Repair or don't repair?

[melek]

[bbvideo=560,315]https://youtu.be/A6W9CUtig4Q[/bbvideo]

On my YouTube video about the Zeiss Ikon Super Nettel, a person asked for my thoughts about repainting a camera.

It got me to thinking that it depends on the camera and whether you bought it as a historical piece or to use.

My own thoughts are that I have always bought cameras to use them and not as a piece of history. But that is my approach, and it might be different from how others feel.

Because I buy a camera to use it, I also then believe that mechanically, it should be returned as close as possible to its original condition. For me, that includes the shutter, the lenses, the viewfinder/rangefinder, the leather and the paint.

The more that I think about it, I will do touch-up work on chipped paint, and I've given some thought lately on repainting chrome trim that has lost nearly all of its paint.

I hadn't really given camera restoration much thought, because I think it has a lot to do with how I plan to use a camera.

[Philip]

Enjoyable and informative video, Mike!

[scott]

Ok, THAT was entertaining! Nicely done.

I've gone back and forth on restoration. I've gone full on original, and I've done the lizard skinned Rollei. Lately I just want things to look cohesive, but work well. I get more pleasure out of a shutter running smoothly and reliabily these days than anything.