Repair and adjust cameras and photographic equipment, including commercial video and motion picture camera equipment.
U.S. Workers
2,010
Median Salary
$49,300
10-Year Growth
-15.1%
Annual Openings
200
Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
15 of 15 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Test equipment performance, focus of lens system, diaphragm alignment, lens mounts, or film transport, using precision gauges.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated optical test benches and software-driven measurement systems can fully perform focus, diaphragm, lens mount, and film-transport tests using precision gauges.
Requisition parts or materials.
AI: Fully automatable - Requisitioning parts and materials is routine administrative work that can be fully automated by procurement systems and AI workflows.
Calibrate and verify accuracy of light meters, shutter diaphragm operation, or lens carriers, using timing instruments.
AI: Fully automatable - Calibration and verification workflows for light meters and shutter/diaphragm timing can be automated end-to-end using test equipment controlled by software and AI analysis.
Read and interpret engineering drawings, diagrams, instructions, or specifications to determine needed repairs, fabrication method, and operation sequence.
AI: Fully automatable - Modern AI and CAD/CAM tools can read and interpret engineering drawings and generate repair/fabrication sequences and procedures with sufficient reliability for many standard tasks.
Measure parts to verify specified dimensions or settings, such as camera shutter speed or light meter reading accuracy, using measuring instruments.
AI: Fully automatable - Measurement and verification using instruments (e.g., CMMs, optical comparators) are routinely automated with software and AI to confirm dimensions and settings.
Record test data and document fabrication techniques on reports.
AI: Fully automatable - Recording test data and producing documentation is well within AI capabilities through automated data capture, transcription, formatting, and report generation.
Recommend design changes or upgrades of microfilming, film-developing, or photographic equipment.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can analyze designs, performance data, and standards and propose design changes or upgrades for photographic equipment with actionable recommendations.
Adjust cameras, photographic mechanisms, or equipment such as range and view finders, shutters, light meters, or lens systems, using hand tools.
AI: Partial - Robotic and computer-assisted tools can perform some precise adjustments in controlled settings, but nuanced hand-tool camera adjustments in varied repair contexts still typically require human dexterity and judgment.
Disassemble equipment to gain access to defect, using hand tools.
AI: Partial - Automated disassembly systems exist for standardized products and can be guided by AI, but diverse camera models and unpredictable failures make fully autonomous disassembly in repair shops only partially automatable in 2025.
Clean and lubricate cameras and polish camera lenses, using cleaning materials and work aids.
AI: Partial - Industrial optical cleaning and lubrication processes can be automated for manufacturing, but delicate, item-specific cleaning and lens polishing in repair contexts often still require human oversight and manual skill.
Install electrical assemblies and wiring in aircraft camera housings and memory cards or film in cameras, following blueprints and using hand tools and soldering equipment.
AI: Partial - AI-guided soldering and automated wiring exist and AI can provide step-by-step instructions, but full autonomous installation in varied, certified aircraft-camera contexts still requires human technicians.
Examine cameras, equipment, processed film, or laboratory reports to diagnose malfunction, using work aids and specifications.
AI: Partial - AI tools can analyze test data, images, and reports to suggest diagnoses, but comprehensive fault diagnosis across varied camera conditions still benefits from human inspection and contextual judgment.
Assemble aircraft cameras, still or motion picture cameras, photographic equipment, or frames, using diagrams, blueprints, bench machines, hand tools, or power tools.
AI: Partial - AI can drive automated assembly lines and produce assembly instructions, yet one-off or variable repair/assembly of complex cameras using manual tools is not fully automatable in general practice by 2025.
Fabricate or modify defective electronic, electrical, or mechanical components, using bench lathe, milling machine, shaper, grinder, or precision hand tools, according to specifications.
AI: Partial - AI can generate CAD/CAM programs and machining instructions and assist in planning, but cannot fully replace the hands-on, variable precision manual machining and fixturing work in repair contexts as of 2025.
Lay out reference points and dimensions on parts or metal stock to be machined, using precision measuring instruments.
AI: Partial - AI can compute precise layouts and control robotic marking/CNC in controlled environments, but manual layout with precision hand instruments in variable repair settings is not fully automatable yet.