How to Buy a Used TLR Camera

Shutter

The shutter is the most important mechanical component. If the shutter doesn't work, the camera doesn't take pictures. Here's how to test it thoroughly:

• Fire at every marked speed. Cock the shutter and fire it at each speed from the slowest (usually 1 second) to the fastest (1/300 or 1/500). You should hear a clear, audible difference between slow and fast speeds. At 1 second, you should hear the shutter open, a distinct pause, then close. At 1/500, you should hear a single sharp click.
• Listen for hesitation. If the shutter sounds the same at 1 second and 1/10, the slow-speed escapement is gummed up. This is the most common shutter problem on TLRs — old lubricant thickens over decades and slows the mechanism. A CLA will fix it, but factor in $100–200. See our sticky shutters guide for diagnosis tips and the exercise trick that sometimes frees a sluggish shutter.
• Test bulb mode. Set the shutter to B. Open the back of the camera. Hold the shutter open and look through the lens from the back — you should see light coming through. Release the shutter and confirm it snaps closed cleanly. This verifies the shutter blades aren't stuck and that the B (bulb) mechanism works.
• Fire each speed multiple times. A shutter that sticks intermittently is worse than one that's consistently slow, because you can't predict when it will fail. Fire each speed at least three times.
• Check the self-timer (if the camera has one). Self-timers are the first thing to seize on old cameras. If it's jammed, leave it alone — forcing a stuck self-timer can damage the shutter. A non-working self-timer isn't a dealbreaker unless it's preventing the shutter from firing normally.

Lens Inspection

The taking lens (bottom lens on a TLR) is what actually forms the image on your film. The viewing lens (top) only affects the viewfinder brightness. Focus your inspection on the taking lens, but check both.

• Haze. Open the lens to its widest aperture and look through it toward a bright light source (a window or lamp). Rotate the lens slightly and look for a milky, cloudy coating across the glass. Light haze reduces contrast but doesn't destroy sharpness. Heavy haze makes the lens unusable for anything except soft-focus effects. Haze on the front or rear element can sometimes be cleaned. Haze between internal elements requires professional disassembly.
• Fungus. Fungus looks like branching white or gray filaments, sometimes resembling frost or a spider web, on the glass surfaces. It usually starts at the edges and grows inward. Surface fungus on the front or rear element can be cleaned if caught early. Fungus between internal elements, or fungus that has etched into the glass coating, is permanent damage. Walk away from heavy internal fungus.
• Separation. Multi-element lenses have groups of glass elements cemented together with balsam (a natural resin). Over decades, this cement can break down, causing the elements to separate. Separation looks like a rainbow sheen or Newton's rings (concentric colored circles) when you look through the lens at an angle. Separation is expensive to repair and often not worth fixing.
• Cleaning marks. Faint scratches or swirl marks on the front element from decades of wiping. Minor cleaning marks have virtually zero impact on image quality — the lens is focused at infinity, not on its own surface. Don't let cosmetic cleaning marks scare you away from an otherwise good lens.
• Coatings. Coated elements show a purple, amber, or blue reflection when viewed at an angle. Uncoated elements (found on older cameras) show a white reflection. Coated lenses have better contrast, especially in backlit situations. Missing or damaged coatings appear as patches with a different color reflection.

To inspect: open the aperture fully, hold the lens toward a bright light, and look through from both ends. Then tilt the lens at various angles to catch internal reflections. A small penlight or phone flashlight is useful for illuminating the interior elements.

Focus Mechanism

TLRs focus by moving the entire lens board forward and back. The focus knob (usually on the left side) turns a helicoid mechanism that drives this movement.

• Full-range test. Turn the focus knob from the closest focus distance to infinity and back. The movement should be smooth and even throughout the range, with no sudden stiff spots or dead zones.
• Check for play. With the focus set to any position, gently push and pull the lens board. There should be no wobble or looseness. Play in the focusing mechanism means the lens board isn't being held firmly, which causes focus inaccuracy.
• Helicoid smoothness. The focus should have a slight, even resistance — enough to hold its position but not so much that you have to force it. A very stiff helicoid needs re-lubrication. A focus that moves too freely (no resistance at all) may have been disassembled incorrectly or have worn threads.
• Verify through the viewfinder. Open the waist-level finder and watch the ground glass image while turning the focus knob. The image should track smoothly from blurry to sharp. If it doesn't change, the viewing lens may be stuck or disconnected from the focus mechanism.

Film Advance

The film advance mechanism is the second most common failure point after the shutter. On most TLRs, the advance knob transports the film and cocks the shutter in a linked sequence.

• Turn the advance knob (or crank). It should move with smooth, even resistance. Grinding, clicking, or sudden catches indicate worn or damaged gears. On cameras with auto-stop frame counters, the advance should stop after one full frame and lock until the shutter is fired.
• Test the interlock. On cameras with coupled film advance and shutter cocking (like the Yashica-Mat 124G), firing the shutter should release the advance mechanism. Try the full cycle: advance (should lock) → fire shutter → advance again. This sequence should repeat reliably.
• Check the frame counter. If the camera has one, verify it advances with each frame. A broken frame counter won't affect the camera's ability to take photos, but you'll need to track frames manually using the red window on the back (if the camera has one).
• Open the back and watch. With the back open, advance the film and watch the take-up spool hub. It should rotate smoothly. Check that the film path guides and rollers are clean and free of corrosion.

Film Back and Door

The back of the camera must form a light-tight seal when closed. Any gap lets light in and fogs your film.

• Light seal condition. Open the back and look at the foam or felt strips around the edges where the back meets the body. If the foam is crumbling into black dust, the seals need replacement. This is the single most common issue on old cameras — and the easiest to fix. Replacement light seal kits cost $5–15, and installation takes about 30 minutes. Do not let bad light seals deter you from an otherwise good camera.
• Door latch tightness. Close the back and try to open it without pressing the release. The latch should hold firmly with no play. A loose latch can pop open during shooting, ruining the entire roll. This is harder to fix than light seals and may require a repair technician.
• Back flatness. Lay the camera back on a flat surface (like a table). It should sit flat with no warping or bowing. A warped back holds the film at an incorrect distance from the lens, causing uneven focus across the frame.
• Red window. Check the red window (the small window on the back used for reading frame numbers on the film backing paper). The red filter should be intact and the window should have a sliding cover. A missing filter isn't critical but can cause light fogging on very long exposures.

Bellows (Mamiya C-Series)

This step only applies to bellows-focusing TLRs, primarily the Mamiya C220 and C330 series. Most other TLRs use a rigid helicoid focus and don't have bellows. For a detailed guide on bellows diagnosis and repair options, see our bellows inspection guide.

• Flashlight test. Take the camera into a dark room (or cover it with a dark cloth). Open the back and shine a bright flashlight or phone light through the bellows from the front. Look at the bellows from inside the camera body. Any pinholes of light shining through mean the bellows have deteriorated. Small pinholes can be patched temporarily with liquid electrical tape, but deteriorating bellows will continue to develop new holes.
• Check the folds. Gently extend the bellows to their maximum (closest focus) and look at the folds and corners. The material should be supple, not brittle or cracked. The corners are where deterioration usually starts.
• Replacement cost. If the bellows need replacing, budget $80–150 for a replacement bellows unit plus labor, or $30–50 for a DIY bellows kit if you're handy. Factor this into the purchase price.

Body Condition

Cosmetic condition matters less than mechanical condition, but some body damage is more than cosmetic.

• Dents near the lens board or film plane. Any dent or deformation near the lens mount area or the film plane can misalign the optical path, causing soft or unevenly-focused images. These dents affect function and are expensive to fix. Dents on the top plate, bottom plate, or sides are usually cosmetic only.
• Leatherette. The faux-leather covering on most TLRs shrinks and peels over time. Missing or peeling leatherette is cosmetic — it doesn't affect function. Replacement leatherette kits are available for most models for $10–20, and the job is straightforward — see our leatherette replacement guide.
• Knobs and levers. Check that all knobs, levers, and switches are present and functional. Missing knobs can sometimes be replaced, but finding exact replacements for specific models can be difficult. A missing film advance knob is a bigger problem than a missing strap lug cover.
• Tripod socket. Check the 3/8" or 1/4" tripod socket on the bottom. If the threads are stripped, the camera can't be mounted on a tripod. Not critical if you only shoot handheld, but limits your options for long exposures.
• Strap lugs. Verify the strap lugs are solid and not bent or cracked. A camera dropped because of a failed strap lug is a bad day.

Viewfinder

The viewfinder doesn't affect the image on film, but a dim or damaged viewfinder makes the camera significantly harder to use.

• Mirror condition. Open the waist-level finder and look down at the ground glass. The image should be bright and clear. If it's dim or has dark spots, the mirror below the ground glass may be corroded or fogged. Mirror replacement is possible but adds cost.
• Ground glass brightness. A good ground glass shows a bright, contrasty image. A degraded ground glass looks dim and flat. Some cameras have aftermarket bright screens available (Maxwell screens for Rolleiflex, for example) that dramatically improve viewfinder brightness.
• Magnifier. Most TLR waist-level finders have a flip-up magnifier for precise focusing. Check that it flips up, locks in position, and flips back down. The magnifier optic should be clean and clear. A broken magnifier spring is a common minor issue.
• Sports finder. Many TLRs have a pop-up sports finder (a wire frame) built into the waist-level finder hood. Check that it deploys and folds back correctly. Not essential for most shooting, but nice to have.

Shoot a Test Roll

Load a roll of inexpensive 120 film. ISO 400 black-and-white (Ilford HP5+ or Kodak Tri-X) is ideal — it's forgiving of exposure errors and easy to develop. For loading instructions, see our guide to loading 120 film. Shoot all 12 frames methodically:

• Frames 1–4: Test shutter speeds. Shoot the same subject at different speed/aperture combinations that should produce the same exposure (e.g., 1/500 at f/3.5, 1/250 at f/5.6, 1/125 at f/8, 1/60 at f/11). If the shutter speeds are accurate, all four frames should look equally exposed.
• Frames 5–8: Test focus accuracy. Shoot a subject with fine detail (a brick wall, a bookshelf, a tree trunk) at different focus distances. Include subjects at close focus, middle distance, and infinity.
• Frames 9–12: General shooting. Take the camera out and shoot normally. Include backlit subjects (to test for flare), high-contrast scenes, and both horizontal and vertical compositions.

Develop and Inspect

Develop the roll (or have it developed at a lab) and examine the negatives carefully:

• Light leaks. Look for orange or fogged streaks along the edges of the film. Consistent fogging on one edge suggests a light seal problem. Random bright patches could be a back latch issue or a pinhole in the body. If you see light leaks, replace the light seals and shoot another test roll.
• Exposure consistency. The four speed-test frames should be roughly equally dense on the negative. If one frame is noticeably thinner (underexposed) or denser (overexposed), the corresponding shutter speed is off.
• Focus accuracy. Examine the focus-test frames with a loupe. The plane of sharp focus should be where you put it. If focus is consistently off in one direction (front-focus or back-focus), the ground glass may be misaligned — a repair that a technician can correct.
• Frame spacing. On the developed roll, the gaps between frames should be even. Uneven spacing suggests the film advance mechanism isn't transporting film consistently. Overlapping frames are a bigger problem than slightly uneven spacing.

Replace Light Seals if Needed

If your test roll shows light leaks (or if you already noticed crumbling foam during inspection), replace the light seals. This is the most common maintenance task for any TLR and requires no special tools — just replacement foam, a toothpick for removing old material, and isopropyl alcohol for cleaning the channels. See our complete light seal replacement guide for detailed instructions.