Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$52,720

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$41,630 – $66,070

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

1,650

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

-15.5%

Shrinking (below 0%)

Openings a year (projected)

100

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Repair and adjust cameras and photographic equipment, including commercial video and motion picture camera equipment.

Main tasks

• Adjust cameras, photographic mechanisms, or equipment such as range and view finders, shutters, light meters, or lens systems, using hand tools.
• Disassemble equipment to gain access to defect, using hand tools.
• Test equipment performance, focus of lens system, diaphragm alignment, lens mounts, or film transport, using precision gauges.
• Clean and lubricate cameras and polish camera lenses, using cleaning materials and work aids.
• Requisition parts or materials.
• Calibrate and verify accuracy of light meters, shutter diaphragm operation, or lens carriers, using timing instruments.
• Examine cameras, equipment, processed film, or laboratory reports to diagnose malfunction, using work aids and specifications.
• Read and interpret engineering drawings, diagrams, instructions, or specifications to determine needed repairs, fabrication method, and operation sequence.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: long-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Calibration Technologists and Technicians

  $67,820 median · +4.8% projected

• Lighting Technicians

  $68,060 median · -4.8% projected

• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment

  $74,090 median · +0.3% projected

• Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers

  $47,810 median · -3% projected

• Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians

  $73,900 median · +2.6% projected

• Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers

  $52,600 median · +4.8% projected