26 http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
CAMERA REPAIRthen consider the BBC TV series
The Repair Shop for a moment.
Week after week people show up
with objects that are in need of
serious TLC: a ceramic bowl in
pieces, an airman’s jacket with
broken zips and weakened seams, a
pump organ that hasn’t made a
sound for a generation. To anyone
else these are just ‘things’, but to the
people who know their stories they
are hugely emotive. ‘There are
compelling stories attached to each
item, which range from romantic
and sentimental to downright
terrifying,’ says presenter Jay Blades.
With each stitch, dab of glue or turn
of a screwdriver the experts
entrusted with their care fall a little
bit in love with each object. Going
forwards, they become part of the
item’s history.
All of this got me thinking about
McCullin and whether there were
other cameras with biographical
histories. To find out, I asked a
selection of photographers and
camera repairers to tell me about the
cameras that have tugged at their
heartstrings. First up is author and
expert in photographic history John
Wade. ‘Some years ago, while
researching Wrayflex cameras, I
managed to track down one of the
old directors of the Wray company,’
he recalls. ‘Arthur Penwarden was 97
years old when we met and proved
to have a lifetime of invaluable
memories. After we’d chatted for a
while, he showed me the first
Wrayflex camera, one of three
pre-production prototypes. I saw
immediately that it differed slightly
from the production models and I
wanted it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t
for sale because, he said, it held too
many memories. I left him my
business card and we parted
company. Two years later, I received
a phone call from Arthur’s daughter.
Arthur had passed away two months
short of his 100th birthday and,
among his goods, she had found a
camera, wrapped up with my
business card and a note to say it
should be passed on to me. To the
untrained eye, it looks like any other
Wrayflex. To me, it’s among the few
cameras in my collection that I will
never sell.’
Next, I spoke to Wes Davies from
Camera Repair Direct. Davies has
been repairing cameras for 24 years
and has a particular love for theengineering of old 35mm models.
‘We see a lot of cameras that have
sentimental value,’ he says. ‘These
items have often been passed down
or given as a present, so I must admit
that I try a little harder to get them
going for our customers. One of our
customers, who recently passed
away, used to bring his cameras in
for a yearly service and show me the
pictures he had taken from around
the world. He had some great shots,
and you could see how much he
cared for his equipment – it was like
an extension of his soul. I love to
travel but I don’t get much chance
these days, so I enjoy looking at
pictures and hearing such stories.’
Davies is not the only one who
enjoys working on analogue
equipment. Philip Sendean from
Sendean Cameras has a soft spot for
Contax 645 cameras and the Braun
Nizo 801 Super 8 Cine Camera. ‘The
Nizo 801 is well engineered and was
ahead of its time,’ he enthuses. ‘It
should outlast its rivals.’ Sendean
has heard many stories over the
years and is keen to tell me about a
Canon EOS 5D that crossed his path.
‘It was used for filming a
documentary about walking withAbove: The
Camera Museum
houses a
comprehensive
timeline of
cameras from the
19th century to
the digital ageTop left: A Sony
AF lens in the
process of being
stripped down for
cleaning at
Camserve LtdAbove left: A
copy of Amateur
Photographer
from 1960
accompanies one
of the exhibits at
the Camera
Museum©
CAM
SER
VE
LTD©
CAM
ER
AM
US
EUM