Tried using a hot shoe off an old Zenit on a modern flash...

I thought I could save a few bucks by swapping a hot shoe from a junk Zenit onto a newer Yashica body I was fixing. Figured it would be a quick solder job. Well, the contacts were totally different spacing. Ended up frying a capacitor on the Yashica's board. Learned the hard way that not all hot shoes are created equal even if they look the same. Cost me $35 for a replacement part and 3 hours of rework. Has anyone else messed up a repair by trying to reuse old parts that weren't compatible?

2 comments

2 Comments

allen.cole7d agoTop Commenter

I feel you on that "quick solder job" idea turning into a disaster. I once tried to swap a flash sync terminal from an old Praktica into a working Pentax and ended up shorting out the whole mirror mechanism, had to take it to a pro who charged me twice what I spent on the camera. At least you got to learn that lesson before frying something truly expensive like I almost did.

kevin_schmidt977d agoMost Upvoted

Man I used to think anyone could fix anything with a soldering iron and enough patience. But reading stories like yours makes me realize some jobs are just better left to people who know what theyre doing. Definitely gonna think twice before I try to DIY something with sensitive electronics again.