I always told customers a CLA on a Nikon F2 should run about 2 hours tops. Yesterday I finished my 200th one and went back through my notes. Turns out nearly half of them needed extra work on the mirror box foam or a sticky slow speed gear that I was brushing off as 'normal' at first. Now I'm quoting 3 hours minimum and eating the cost on the fast ones instead of rushing through the tricky ones. Anyone else hit a job count that made you admit your own estimate was off?
Ran into a retired tech named Bob at a camera swap meet in Portland. He told me most modern shutter issues come from people using the wrong grease, not actual wear. Got me thinking about how I've been using the same lithium grease for years without checking specs. Anyone else ever question their lubricant choices after hearing from the old timers?
I was using APS-C swabs on full frame sensors for half a decade because I grabbed the wrong box from a shop in Portland and never questioned it. A customer's repair came back with streak marks, and when I checked the size, I finally caught my mistake. Anyone else have a dumb tooling error that took way too long to spot?
I bought one of those full lens cleaning kits that claimed to have 10 different tools and a special cleaning solution. Turned out the cleaning cloth was scratchy and the solution left smudges on my vintage glass. Live and learn, I should've just stuck with my regular microfiber cloths and ROR solution. Anyone have a trusted source for cleaning supplies they actually use?
I always thought those cheap ultrasonic cleaners would wreck vintage glass, but a buddy in Chicago talked me into trying his setup. Ran a 1950s Elmar lens through 3 cycles at 40C and it came out cleaner than anything I've done by hand. Anyone else have good or bad experiences with these on older coatings?
I was working on a Pentax Spotmatic from the late 60s, just replacing the foil curtains like I've done a thousand times. My logbook showed it was number 10,000 exactly. That number hit me harder than I expected because I started doing this out of my garage in 1995, never thinking it would turn into a real business. Now I'm wondering how many of those cameras actually got back to taking pictures versus just sitting on a shelf. Has anyone else kept count of a specific job that made you realize how long you've been at this?
I've been repairing cameras for about 12 years now, mostly medium format stuff. A guy at a shop in Portland told me I needed to get a proper Swiss tweezers set for sensor cleaning. I thought he was nuts spending that much on tweezers. But after wrestling with a stubborn speck on a Hasselblad sensor for 2 hours, I finally caved and ordered a set. First try with the new tweezers popped that speck right off. Now I tell everyone to stop using cheap tweezers on delicate work. Has anyone else found a tool they were dead wrong about?
I've been repairing cameras for about 8 years now. Last week I was wiping down a Canon 50mm f1.4 that had some smudges. I always grab my microfiber cloth and do this little circular motion thing. This old timer who's been doing this since the 70s was looking over my shoulder and just goes "you know that cloth has a right side and a wrong side, right?" I thought he was messing with me. But apparently the tighter weave on one side is for the glass and the looser side is for the body. I've been using the wrong side on lenses this whole time. No wonder I always had to buff out tiny streaks. Anyone else ever miss something this basic for way too long?
I keep seeing people in here say they blast their sensor with a duster before a wet clean. That's a bad idea man. Last week a guy brought me a Sony A7III he tried that on and the compressor shot some oily residue straight onto the low pass filter. Took me 45 minutes with a swab and Eclipse to get it off. I've been using a Giottos rocket blower for 8 years on my Canon bodies and never had that issue. The bulb blower pushes enough air without any chemicals. Why risk a $1000 repair to save 5 bucks on a blower? Has anyone here actually had good luck with the compressed air method or am I just seeing the disasters?
Been fighting intermittent issues on a Nikon D700 for months. Kept cleaning with 70% from the drugstore cause it was cheap. Finally grabbed 99% from Amazon and the difference is crazy. No residue left behind, contacts actually stay clean. Anyone else deal with that film the 70% leaves behind?
I had a customer bring in a Canon FTb last month complaining about light leaks on every frame. I cleaned the seals and checked the mirror bumper but the problem was still there. After staring at the shutter for 20 minutes I finally saw a tiny pinhole near the bottom edge of the second curtain. Turns out a lot of these old cloth shutters get microscopic burns from the sun hitting the lens at the wrong angle. Anyone else run into this and have a good method for patching them besides replacing the whole curtain?
Now it's all digital circuit boards and ribbon cables that snap if you breathe on them, and I wonder how many of those old mechanical shutters will just sit in closets until someone finally tosses them out.
I always thought you needed a solid metal spanner for lens element work, the kind that costs $50 or more. A guy at a swap meet in Portland last year sold me a set of three plastic ones for less than a coffee, and I laughed. But I was stuck on a Minolta lens with a stuck rear group last week, and my good spanner was too thick. Out of pure frustration, I tried the thin plastic one. It flexed just enough to get under the tiny notches without slipping and scratching the brass. It worked perfectly. I've used it on three more jobs since. Has anyone else had a tool they wrote off turn out to be a secret weapon for a specific fix?
I've been fixing cameras for about 15 years, and I've seen a big change in the type of damage that comes in. Back around 2010, most repairs were for worn-out shutter mechanisms or film advance gears from heavy use. Now, at my shop in Austin, I'd say 70% of the jobs are for cracked LCD screens or broken USB ports on mirrorless bodies. People just handle them more like phones. Has anyone else seen their repair bench fill up with more impact damage than mechanical wear?
Had a Sony A7III on the bench last week where the main flex cable for the shutter button just tore during a normal disassembly. On one hand, it's a cheap part, maybe $12. On the other, it feels like they're made thinner now so you HAVE to replace them. Anyone else getting this vibe, or am I just having bad luck?
I had a Canon AE-1 with a sticky shutter and the local shop wanted $150 to fix it, so I bought the $40 kit and tried it in my garage. It took me three tries to get the tension right and I almost stripped a tiny screw, but now it works fine. How many of you would have just paid the shop instead?
That whole Thursday was just me at the bench with a bottle of naphtha and a pile of cotton swabs, wondering if anyone else has seen this specific issue pop up lately.
Honestly, after seeing zero residue left with the Ronsonol compared to the streaky mess from the generic stuff, I'm never cheaping out on cleaners again, has anyone else found a specific brand that just works better for a certain job?
Three years ago, I could call a guy in Chicago and get a replacement shutter speed dial in two days. Last month, I spent three hours just finding a cross-reference for a tiny spring. Anyone else have a go-to spot for old mechanical bits now?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?