How to become a Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairer
Official title: Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers
Also called: Camera Repair Technician, Camera Repairman, Camera Technician, Photo Equipment Technician, Photo Technologist, Photographic Equipment Repair Technician, Photographic Equipment Technician, Photographic Technician (Photo Tech), Repair Technician, Repairman
Repair and adjust cameras and photographic equipment, including commercial video and motion picture camera equipment.
Main tasks
- Adjust cameras, photographic mechanisms, or equipment such as range and view finders, shutters, light meters, or lens systems, using hand tools.
- Disassemble equipment to gain access to defect, using hand tools.
- Test equipment performance, focus of lens system, diaphragm alignment, lens mounts, or film transport, using precision gauges.
- Clean and lubricate cameras and polish camera lenses, using cleaning materials and work aids.
- Requisition parts or materials.
- Calibrate and verify accuracy of light meters, shutter diaphragm operation, or lens carriers, using timing instruments.
- Examine cameras, equipment, processed film, or laboratory reports to diagnose malfunction, using work aids and specifications.
- Read and interpret engineering drawings, diagrams, instructions, or specifications to determine needed repairs, fabrication method, and operation sequence.
How to become one
Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Camera Repairer.
- Apprenticeship: Machinist, Motionpic Equipment.
- Apprenticeship: Photographic Equipment Maintenance.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $52,720 a year The middle half earn $41,630 to $66,070.
- About 1,800 people work in this job now, and about 1,500 are projected by 2035. (-15.5%)
- People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairer?
Ways in include: Camera Repairer.
How much does a Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairer earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $52,720 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $41,630 to $66,070.
Is a Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairer a growing career in the US?
Employment is projected to fall 15% by 2035, from about 1,800 to about 1,500 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairer?
Not always. 28% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Camera Repairer.
Will AI change the work of a Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairer?
People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.