---
title: "Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairer"
description: "Repair and adjust cameras and photographic equipment, including commercial video and motion picture camera equipment."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/camera-and-photographic-equipment-repairer"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairer

**Category:** Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · **SOC code:** 49-9061 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 49-9061.00

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

Also advertised as: Camera Repair Technician; Camera Repairman; Camera Technician; Photo Equipment Technician; Photo Technologist; Photographic Equipment Repair Technician; Photographic Equipment Technician; Photographic Technician (Photo Tech).

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $52,720 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $25.35/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $34,320 to $83,940, with the middle half between $41,630 and $66,070
- **Total US employment:** 1,650
- **Typical entry education:** High school
- **Preparation required:** Some preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** -15.5% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 100 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 43/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 1,650 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $34,320 |
| 25th | $41,630 |
| 50th (median) | $52,720 |
| 75th | $66,070 |
| 90th | $83,940 |
| Mean (average) | $56,040 |

### Pay by state

The 13 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| OH | $85,070 | $91,696 | 80 |
| VA | $65,170 | $64,458 | Not published by BLS |
| NJ | $60,290 | $55,411 | 40 |
| CA | $59,770 | $53,983 | Not published by BLS |
| AZ | $59,080 | $58,683 | Not published by BLS |
| NV | $52,700 | $52,711 | Not published by BLS |
| GA | $49,320 | $51,219 | 60 |
| NY | $48,280 | $44,736 | 50 |
| KS | $46,920 | $52,094 | Not published by BLS |
| TN | $44,940 | $48,917 | Not published by BLS |
| FL | $41,290 | $39,927 | 30 |
| NC | $41,140 | $43,615 | 30 |
| TX | $33,940 | $34,969 | 90 |

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 1,800 in the 2025–2035 base year to 1,500 by the end of the cycle — a loss of 300 jobs, or -15.5%. Declining: -15.5% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 100 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** High school diploma or equivalent (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Some preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** Long-term on-the-job training.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 32.3% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 28.5% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 13.3% |
| Some College Courses | 10.8% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 8.0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 7.1% |

## What the work involves

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

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Critical Thinking — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reading Comprehension — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 2.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 2.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Troubleshooting — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Repairing — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Equipment Maintenance — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Quality Control Analysis — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Equipment Selection — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Mechanical — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Computers and Electronics — importance 3.7 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Customer and Personal Service — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Engineering and Technology — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Administrative — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Near Vision — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Visualization — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Finger Dexterity — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Problem Sensitivity — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Arm-Hand Steadiness — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Written Comprehension — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Realistic (R), Conventional (C).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| R — Realistic | 6.93 |
| C — Conventional | 4.83 |
| I — Investigative | 2.66 |
| A — Artistic | 1.93 |
| S — Social | 1.19 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.00 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 89.3 |
| ISTP | 78.4 |
| ISFJ | 74.2 |
| ESTJ | 69.7 |
| INTJ | 69.0 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ. The bank also flags this occupation as introvert-friendly, meaning O\*NET work-context ratings put it low on public contact and performing for the public.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Photographic Process Worker and Processing Machine Operator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/photographic-process-worker-and-processing-machine-operator) — median $40,610
- [Calibration Technologist and Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/calibration-technologist-and-technician) — median $67,820
- [Motion Picture Projectionist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/motion-picture-projectionist) — median $38,270
- [Lighting Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/lighting-technician) — median $68,060
- [Electrical and Electronics Repairer, Commercial and Industrial Equipment](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electrical-and-electronics-repairer-commercial-and-industrial-equipment) — median $74,090
- [Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/computer-automated-teller-and-office-machine-repairer) — median $47,810
- [Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologist and Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electro-mechanical-and-mechatronics-technologist-and-technician) — median $73,900
- [Audiovisual Equipment Installer and Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/audiovisual-equipment-installer-and-repairer) — median $52,600
- [Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologist and Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electrical-and-electronic-engineering-technologist-and-technician) — median $78,190
- [Electronic Equipment Installer and Repairer, Motor Vehicles](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electronic-equipment-installer-and-repairer-motor-vehicles) — median $48,420

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

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