Film camera test checklist before you list (shutter, meter, light seals)
A film camera that "should work" sells for half of one that's been tested. Here's a ten-minute check before you list.
Shutter
- Fire it at every speed with the back open, pointing at a light. Slow speeds should sound clearly slower; 1/1000 should be a snap.
- Watch for a shutter that sticks open or capping (a dark band on fast speeds).
Light meter
- Fit a fresh battery of the right type. Compare the meter with a phone light-meter app in the same light — within a stop is fine for most buyers.
Light seals and mirror foam
- Sticky, crumbling foam round the back door means light leaks. Say so, or replace it and say that too.
Viewfinder and lens
- Shine a torch through the lens: haze, fungus threads or scratches? Photograph what you see.
What to write
- Question
- Active discussion
- Answer emerging
- Community solution
- Knowledge article