c/camera-repairers

Warning: that cheap set of spudgers from the online marketplace

I bought a set of five for $15 to save a few bucks on a simple lens disassembly. The first one snapped in half the second I put any pressure on a retaining ring. The metal was so soft it bent on the next try. Ended up scratching the ring channel and spent two hours cleaning up the mess. What's a good brand for tools that won't fail on basic plastic clips?

2 comments

the_mia•2d ago

Remember when we used to fix shutter speeds with a can of air and a prayer?

I had an old Nikon FM2 come in last month with a sticky 1/1000th. Tried the old spray and tap method I learned in the 90s, got maybe 10 clean shots before it stuck again. Then I bit the bullet and used my new ultrasonic cleaner on the whole curtain assembly, like the manual actually says. That was the fix. The old way felt like a band-aid, this felt like real repair. Anyone else finally give up on the shortcuts and just do the full clean?

2 comments

nancy30•4d ago

Update on my old Nikon F2 shutter curtain job

I tried fixing a sticky curtain with a light oil at first, but it just gummed up again after a week. Switched to a proper graphite powder from a supplier in Seattle, and the action is smooth as butter now, three months later. Anyone else find that some 'quick fixes' just make more work down the line?

2 comments

wyatt513•5d ago

A client's comment about my lens cleaning method made me rethink everything

I was cleaning a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L for a regular last week, using my usual microfiber cloth and a quick puff of air. He watched me for a minute and said, 'You know, that's just pushing the dust around the edges. You're going to get grit in the zoom mechanism.' I realized he was right. Now I always remove the front element ring first and clean from the center outward with a proper brush. Has anyone else had a simple tip completely change their routine?

2 comments

calebscott•6d ago

Just saw a beautiful old camera display at the library in Springfield

They had a whole case of cameras from the 1920s to the 1950s. I was staring at this one Kodak folding camera for ten minutes, just looking at the bellows. They looked perfect, no light leaks or cracks at all. It's so cool to see gear that old still holding up. Has anyone else found a local spot with a surprisingly good camera collection?

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the_jennifer•7d ago

Just finished a CLA on a Leica M3 and a Nikon F... the difference was wild.

Everyone says the Leica is a watchmaker's camera, but after 3 hours, the Nikon's shutter curtain mechanism was just more straightforward to adjust. Has anyone else found certain 'simple' designs to be a real pain to work on?

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grant_ross27•10d ago

Just realized the new plastic shutter gears on that popular mirrorless model are failing after about 18 months.

I've seen three come through the shop this month with the same stripped teeth. Has anyone found a good source for the metal replacement part yet?

2 comments

murray.troy•12d ago

Pro tip: I just found out how many parts are in a basic SLR shutter

I was fixing an old Pentax K1000 last week and looked up the service manual. It said the focal plane shutter has over 60 separate pieces! I always knew it was complex, but seeing that number really surprised me. Has anyone else been caught off guard by the part count in a common mechanism?

2 comments

abby_harris•17d ago

Found a fix for a sticky film advance lever on an old Nikon FM2

A guy brought one in last Tuesday, said it felt gritty and would stick halfway. I took the top plate off like normal, expecting to clean and re-grease the gears. Instead of the usual gunk, I found a tiny piece of broken plastic from the film cartridge door had fallen inside. I fished it out with a piece of double-sided tape on the end of a toothpick (the only thing thin enough to fit). Has anyone else seen a jam like that from a broken internal part?

2 comments

sarahb59•17d ago

Had to pick between a tiny screwdriver and a toothpick for a stuck shutter blade

This old Yashica TLR came in with a shutter that wouldn't fire. I could see a tiny piece of old foam stuck in the blades. My good micro screwdriver was too thick to fit in the gap without bending things. I had to choose: grind down the screwdriver tip for 30 minutes or use a sharpened toothpick. Went with the toothpick. It worked, but the tip broke off inside and I spent another hour fishing it out with tweezers. Anyone have a better tool for clearing gunk from tight shutter assemblies?

2 comments

victor_lane60•17d ago

A client's offhand comment about a Minolta X-700 made me reconsider my whole approach

This guy brought in his dad's old camera, and while I was checking the light seals he just said, 'He always said the meter was too clever for its own good.' I'd always just seen them as a common, straightforward repair job. But that got me thinking about how we sometimes fix the symptom, not the story. I started looking at the circuit diagrams differently, focusing on the logic board instead of just the capacitor. Has anyone else had a simple comment completely shift how you tackle a common repair?

2 comments

dakotaknight•18d ago

A client told me my lens cleaning method was leaving micro-scratches

I've been using the same microfiber cloth and lens fluid for about five years, thinking it was fine. A regular brought in a Leica Summicron he said I'd cleaned, and under his loupe you could see very fine, straight marks. He said, 'You're wiping in one direction with too much pressure, and the cloth picks up grit.' I switched to a circular motion with almost no pressure, and I now use a fresh piece of cloth for each lens. The difference on black glass is huge. Has anyone else had to completely relearn a basic step like that?

2 comments

keithreed•18d ago

Old timer at the Seattle shop told me to never use WD-40 on a sticky shutter.

He said it would attract dust and gum up worse in a month. I ignored him on a cheap Pentax K1000 last year, just wanted a quick fix. Sure enough, the shutter is now completely seized and I have to do a full strip-down clean. Anyone have a better solvent they trust for that kind of light lubrication?

3 comments

lewis.thea•18d ago

Question about a weird find at the antique mall in Asheville

I was poking around that big antique mall in Asheville last weekend, you know the one, and I found a box of old camera gear. Buried under some junk was a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, but someone had tried to 'fix' it with what looked like modeling clay. The whole back plate was sealed shut with this bright blue stuff, and they'd even tried to mold a little grip for it. I had to laugh, but then I got sad thinking about the film probably still inside. It was only five bucks, so I bought it just to see if I could save it. Took me about an hour with a plastic spudger and some isopropyl to get the clay off without hurting the plastic. Has anyone else ever found a repair job that made you just stop and stare?

2 comments

alexj99•18d ago

Remember when you could just pop the top off a camera and see the whole shutter mechanism?

I had a 1970s Canon FTb and a modern mirrorless on the bench today. The FTb's shutter was right there, all metal gears and springs you could touch. The new one? A sealed unit the size of a postage stamp. You need a heat gun, special drivers, and a prayer just to get to it. The shift from mechanical to these tiny electronic modules in the last 15 years is huge. What's your method for dealing with these integrated shutter assemblies without wrecking the board?

2 comments

finleymiller•21d ago

PSA: I bought a $40 digital microscope for sensor cleaning and it's a game changer

I was tired of guessing with a loupe on high-end mirrorless sensors. This cheap USB scope plugs right into my laptop screen, giving me a clear 800x view of every speck. It showed me I was missing tiny oil spots from shutter mechanisms on some older DSLRs. Now I can be sure a sensor is actually clean before I close the camera up. Anyone else using something like this instead of a traditional loupe?

3 comments

zara_miller•22d ago

Finally got that stuck shutter on a Pentax 67 working after a week of trying

Honestly, it was a real pain. The second curtain was hanging up on this tiny, bent lever inside the mirror box. I had to take the whole front standard off and use a 0.9mm hex key to tweak it back into shape, holding my breath the whole time. Has anyone else had to deal with that specific lever on the 67? I'm curious if it's a common weak spot.

2 comments

chen.jade•23d ago

Had a customer bring in a Leica M3 with a stuck shutter, said he fixed it himself with WD-40

This was at my shop in Austin about two months ago. The guy was really proud he got the curtain moving again, but the whole inside was a sticky mess. I had to tell him that stuff gums up over time and attracts more dust. He argued it was a 'quick fix' and better than paying for a full service. Honestly, how do you guys handle these DIY repair conversations without making the customer feel dumb?

3 comments

the_iris•25d ago

Finally figured out the shutter lag on those old Minolta X-700s

I keep seeing people replace the main capacitor and call it good, but that's only half the fix. The real issue is the old grease in the magnet assembly, it gets gummy and slows everything down. After cleaning and re-greasing three of them from a shop in Portland, they all fired at a perfect 1/60th again. Anyone else run into this specific magnet drag problem?

2 comments

emma_hayes80•26d ago

The difference in my hands after switching to that new synthetic grease

Used to use that old petroleum-based stuff for years. My hands would be cracked and raw by Friday, especially in winter. Switched to that new synthetic brand, the one in the blue tube, about six months ago. The change was crazy. No more skin splitting around my thumbs when I'm working on a tight helicoid. I can actually feel the tiny detents on aperture rings now. It's like my fingertips got their sensitivity back. I don't even need that heavy lotion anymore. Anyone else notice a big difference with their gear after changing one small thing like a lubricant?

3 comments

alice_mitchell•26d ago

A customer told me to just replace the whole shutter assembly and it got me thinking

I was fixing a Pentax K1000 for a guy last week, and the second curtain was lagging. I told him I'd clean and adjust the mechanism, but he straight up said, 'Why bother? Just swap the whole unit, it's faster.' He runs a high-volume shop in Tampa. It hit different because I've always prided myself on the detailed fixes, but his point about turnaround time for common models is hard to ignore. Do you guys ever feel pressure to just replace instead of doing the full repair?

3 comments

lucasr41•26d ago

TIL those cheap plastic lens spanner wrenches from online marketplaces are basically useless for anything heavier than a filter ring.

I bent the tips trying to get a stuck helicoid apart on a 50mm f/1.8 and ended up having to buy a proper metal one for $45 after wasting $12 on the junk set.

2 comments

elliot_hall•27d ago

Changed my mind about using a regular screwdriver for tiny camera screws

I always thought my old set of jeweler's screwdrivers was fine for compact camera work, but I kept stripping screws on a Minolta X-700 last week. A friend told me to try a set of JIS drivers he got for $35, specifically the Vessel brand. The difference was huge, I mean, the fit is perfect and I haven't messed up a single screw since I switched. It turns out a lot of those 'Phillips' screws on Japanese cameras are actually JIS, and using the wrong tool wrecks them. Has anyone else made this switch and noticed a big drop in stripped screws?

2 comments

ryan_coleman21•1mo ago

Had a real tough call on a Canon AE-1 shutter repair last week

A customer brought in an AE-1 with a slow second curtain. I had to choose between a full curtain replacement, which would cost him about $150, or trying to clean and adjust the existing one. I went with the clean and adjust, and after about two hours of work, it's running within spec. Has anyone else had luck fixing these without a full curtain swap?

3 comments

fionajenkins•1mo ago

Had a stuck shutter curtain on an old Pentax K1000 that wouldn't budge

I was about to order a whole new assembly when I tried a tiny drop of lighter fluid on the pivot pin. It freed up after a few gentle wiggles and has been working fine for a week now. Has anyone else had luck with that on old cloth shutters, or is it a bad idea long term?

3 comments