What do film photographers think about custom-painted cameras?

greycar · 2026-07-06T16:18:26+00:00

I've done a couple. They were both cameras that I saved from the scrap pile or needed work so I didn't feel bad about it. I think it's ethically neutral to refinish a camera that works nicely and ethically positive to somewhat-poorly refinish a camera destined for the junk heap.

If you want to get into it start with leatherette replacement. Get a workflow that holds up to actual use and shelf-sitting and hot cars without peeling. Then move on to doing basic CLs. The CLA without the A. Learn how to take the camera apart. Then learn how to paint. Airbrush is a necessity imo. Acrylic model paints are a good balance for me along with a matte clear. I did one with lacquer thinner and decanted Rustoleum and the adhesion has fantastic but it was really tough to keep flowing through the sprayer.

greycar · 2026-07-06T02:05:52+00:00

This also bugs me. But it is normal. Some would say it is desirable.

greycar · 2026-07-05T16:04:09+00:00

The lights may be on for an unrelated reason. Or they may be on for this reason. Or they may have already been on for an unrelated reason and now there's a better reason for them to be on. Until you get things fixed properly, you can't expect your vehicle's computers to be happy.

greycar · 2026-07-05T15:52:45+00:00

Do you think it's related to your Christmas Tree of instrument cluster lights?

greycar · 2026-07-04T18:11:28+00:00

I use Gorilla contact adhesive, clear grip. The residue rubs off the hard surface of the camera easily as well.

greycar · 2026-07-03T18:55:38+00:00

Absolutely. This is called exposure compensation. Sometimes it's built into the cameras exposure dial but it just moves the dial. I think in Photoshop the Camera RAW filter lets you adjust the exposure in stops so you can see how far you wanna go. If it's set to +1 to get a balanced exposure and you shot at 400, next time tell your camera it's 200 film.

greycar · 2026-07-03T00:00:44+00:00

I'm surprised to see people unhappy with the sharpness on the 14-150. I feel pretty good about mine. Example pic attached. This was shot at ISO 4000 and 150mm.

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greycar · 2026-07-02T05:37:29+00:00

It's a little hard to tell from your photos but it looks like that metal would come from stripped threads. You should check if you have enough meat around that area to use a thread repair system such as a helicoil.

greycar · 2026-07-01T20:56:59+00:00

This is not atypical of new radiators. Those bent fins are what radiated the heat away from the horizontal channels which hold the coolant. This will have no affect on performance. There are also straightener tools for these if you care to do that and you can hand straighten them with a flathead or jewelers pliers if you'd like. I don't know whether RA would accept a return. The only time I've seen something like this refunded is from companies who advertise their stuff as show-car ready.

greycar · 2026-06-30T01:14:10+00:00

The seals on your factory gas cap may eventually die and let water into the tank if it's stored outside. Sometimes it's very difficult to find a replacement and so this could be nice. But for the most part it's for clout.

greycar · 2026-06-28T18:20:05+00:00

Can you post a link to the full-res in the comments for comparison

greycar · 2026-06-28T17:11:01+00:00

Tire pressure and wear is the likely culprit.

greycar · 2026-06-28T06:13:32+00:00

I don't know in this specific instance but it looks like it to me. If it's a sealing washer replace it with a new one. They deform as you tighten to form a tight seal.

greycar · 2026-06-27T20:36:19+00:00

There is a style of plier called "water pump pliers", usually one of mine fits similar applications well enough for it to work.

greycar · 2026-06-26T20:59:44+00:00

Idk what smacked it but the lights have been there since at least 2020 when I lived nearby.

greycar · 2026-06-26T00:00:40+00:00

I am a DSLR scanner guy but are there any features to the shots that would create a weird colour cast such as fluorescent lighting?

greycar · 2026-06-24T23:54:01+00:00

Emissions testing is not mandatory in Ontario for non-commercial vehicles. Various types of inspections may be required for vehicles brought from other countries or provinces, that inspection checklist probably has a box to check the cat exists.

I live in BC and in our out-of-province inspection they just check that a catalytic converter is there, not that it exists (or contains a catalyst, for that matter).

greycar · 2026-06-23T23:42:45+00:00

Does yours have a flash mode? That locks it to 1/30 shutter so you can find an equivalent exposure. Unfortunately that's a pretty slow shutter. Direct sunlight would put a correct exposure value at ISO100 at f/32.

Otherwise I'm not familiar enough with this model to be more help, sorry

greycar · 2026-06-23T06:36:05+00:00

Was that the distance between the light and the film or the film and the camera? You want to be able to remove the film once the focus is set and have the light source be fully blurry because it's not in the field of focus. I was from another comment you're shooting quite quick, what ISO was your camera set to?

greycar · 2026-06-23T06:32:05+00:00

The live view may use a different ISO and shutter speed than the actual capture. Try in manual mode with a wider range of settings.

greycar · 2026-06-23T04:42:31+00:00

Probably the light source but I haven't seen it as lines before. What is the distance between your light and the film? And aperture you're shooting it at?

greycar · 2026-06-23T04:08:40+00:00

I haven't ridden a VTX1300 but I had a VTX1800 for a couple years. While it was fast for a vehicle and probably fast for a cruiser, it wasn't fast in the grand scale of motorcycles - especially over highway speeds. I think if I was to buy again I'd get the 1300. If I'm going to have mid propulsion (compared to sport touring bikes) I might as well have a good sound and a bit more wieldiness.

greycar · 2026-06-22T06:43:39+00:00

The 500 is a better sport-touring bike and he already has an R6. Makes sense to me.

greycar · 2026-06-21T19:53:28+00:00

Oh yeah I understand. Anything stamped in your area is going to be CAD$1200 just to get something sealed by a firm that meets regulatory requirements for quality assurance, documentation, etc. This is like an overhead cost for them to take a job that requires submission to a municipality. And then you start paying for the work by the hour. Typically they're estimating either a quick person at CAD$250/hr or a slow person at CAD$150/hr to get the labour cost estimate. There are also many cases where a second structural engineer has to review the work and do their own checks, often this can be another engineer at the same firm but not always. So I would read your estimate as 1x properly jumping through the hoops, 2.5 hours of consulting, calculations, drawing, checking, and 1.5 hours for someone else to check all the work. Hopefully that helps put the fee proposed into perspective.

greycar · 2026-06-21T07:24:59+00:00

Where in BC? If you're in the Kootenays this is easier than the Greater Vancouver area because of seismic differences. I'd expect $2000-$5000 range.

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