Is camera repair a good market to get in to?

[hightechrex]

I have noticed that I have been getting a lot of calls for camera repairs. It seems like there is a high demand, but not many companies are actually doing it? Is there something that I'm missing? Does anyone here do camera repairs? Are parts easy to find? Is it worth the time?

 

[Markverhyden]

You need to specify models.

 

[SetU2]

Well, with my phone able to take 16MP images, I know I will never own another camera. It would seem to be a declining technology. Sure, there will always be some I guess.

 

[4ycr]

Well, with my phone able to take 16MP images, I know I will never own another camera. It would seem to be a declining technology. Sure, there will always be some I guess.

for consumer cameras yes but not SLR's. I know a Nikon repair center is a away in Glasgow for me which is about a 40 min drive.

 

[mraikes]

I have noticed that I have been getting a lot of calls for camera repairs. It seems like there is a high demand, but not many companies are actually doing it? Is there something that I'm missing? Does anyone here do camera repairs? Are parts easy to find? Is it worth the time?

I find that curious - how many is "a lot" of calls? You have a much larger population than I do, but I've never even once had anyone ask me about repairing a camera - even back when everyone had one.

While there's still a market out there for dedicated cameras, it's certainly a small fraction of what it once was. The trick as always is how to target that niche market in a way that makes it worth your while.

A quick Google reveals at least some availability of parts. Here for instance: Nikon Camera Repair Parts Same guy has Canon, etc.

So it looks like it might be doable if it were worthwhile. On the upside, people can live without their cameras for a few days whereas phones & computers are like oxygen. So you'd be able to take the time to research the parts and disassembly at comparative leisure.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Cell phones have destroyed the camera industry except for the real high end stuff. Unless there is no already established competitor in your area I doubt you could make a go of it.

I was on vacation last week in the mountains and visited a US Forest Service Gift Center. They had disposable cameras on sale. First time I've seen one in years. They were stamped with the date back in 2008. So I doubt they would even work anymore.

 

[altrenda]

There are still many cameras being sold, it's just the point and shoot that;s been killed by the camera phone.

In my area, if i was to get into that business, I would learn to fix Go Pro's. Hot selling, and designed to be used outdoors for action shots.

I see them on motorcycle helmets, bicyclists, kids shooting skateboard videos. Just waiting to be broken.

 

[Simplify]

It would have to be high end camera repair to make it worthwhile considering even phones have good consumer cameras these days. The reason why I would personally never have a middle of the road camera fixed that is outside of warranty is that I could buy a brand new one for the same cost and won't lose anything as all my pictures are on the SD.

 

[hightechrex]

I find that curious - how many is "a lot" of calls? You have a much larger population than I do, but I've never even once had anyone ask me about repairing a camera - even back when everyone had one.

While there's still a market out there for dedicated cameras, it's certainly a small fraction of what it once was. The trick as always is how to target that niche market in a way that makes it worth your while.

A quick Google reveals at least some availability of parts. Here for instance: Nikon Camera Repair Parts Same guy has Canon, etc.

So it looks like it might be doable if it were worthwhile. On the upside, people can live without their cameras for a few days whereas phones & computers are like oxygen. So you'd be able to take the time to research the parts and disassembly at comparative leisure.

Anywhere from 7-15 calls a month. You'd be surprised; and every single person I spoke to says that they've been having a lot of trouble finding someone who does it. Mind you this is with NO SEO or any pages on my site even advertising for it. It's really strange.

 

[hightechrex]

Hmm, I disagree

Well, with my phone able to take 16MP images, I know I will never own another camera. It would seem to be a declining technology. Sure, there will always be some I guess.

Smartphones have high mega pixels mainly to compensate for the lack of optical zoom. They are in no way close to replacing a DSLR. When you want professional photography or want to capture anything at a distance your going to want a real camera. For most things a smartphone will do just fine; but for others not so much.

 

[coffee]

Smartphones have high mega pixels mainly to compensate for the lack of optical zoom. They are in no way close to replacing a DSLR. When you want professional photography or want to capture anything at a distance your going to want a real camera. For most things a smartphone will do just fine; but for others not so much.

For my wife/girlfriend/significant other I bought her a camera for her bday. She was talking to her brother that lives down in flordia and he said "Why in the heck did you get that??? I can do just as well with my iphone camera. YOU WASTED YOUR MONEY@!".

So, She was due to go down and visit him and she brought the camera with her. Had him take a picture with his iphone and then she snapped off a shot with her camera. The quality difference was very visible. The camera walked all over the iphone and produced fantastic pictures. This is the cam I bought her. personally I own a Sony Handycam for video shooting and some stills.

Here is the camera I bought my girl:
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Review: Digital Photography Review


If your just out to grab quick portrait pics then a phone I think is just fine. But if you want to capture great pictures you really need a nice camera.

On the subject of repairing cameras I think that if you developed a relationship with the right people/organizations/groups that take their cameras more seriously then you would get some good business.

coffee

 

[codegreen]

There are still many cameras being sold, it's just the point and shoot that;s been killed by the camera phone.

In my area, if i was to get into that business, I would learn to fix Go Pro's. Hot selling, and designed to be used outdoors for action shots.

I see them on motorcycle helmets, bicyclists, kids shooting skateboard videos. Just waiting to be broken.

Not to mention being mounted on this trendy remote control quadcopters.

There's no market for that in my area, but it would be a great niche for some.

 

[SetU2]

I'll stand by my original assessment; that this is an industry currently in decline. Camera sales are in decline and have been for 3-4 years straight now, that is clear by looking at industry data. There will always be some, I'm well aware of that. The high end consumer and professionals and new innovations like the Go sport cameras are great examples.

The Op asked if it was a good market though. Not will camera's continue to be around. Certainly some of the current sales are because it is cheaper to buy a new camera, with better features, than it is to fix an old one. Add that to a market in which overall sales are declining by over 30% a year, and it's not the first market I'd see as an opportunity for expansion. Even with several calls asking if you do it. I'd certainly start by determining what the average cost of many camera repairs might be and start surveying those that call. Perhaps they are not customers after all. But hopefully, they will validate that in your market it would be a great opportunity.

 

[Xander]

Not to mention being mounted on this trendy remote control quadcopters.

I've got a friend who does this as a business -- he takes aerial photographs and sells them to local news, etc.

To the original point, 13 years and the words "camera repair" have never been brought up.

 

[acesdeals]

its not just cameras it is electronics in general

there are tons of photographers out there that buy 400+ cameras and im sure they would want it repaired if something went wrong

 

[joydivision]

I use three cameras, the one on my Galaxy S4, my Panasonic G2 with all its various lens that I use with it, a Panasonic point and shoot. A decent sensor is almost the size of a mobile phone and for that reason alone there will always be a market for mid to high end cameras.

I still have a massive HIFI separates system simply because you cannot beat physics, the amount of space the DAC takes up in my CD player alone is staggering. The capacitors in my humble Marantz PM6003 amp are huge and I think there will always be a market for high end electronics and it is repair.

My Marantz CD6000 OSE LE has dry joints in the analogue output which means I have to wack a lot, but finding somebody to repair has proved difficult.

 

[Larry Sabo]

My Marantz CD6000 OSE LE has dry joints in the analogue output which means I have to wack a lot, but finding somebody to repair has proved difficult.

Geez, that's a simple enough job. Just get a half-decent iron, some flux and go to it.

 

[joydivision]

Geez, that's a simple enough job. Just get a half-decent iron, some flux and go to it.

My CD player is quite complex though, all the DAC daughter boards etc all need removing to get access to the joints.

 

[tom11011]

I have to believe for the most part that only a professional photographer would buy a high end camera, something that is not a cell phone. That being said, if a pro buys an expensive high end camera, wouldn't he be repairing it himself for the most part? I mean the components are probably user serviceable unlike a repairing a cell phone screen or laptop display which is more complex I'm sure. I mean a pro would be capable of taking the entire thing apart just to clean it no?

Then of course I have to ask, if you bought an expensive high end camera, would you maybe consider purchasing an all inclusive warranty like they offer during checkout? So if it breaks someone else fixes it?

 

[Micah Lahren]

I have to agree with a lot of the posts that most general consumers use their phones as their cameras. However, in more tourist oriented areas and vacation spots, I think you could get into this niche, because those who are serious about their hiking/rafting/mountaineering use more professional gear and are more likely to have something needing repair.