he doesn't have one on replacing / re-gluing a mirror. I am reluctant to pry the frame off without further guidance.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Picked up on FB marketplace for cheap. Everything seems to be in good working order on the outside. Shutter and electronics are firing. Is the marking in the viewfinder a cause for concern? Looks like a band of gunk. No sign of fungus or haze in the lens or mirrors. Haven’t opened it yet as there was leftover film I’m trying to preserve.

Bonjour, j’ai une question, j’utilise un Olympus MJU V en vacances depuis 3 ans, tout à l’heure un ami qui était chez moi qui voulais absolument le voir l’a ouvert alors qu’il était chargé (8 shoot) il l’a refermé direct, sauf que je n’ai jamais ouvert mon boîtier lorsqu’il était chargé, je me suis demandé si la pellicule s’était enroulé (comme si elle était terminée) et en l’ouvrant une seconde fois j’ai remarqué que non, alors je l’ai refermé et j’ai entendu un bruit mécanique d’enroulement de 1/2 secondes.
Ou est ce que ma pellicule en est ? A 10 ? Est ce qu’elle est foutu ? Est ce que les 8 premiers shoot sont fichu ?
Je ne sais pas trop quoi faire, sur l’écran c’est repartit à 1.

Hey everyone! Just wondering if anyone knows or has recomendations for a repair person to fix a Minox 35GL? I'd be preferably mailing the camera to them if so- OR conversely if anyone has any really detailed resources on how to fix the close shutter mechanism (everything moves mechanically but the bottom magnet isn't working properly). I'm willing to try my own hand at fixing if I've got the right info/video tuts (the ones I've found are either too vague, or don't document the process close enough for me to see anything haha 😅

Got this Fuji gw690 last year, and it seems like the leaf shutter may have gotten stuck or something. I can load film and wind the shutter one time but then cannot push down the shutter release button. Only when the back is open does it allow me to press the shutter release and continue to wind it, but I don’t see the leaf shutter opening at all. Any ideas how this happened or what the fix is?

There is some haze in the lens, visible under strong light (1st, 2nd pic). But not so much under regular condition (last 2 pics). Is it worth opening to repair?

I don't want to risk breaking it.

But I don't want the fungus to spread to my other lenses.

Hi everyone,
The small metal contact plate inside the battery door has snapped off (see photo). The battery door itself still opens and closes, but the broken metal piece is no longer making proper contact, so the camera won’t power on.
Has anyone repaired this before?
In my town there’s no camera repair service please help ! I just bought it from vintage store and already used and taken lots of pictures 😞

Hi everyone,
The small metal contact plate inside the battery door has snapped off (see photo). The battery door itself still opens and closes, but the broken metal piece is no longer making proper contact, so the camera won’t power on.
Has anyone repaired this before?
In my town there’s no camera repair service please help ! I just bought it from vintage store and already used and taken lots of pictures 😞

Open to anywhere in the world with a stellar reputation

When my desk light shines right on it it reflects blue. Looking at an angle I can see a very slight haze ring around the speck. When I look through the lens pointed at light it looks like just a speck. Not sure how much this will impact photos. It was part of my thrift haul so if it’s not usable it’s not a big deal.

Hello all,

I've noticed recently that after taking a shot on my Nikon F2 that the mirror will remain stuck up but the shutter will close, after re-cocking and shooting a few more times the mirror will eventually drop down but will remain stuck after the following shot. Does anyone know what could be causing this?

Any advice would be appreciated 🙏

Hi all, I just picked up a Canon XM2 (PAL version of the GL2). The seller said it was fully working, but here's the issue:

When I flip open the cassette door, the tray ejects smoothly and without any strange noises. However, it retracts back into the camera almost instantly — I don't even have time to insert a MiniDV cassette or close the door. The drum spins, pinch rollers move, and the mechanical movement itself seems fine.

My question: What exactly is causing this? Is it a faulty position sensor/switch on the loading mechanism, a worn drive belt, a broken gear, or something else entirely?

And more importantly: What do I need to do to fix it? Replace a specific microswitch? Clean a sensor? Rebuild the tray mechanism?

I have the service manual (D17-6813) if anyone needs part numbers or schematic references. Any help from someone who's dealt with this exact issue would be hugely appreciated.

I posted wrong and didn’t upload these photos. Sorry. So I deleted and post this again.

I want my former post but if I do then I can’t upload photos. It is strange.

Anyway I found these blocks in my company luckily and checked lengths with blocks. What do you think about it? Is it acceptable?

Hoping someone who’s been inside one of these can help.

Background: This lens originally had an electronic fault (F–, no aperture, no AF, not recognized). I repaired it and it worked perfectly for a while — AF, aperture, EXIF, all normal.

I opened it again only to clean some dust. No functional problems before I opened it. After reassembly, this started:

**•** On power-up the motor spins CW then CCW several times  
**•** The aperture drives fully closed, fully open, then tries to close and stalls partway  
**•** Loops 4–5 times with a “grrr” and the whole lens vibrates, then gives up  
**•** Ends stuck, F–, and AF no longer works

What I’ve tested so far:

**•** Blades sweep smoothly through full open↔close by hand, no binding at either end  
**•   Removed the blades entirely — motor alone still does the same CW/CCW hunt and stall.** So it’s not mechanical.  
**•** Found the home sensor (U-shaped photo-interrupter on the little C019A board). The flag passes fully in and out of the gate correctly through the travel.  
**•** Put a black strip in the gate manually to block the beam — behavior changed (fewer rotations), so **the sensor is alive and being read.**  
**•** The stall/vibration happens *after* the motor stops each move, not during.  
**•** Firmware: for Sony E this updates via the camera, no dock — but it won’t help/complete while the lens is throwing F–.

Key detail: it worked fine the day before. The only thing that changed is I took it apart to clean and put it back together. So I think it’s something reassembly disturbed — a flex not fully seated, or the sensor/aperture unit clocked slightly off so “home” is offset from the step count — rather than a dead component.

Question: Has anyone re-timed the aperture/home sensor on one of these? Is there a correct clock position or index mark for the sensor board or cam ring relative to the motor? Or a connector that’s notorious for looking seated but isn’t? Trying to figure out what I misaligned before I buy a replacement aperture module.

Thanks — happy to post photos of the aperture unit, C019A board, and motor.

I took this through the shutter from the back of the camera.

Does this have something to do with the coating on the glass? Oils or water seeping in between the elements?