If you’re a film photographer or a retro camera collector, I’m sure you’ll agree when I say that vintage camera restorations are among the most satisfying videos to watch. These cameras may be old, but they are still works of art, and important pieces of photography history and engineering. If you’re in the mood for such a satisfying video, join me in watching how Vintage Resurrection repairs and restores a beat-up Canon AV-1 from 1979 to its full glory.
A sibling of the Canon AE-1 series, the Canon AV-1 was released with the amateur market in mind. “It can only operate on fully auto or aperture priority mode; there is no manual mode. But don’t underestimate it. It is lightweight and really fun to shoot with,” the video description reminds curious viewers.
The restoration video is over an hour long, but covers the entire meticulous process, so there’s most likely something that can help those who are looking into either vintage camera repair or restoring the exact camera model. If at some point you get bored or want to watch specific parts, there are time stamps in the video description. Or, you can simply skip to the Before and After comparison.
Finally, there’s no other way to find out if the repair was successful but to take the camera on a test run. The uploader loaded it with a Kodak Vision 3 500T, then processed the film at home and scanned the film with a DSLR. What an adventure!
Did you find this restoration video satisfying? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
