My vintage camera collection was a dusty mess until I saw a guy in Chicago handle his gear.

I had about 30 old film cameras. All lined up on a shelf. Looked cool. But they were just sitting there. Gathering dust. Then I went to a camera meet in Chicago last fall. This guy had a Leica M3 from 1958. He took it out of a sealed case with gloves. He explained each step. How he oils the shutter every six months. Checks the light seals. Even stores them with silica gel packs. I was just piling them up like junk. My whole approach was wrong. They're tools, not trophies. Now I have a real cleaning routine. Anyone else have a collection they realized they were treating all wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_amy5d ago

That "tools, not trophies" line really hits. What was the first camera you started properly caring for, and did it feel different using it after?

harperg765d ago

Yeah @the_amy, that's a great question. Honestly it was a beat up old Pentax K1000 from a thrift store. Once I cleaned it up and learned how it worked, using it felt way more focused, like I was actually in charge instead of just pointing and clicking. It stopped being this scary fancy thing and just became the thing I made pictures with. Kind of changed everything for me.

rubysingh5d ago

Wait, you found a working K1000 at a thrift store? I'm calling total nonsense on that, Harper. Those things are gold now. My first was a hand-me-down Nikon FM my dad gave me, and yeah @the_amy, it totally changed the game once I got over being scared to break it. Suddenly every shot felt like a real choice, not just luck. It went from being a fancy paperweight to my favorite thing to hold.