APM – A Vintage Camera Shop in Newcastle City Centre

Enter through the small door marked with the number 6 and go up to the second floor,you will find there is a vintage camera repair shop with a long history, that is APM Camera Repairs. 

Located at the city center of Newcastle,it is near to Old Eldon Square. For most vintage camera lovers in Newcastle, the store is not stranger. Started at 1996, it has over 30 years experience in the repair of photographic equipment from classic film cameras to modern day digital. The shop area is not big, but there are a large selection of used film and digital equipment for sale. And they are always looking for new photographic equipment.

Allan Metters, 50, the shop owner of APM Camera Repairs. He began to repair cameras since he was 16 years old. It can be said that the film machine is the most familiar partner for him. He started running the store in 1996. Before that, he worked from home, and after ten years, he decided to expand a store in the city center.

When it comes to daily work, there is no so-called peak period of work for him. Normally, he repairs six or seven cameras per day. But as long as a customer pushes the door into the store, it means he will get a new task to do.

During decades of operation, he also witnessed the gradual decline of the film industry.

“Years ago, it was all film comes, and we do about it. And now it’s really quiet north repair site, because a lot of stuff is what kind of disposable, even from distilled”.

Allan Metters

If recommend film cameras to novices, he thought the 35mm camera will be the best one, because it is simplest to use. Some professional cameras may look great, but if people don’t know what to do at first, the film was quite expensive, they only get twelve shots, so they need to cherish every shutter use and got to know what they do.

Everyone has different preferences and different brands they like. As he knows, a lot of people like Nikon, a lot of people like Canon, Olympus is quite popular at the moment. Leica, as probably the one everybody wants is really expensive. In his opinion, people should decide which camera to buy according to their own needs.