The old way

[BobbyR]

IS-IS there anyone, or place out there who will still put a motor drive on a camera that was not originally.

OBVIOSULY-price is not a big part of the equation, but neither is it irrelevant.


Bobby

[Ian Grant]

I've never heard of cameras being converted to take a motor drive, anyway nowadays it would be far cheaper just to buy a spare body that accepts a motor drive.

Ian

[Dan Fromm]

Bobby, do you have a motor drive and no body that will accept it?

[PHOTOTONE]

At one time there was a custom shop in NYC, I think Marty Forschner?? that did all sorts of modifications to cameras for working photographers, generally for the photo journalism industry. He is deceased. I don't think camera mods were ever widespread.

[JBrunner]

IS-IS there anyone, or place out there who will still put a motor drive on a camera that was not originally.

OBVIOSULY-price is not a big part of the equation, but neither is it irrelevant.


Bobby

What camera are you attempting to modify?

[David A. Goldfarb]

That was Marty Forscher's Professional Camera Repair, which closed several years ago. Noah Schwarz worked in his shop and has a lot of their documentation, and might be able to do something. You can look him up on photo.net.

That said, this would be major surgery, and I can't imagine what would justify it. If it's because you want to use a certain lens on a camera for which there is no motor drive, for instance, it would be easier to modify the lens to another camera mount. Maybe if you had a camera system with a very extensive and expensive set of lenses that already took a motor drive, but you wanted a faster motor drive from some other system, and if money were no object, that could be a reason to try to adapt motor drives across systems.

[BobbyR]

Bobby, do you have a motor drive and no body that will accept it?

I have a Spotmatic II, my first camera, that for decades I have wanted to put a m. drive on.
I knew of PCR for decades but just never got around to sending it in for reasons of money or other priorities.

A loooong shot, is I have an Almaz, Russian camera coming which already has the drive connection in the body, but Lomo never released the motor drives.
NOT real important, but I am trying to pickup the loose ends that stopped me from never getting around to doing it with the Pentax when it was simple--barring cost.

Now that PCR iis gone, I was hoping there might be one place left that still did such work.
Is Marty dead, I read in a google search, that (in htat photo.net, I think, thread some one saw him at a recent camera show)

I contacted John Uske, who used to work for him about possible do-all shops (not with this task in particular) and I though as there is a goodly deal of info at this site, though it is organized kind-of like leaves on a windy day, I would see what the pros here might have.
Bobby
PS--Century (Schneider) contacted me that they still work on the Century lens if the work is possible, and they have parts for them not listed on the site.

[PHOTOTONE]

I may be hallucinating, but wasn't there actually a REAL motor drive version of the Spotmatic? If so, why would you want to modify a non-motordrive model at considerable expense?

[resummerfield]

Pentax made a motor drive for the Spotmatic, and I see them occasionally on Ebay. Eric Hendrickson (pentaxs.com)worked for Pentax for years, and now operates and independent repair shop specializing in older models. He has repaired several of my older Spotmatics, and does excellent work. Try emailing him for advice.

[BobbyR]

I may be hallucinating, but wasn't there actually a REAL motor drive version of the Spotmatic? If so, why would you want to modify a non-motordrive model at considerable expense?

There is not sarcasm intended here but A: because it can be done; B: I have acquired a loathing for thumbing a drive lever( and I am a person who will choose a manual tranny in a car over an auto); C: because I have always wanted to have it done.

Yes there were several Pentax Spotmatic M.D. cameras on ebay during the past months, but I DO NOT want an entirely new camera.

I know enough of the process, that this is one of the simplest ones to have done.
Now the Almaz that is a horse of a different colour.
Bobby