This is reassuring claim often made on film camera sales, but can this be true?

Sometimes of course it is. Private sellers who are selling their old camera may well have used it very recently. But what about business sellers?

It might be the case that a business seller will 'run a film' through the camera, but what does that mean?

It means this: A film has been loaded, and wound through the camera. That's all!

Unless the camera is very expensive, no business seller has the time to take a series of pictures, and get the film developed.

Or the money.

Think about the cost. A roll of fresh film (Which would be essential if you are trying to test the camera. Old film won't do!) is going to cost £3-£4 and at least £1.50 to get developed (at the supermarket!) and that just get's you the negatives. To get prints it's going to cost at least another £5.

So that's going to cost £9.50. Is this a reasonable sum to spend on a camera that is unlikely to sell for more than a few pounds?

I think that you will agree that the answer is no!

Even with cameras that sell for £50 or more, that sort of cost is a big chunk out of the price, quite possibly all the profit.

So this claim is very likely to be untrue, or at least is is more or less meaningless.

Really testing a camera

When I test a camera, (often after re-building it!) I also run an old exposed film through it just to test the winder mechanism etc. That just tells me that nothing's actually broken, or missing inside. 

 It does not tell me if the shutter is working properly, or the exposure meter is accurate.

To do that you need some test equipment. With suitable equipment it is possible to test these things quickly, accurately, and cheaply. This is the only way of testing that the camera is in perfect working order.

 (Even if you do not possess equipment specifically designed for camera testing, then an oscilloscope with a few photocells, a laser pen, a desk lamp, and a really accurate light meter will do the job just as well. It's just a little more awkward to set-up.)

Usually an older camera will need stripped, cleaned, and lubricated to make sure it passes these tests, and often needs adjusting to bring them back into tip-top operating condition. Once this is done, you should not need to worry about having it done for another 20 years!

So next time you see 'I have run a film through...'

 You really don't know if the camera actually works, and quite frankly neither does the seller. It's not been tested properly at all.

If you want a camera that has been properly tested, serviced, or even completely overhauled so that you know it is going to work, you could do a lot worse than pay a visit to Alchemic Photography where you will find cameras that have been properly tested, and come with a six-months test-it-yourself guarantee to give you plenty of time to find out that the camera really is an excellent example of its type.

The cameras there include vintage film cameras which have been completely overhauled to ensure that they continue to perform for many more years, as well as a selection of lenses, cases, and other accessories.

They may look a little pricey at first glance, (Especially compared to others offered on eBay, but many of those are let us say, not really what they ought to be.) but the items offered are still much less than normal high-street used prices, and are very likely in better working condition than similar high-street offerings. So you will really be getting a bargain!

Do yourself a favour and pay them a vist.