Mathieu Stern of the Weird Lens Museum recently traveled to Tampere, Finland, where he was invited to tour The Camera Rescue Project, a large collection of vintage cameras being rescued from disrepair and potential loss. Stern introduces his viewers to Juho Leppänen, the man running the project, as well as the small team’s huge collection of around 6,000 vintage camera items at the Camera Rescue Center.
The Camera Rescue Project’s team has tasked themselves with finding, inspecting, and repairing 100,000 vintage film cameras, a process that has thus far resulted in more than 57,000 camera ‘rescues.’ Stern is introduced to the sales side of the Camera Rescue Center, as well as the processes used to inspect the cameras. Malfunctioning cameras and lenses are sorted into the ‘repair queue,’ which is currently home to more than 2,000 units in need of work.
Stern is known for, among other things, his videos showcasing unusual lenses and projects, including a lens created from ice and, more recently, a rare projector lens given a new life. In his most recent video, Leppänen tells Stern that he will be given some unusual lenses to test around the city, something Stern plans to show to his viewers in a future video. The Camera Rescue Project was likewise detailed in a video from Cameraville earlier this year.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)