Vintage camera collecting

Fire the shutter at all speeds and inspect the lens. The slow shutter speeds should sound audibly slower than the fast ones, and a shutter that sticks open or sounds the same at every speed needs repair. Hold the lens to a light to spot fungus or haze, and work the focus and aperture for smooth movement. A dead meter is less critical if you can use a handheld meter or phone app.

Perished foam light seals. Cameras from the late 1960s onward used foam strips around the film door that crumble into sticky residue with age, letting light leak onto the film and fogging shots. This is the single most common fault and it looks worse than it is. A replacement foam kit costs a few euros and a careful afternoon restores a perfect seal.

Yes, and many people do. A mechanical body with a clean lens, accurate shutter, and fresh light seals takes photographs as well as it did when new, and film is widely available again. Fully mechanical cameras like the Olympus OM-1 or a Pentax K1000 do not even need batteries except for the meter. Just test the body first and replace the seals.

Fungus is a web-like growth inside the lens that etches the glass coating if left. It thrives in warm, damp, dark storage, so a camera kept in a humid cupboard for decades often has it. Light fungus may clean off, but established growth permanently damages the coating and softens image quality. Store cameras dry with silica gel to prevent it, and inspect any purchase carefully.

Some are, but buy for interest first. Sought-after bodies like Leica rangefinders and Hasselblad systems have appreciated strongly, partly driven by the film revival, and clean boxed examples of desirable models hold value well. Most ordinary cameras, though, are worth modest sums and will not make you money. Collect the machines you find beautiful and treat any appreciation as a bonus.