Repair Restore digital cameras - Educational story

[Kiriakos-GR]

I have one good link to share , and its related to digital cameras and specifically about the Olympus C-2100 and E-100RS , that I am an true fanatic user of those since the 2001.

Olympus has officially stop supporting those models with parts,
so getting used damaged ones from ebay , become my hobby .
And now I own three C-2100, one E-100RS ( got it few months back) and one Olympus C-220 pocket,
plus the FL-40 flash unit, genuine bracket , and every additional lens that Olympus had ever produce,
about 6 items .. 1X Macro - 3X Zoom - 2X Wide .

Even my other self called as Olyboy..  

If you have any interest , or time to waste , follow this link .
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1008&message=34326170


And this is my Olympus flag ...


I do not know how successful are considered the Olympus cameras this days,
but back them at 2001 , the king was the C-2100 model , and in my hart still are.    




 

[Excavatoree]

I understand the problems when a manufacturer no longer offers parts.

In the last few years, at an increasing rate, Fluke has stopped selling replacement parts for many of their meters, even their newer models.

I've had to resort to buying "parts meters" on e-bay, just as you buy "parts cameras."

There's a lot of competition, but since I don't need to buy low enough to make a profit on resale, I can still get some parts to keep me going.  This is just a hobby for me, I don't sell meters.  I just enjoy fixing broken meters, when possible.

[Kiriakos-GR]

About Fluke , I think that I am just lucky , for two good reasons .

1) I got the latest and the most trouble free technically version.
2) I had found an Great major distributor in Greece ,  that he is connected direct with the headquarters in Netherlands , and the most important than all ,  they are HUMANS , they even congratulate me about the price that I got my used one, I spent 25 minutes speaking on the phone with the company in Athens,
and they answered any questions of my , always in a relaxed and friendly tone.
Plus they have the lowest pricing, about parts. ( For the European standards !! )
 

The same quality of service , I had found only  in the "Olympus digital" major distributor in Greece.
The "Nikon" boys and the "Canon" ones, are suffering , when they need parts or repair.
I do not give any Credit to the Brand names , all that I repeatedly say, are that I got Lucky..  
Found luckily positive people to deal with.
http://www.megael.gr/index.php?co=products&cat_id=42


Your Hobby sounds interesting, but I have understand , that you act more like an collector than user.
In my case , because Olympus accessories are and was always expensive, I did one lets called as trick ,
got my primary camera as new  for  1070 EUR at 2001 , and this Christmas (2010) got every accessory for it with just 300 EUR ( Ebay + lots of hunting )  ( 400 EUR was the price just for the flash unit few years back )  180 EUR the Macro lens , 65EUR the (flash unit) communication cable, 120 EUR the flash bracket.. etc etc etc ....  
So I invested to get and another three cameras , about 200 EUR,  and now I own this large collection.
And I feel safe, that I will  always have an alive camera to use those accessories.  
I got the satisfaction that I was looking, since the day one,  with it.
The C-2100 its the monster of 2.1MPs .
The E-100RS , its a monster in Speed,  15 frames per second , with pre-capture mode.
Starts capturing frames even before fully pressing the button.
And hold the last three , plus the ones after pressing the button.
No way to loose "action scenes " with it.  

I love quality always was ... I need few things to own , but any of those will be from the perfect ones,
or else I do not get them at all.  
With the cameras , I have over did it , but Its an exception, love is blind .  

    

[saturation]

I know from friends the costs of maintaining, tracking and selling parts from inventory are now close or more than those of stocking and selling new devices.

For example, at Radio Shack, a simple resistor that costs 3c or less each, will cost near 50c to package, inventory and tracking and sell retail.  It just isn't worth it. For DMM, I'm not sure what the issues are, but they are similar.  For the series 80s MM, from 83, 85 and 87, the new ones are much better than the older ones that had I destroyed them, I would probably opt to buy the newer model.  As it is, my 85 is built like a tank, and since I don't work in electricals, it has survived and remained accurate for over 20 years.

[Kiriakos-GR]

Large brand names , has zero cost maintaining parts stock .
With out it :
1) They can not charge  100$ flat rate to check your camera .
2) They can not considered as reliable .
3) They can not offer warranty.
4) They can not create servicing centers network
5) They can not gain trust to sell anything expensive.

Example :
Honda motors has the best reliability about contract with the customers ,
10 years parts for all the vehicle guaranteed, after the end date of the production,
and 25 years parts for the engine it self .

Olympus  stopped production of the model UZxxxx  at 2001 and at 2008 black listed the models for parts.
How in earth they did that ?   I am not willing to pay 1000 EUR (1,325 $ ) every five  or six years because they like so ..
I got my camera and with the plan to keep it for long time ,  they should keep parts available at list until the date that the internal digital calendar stops counting .
Like the year 2025 ... this fact was the only known as limit at the moment of the purchase .  

I was never thought  that Olympus will act like that, they was supporting film cameras for decades,
the OM series was what our fathers was using .. thats why the sons got the digital ones , we was trusting them ...  

I do dislike this turn of the modern marketing, thats why I  do stick up, to old and reliable products, and I do not care for the latest recycled ones ...

The Ancient Greeks they did not build an recycled Acropolis ..  thats why you have today the opportunity to visit it , and admire the technology behind it.
 

Round No2  
Small or medium businesses that maintain generic electronics parts as stock:

The New marketing killed the repairs,  most  freelancers who was doing repairs,
terminate their activity ,  I am from the last ones in my town.
We are not more than 15 people , in a town of 150.000 people.
And still there is no job for us .

I work with a small contract in to a factory for the last three years ( 18 months +18 months), my contract ends at the end of  September,
and then nothing ... I will have to start up a new business working as freelancer again and just hopping that the crisis , will force the people to stop buying new stuff, and possibly , they will start again to repair the old .  
Long shot as plan , but its the only one.