I had a Canon AE-1 come in last week with the shutter stuck halfway. It looked like a simple cleaning job, so I pulled the top plate and bottom plate off to get at the mechanism. But I accidentally knocked the self-timer linkage out of alignment, and now the mirror won't flip up at all. Has anyone else had this happen with these old Copal shutters, and is there a trick to resetting that timing without tearing the whole thing down?
A wedding photographer sent me side-by-side shots from my CLA job and his backup body, and he was right - my 1/125 was actually 1/100. Changed how I test now, I run three different shutter speeds at multiple apertures instead of just checking one. Anyone else double-check their calibration with customer feedback or just trust the numbers?
I was dropping off a CLA at this old shop in Austin last week and the owner was telling a customer he just uses a pair of needle nose pliers with rubber bands wrapped around the tips to adjust lens rings... said spanners are overpriced and scratch things up. I tried it on a stuck helicoid on a Fujinon 50mm and it actually worked better than my expensive tool. Has anyone else found a cheap tool swap that works just as good?
Guy who used to work at a Nikon repair shop back in the 80s warned me about using canned air on sensors and lenses. Said the propellant can leave residue that's worse than the dust. I didn't believe him at first because it's what everyone does. Last week I cleaned a Canon 5D sensor with it and ended up with a weird cloudy film that took me 4 tries to wipe off properly with a swab. Has anyone else had canned air cause this kind of film on their gear?
Had a 1970s Super Takumar 50mm with haze that wouldn't budge with normal cleaning. Decided to try hitting the front element with a cheap heat gun from Harbor Freight set to low for about 90 seconds. The haze evaporated almost instantly and the lens is crystal clear now. Anyone else try heat on stuck-on residue or is that too risky for coatings?
Bought a flex sensor off eBay for $60 to test shutter curtain timing on an old Nikon F2. Hooked it up per the schematic, got nothing but noise for 20 minutes. Turned out the seller sent a resistor with a flex sticker slapped on it. Anyone else get burned by counterfeit parts on there?
Had a guy at a shop in Seattle tell me last year that Q-tips are fine for cleaning sensor dust if you use the right solution. I went with the rocket blower for months after that, still had spots. Finally tried a proper swab kit last week, but now I'm wondering if he was right that Q-tips work in a pinch. The spots came off fine with the swabs, but I burned through three of them for one sensor. On the other hand, I've seen people gum up sensors with cotton fibers from cheap Q-tips. So which side are you on - are Q-tips a legit option or just a shortcut to a damaged sensor? Anyone else have a shop guy give you advice that split the room like this?
I've been tracking repairs for the last 6 months, just out of curiosity. Crossed 200 shutter fixes yesterday. When I went back and looked at my numbers, I noticed I was spending an extra 8 minutes per repair just walking back and forth for tools. Moved my most-used spanner wrenches and screwdrivers closer to my main bench, right into a magnetic strip. Already shaved off about 3 minutes per job. Anyone else track their repair times and find random time drains like that?
I had a Yashica-Mat that was acting up, shutter speeds all over the place. Brought it to this guy named Frank who ran a shop out of his garage near Pittsburgh. He said just use Ronsonol lighter fluid on a Q-tip and dab the blades. I was nervous thinking it would ruin the coating or something. But I tried it on a junker lens first, and it worked perfect. 6 months later that Yashica is still running smooth as butter. Has anyone else used that trick on older leaf shutters or is it just a regional thing?
Thought I was getting a steal on a medium format setup... but the film back was completely jammed when it arrived. Took it to a shop in Portland and they quoted $150 just for parts. Should have asked for more photos before clicking buy. Anyone else get burned by trusting old camera listings?
I had this Yashica-Mat EM come in last week. Belonged to some guy's granddad who was a wedding photographer back in the 70s. Looked awful. Grease turned to glue. Shutter speeds all stuck. I mean the whole thing was a brick. After three days of careful work, I finally got the old lubricant out and replaced it with proper synthetic stuff. The mirrors got cleaned with Pec-12. I adjusted the focus screen too because it was way off. When I fired that first test roll through it, the negatives came out sharp as a tack. The owner called me this morning and said the shutter sounds like a brand new camera. Has anyone else found that old Yashica TLRs are especially prone to the grease turning into glue? Seems way worse than Rolleis from the same era.
I went to the big vintage camera swap in Chicago last spring. A guy there showed me how he cleans shutter blades with naphtha instead of alcohol. I tried it on a beat up Kodak Retina and it worked way better than my old method. Now I'm wondering if alcohol is actually doing more harm than good on old shutters. Has anyone else switched solvents and seen a real difference?
Was swapping a cracked focusing screen on a Nikon F2 in my basement last night, used a bit too much Ronsonol and the acetone haze ate right through the coating on the Fresnel lens, anyone know a good source for OEM replacements that won't charge $60?
I was at a coffee shop near my shop in Portland last week and this guy was telling his friend how he fixed his old Pentax Spotmatic with a rubber band because the foam seal kit was backordered. Said it's been holding for 6 months with no light leaks. Made me wonder how many of us are using weird temporary fixes that end up lasting forever. Has anyone else found a random household item that actually worked better than the proper part?
My Spotmatic had a shutter that was dragging below 1/60th, so I took it to a local guy in Portland. He gave me two quotes: $90 for a basic CLA or $250 for a full rebuild with new curtains. I went with the CLA because the camera is beat up and I figured it wasn't worth the full investment. Got it back and the shutter speeds are better, but now the film advance feels rough and the self-timer still sticks at 4 seconds. Kinda wondering if I should have just saved up for the full rebuild or if this is just normal for a 50 year old camera. Anyone else cheap out on a repair and regret it later?
I've got a Pentax K1000 on my bench right now that needs a new shutter curtain. I could either hunt down an original Pentax part from a donor camera on eBay for around $40, or I could go with the third party kit from a supplier in Ohio for $25. I went with the third party option last week, and honestly the fit was a bit off, took me an extra 2 hours to shim it. What do you guys lean towards for these old cameras, original or aftermarket parts?
Had a day last spring where three different people walked in with Pentax K1000 bodies all with mirror lock issues. One guy drove all the way from Tulsa just to drop his off. Fixed the first one in about 45 minutes, just a sticky foam pad causing the hangup. The other two had slightly different problems, one needed a new curtain spring and the other had a bent mirror arm. Made $180 in total for the day and felt like I was back in 1995 again. Anyone else notice a spike in K1000 repairs lately?
There was a guy on here a few weeks back who mentioned using lighter fluid to loosen old grease in leaf shutters. I had a Yashica-Mat with a stuck shutter that I'd been avoiding for months. After my third careful application and some gentle nudging, the blades finally snapped open. Has anyone else used that trick successfully on older Japanese cameras?
Was just walking around with it around my neck and the lens board just fell off mid-step because the previous owner had stripped all the little brass screws and I didn't catch it, anyone else had a camera fall apart on them from a bad previous repair?
Met this older guy at a camera swap in Austin last weekend. He saw me digging through a bin of old shutters and just started talking. He said most people overclean their shutters and end up ruining the lubrication. Said I should only clean when absolutely necessary and use the tiniest drop of oil on a precision tip. Never thought about it that way. Always figured more cleaning was better. Has anyone else been told they clean too much?
Stopped by Pro Photo Supply on NW 23rd last weekend while I was in town. Noticed they had a whole shelf of old Mamiya RB67 parts just sitting there, including a working back for $45. Has anyone else stumbled on a place with hidden repair parts like that? I'm wondering if it's worth the drive back up there or if I should just order online.
Bought a $12 adjustable spanner off Amazon last week to fix a stuck retaining ring on a vintage Nikkor. First twist and the tips bent like butter, scratched the ring and knocked the helicoid out of alignment. Ended up spending $45 on a proper VELCRO-branded spanner from a repair shop in Seattle and it grabbed perfectly on the first try. Anyone else have a cheap tool break at the worst possible moment?
Every single one had a different issue - sticky shutter, fungus in the viewfinder, broken light seal, and a dead meter. Has anyone else dealt with that many of the same model coming in at once?
My SR-T 202 stripped a screw hole in the bottom plate and I spent a week deciding whether to just Helicoil it or hunt down a whole donor body for parts. I went with the Helicoil kit from the hardware store for $12... it actually worked but the alignment was tricky. Has anyone else had luck with these on old Minoltas or should I just start looking for a replacement?