Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers
Also called: Camera Repair Technician, Camera Repairman, Camera Technician, Repair TechnicianRepair and adjust cameras and photographic equipment, including commercial video and motion picture camera equipment.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 15 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 15.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Precision instrument and equipment repairers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in government, which employs about 31% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.4.3 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $59,080 | $58,940 to $59,080 | not published |
| California | $59,770 | $41,630 to $72,060 | not published |
| Florida | $41,290 | $41,290 to $46,790 | 30 |
| Georgia | $49,320 | $43,470 to $49,960 | 60 |
| Kansas | $46,920 | $39,990 to $52,970 | not published |
| Nevada | $52,700 | $52,700 to $52,720 | not published |
| New Jersey | $60,290 | $43,200 to $78,580 | 40 |
| New York | $48,280 | $33,280 to $60,500 | 50 |
| North Carolina | $41,140 | $37,120 to $53,370 | 30 |
| Ohio | $85,070 | $50,900 to $88,860 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $44,940 | $38,990 to $61,370 | not published |
| Texas | $33,940 | $27,750 to $65,380 | 90 |
| Virginia | $65,170 | $41,870 to $72,310 | not published |
Nationally: $52,720. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 2 of its 15 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Adjust cameras, photographic mechanisms, or equipment such as range and view finders, shutters, light meters, or lens systems, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Disassemble equipment to gain access to defect, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Test equipment performance, focus of lens system, diaphragm alignment, lens mounts, or film transport, using precision gauges. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and lubricate cameras and polish camera lenses, using cleaning materials and work aids. | Not published |
| Not much | Requisition parts or materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure parts to verify specified dimensions or settings, such as camera shutter speed or light meter reading accuracy, using measuring instruments. | under 0.01% |
See all 15 tasks
| Not much | Calibrate and verify accuracy of light meters, shutter diaphragm operation, or lens carriers, using timing instruments. | Not published |
| Not much | Read and interpret engineering drawings, diagrams, instructions, or specifications to determine needed repairs, fabrication method, and operation sequence. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Examine cameras, equipment, processed film, or laboratory reports to diagnose malfunction, using work aids and specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Fabricate or modify defective electronic, electrical, or mechanical components, using bench lathe, milling machine, shaper, grinder, or precision hand tools, according to specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Assemble aircraft cameras, still or motion picture cameras, photographic equipment, or frames, using diagrams, blueprints, bench machines, hand tools, or power tools. | Not published |
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record test data and document fabrication techniques on reports. | Not published |
| Not much | Lay out reference points and dimensions on parts or metal stock to be machined, using precision measuring instruments. | Not published |
| AI + software | Recommend design changes or upgrades of microfilming, film-developing, or photographic equipment. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 15 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 15 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #36 Purchase goods or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Advise others on business or operational matters | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems | |||
| Document technical designs, procedures, or activities | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment |
Show all 15 activities
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Fabricate devices or components | |||
| Install commercial or production equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer39%
- A document or report14%
- Data or a spreadsheet9%
- A script or snippet9%
- An analysis or summary5%
How they worked with Claude
54% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for camera and photographic equipment repairers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 665 moves out
- 1 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Moderate +5.0% 9%
- 2 Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Very high +2.9% 8%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 6%
- 4 Personal Financial Advisors Very high +1.4% 5%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers High +1.8% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 603 moves in
- 1 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 8%
- 2 Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Very high +2.9% 6%
- 3 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Moderate +5.0% 6%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers High +1.8% 6%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 13% less than high school
- 32% high school
- 28% postsecondary certificate
- 11% some college
- 8% associate's
- 7% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 15 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 23% high school
- 25% some college
- 18% associate's
- 23% bachelor's
- 4% master's
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Precision instrument and equipment repairers” · 664 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Precision instrument and equipment repairers”
1 program: Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 5 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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