I used to always use compressed air first on shutter blades, but a customer in Seattle told me their Canon AE-1 came back with oil spots after I did that. I switched to using isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips on the blades first, then air for dust. It takes longer but I haven't had a single complaint since. Anyone else run into this with older shutters?
I was diagnosing a stuck shutter on a Canon AE-1 Program and found out the flex cable was busted even though the camera was stored in a dry box. Turns out Arizona's low humidity can make those old ribbons brittle over time, not just moisture. Anyone else dealt with dry climate failures on older gear?
I was working on an old Zeiss Ikon Nettar from the 1950s, one of those 6x9 folders, and after replacing the bellows I couldn't get the focus right. Turns out the mirror that flips up for the viewfinder was just caked with 60 years of dust and grease. Cleaned it with some isopropyl and a q-tip, and suddenly the rangefinder lined up perfect. Has anyone else had this issue with those old folding strut cameras?
Had a guy walk into my shop last tuesday with a Nikon F3 that smelled like a compost bin. I opened the back and someone had shoved a whole raw potato in there where the film should go. He said his girlfriend's kid thought it would "fix the camera" like a battery or something. Has anyone else ever found food inside a camera body?
At a camera swap meet in Portland last spring, this retired tech named Dave watched me use a wet cleaning swab and just shook his head. He said I was stripping the coatings and to just use a rocket blower and a brush 95 percent of the time. Took me 6 months of testing on junk sensors to admit he was right, now I barely touch wet cleaning at all. Anybody else ever get humbled by some old timer's advice that actually worked better?
I told him I wouldn't touch it until the smoke residue was cleaned off. The haze buildup is real - I learned that lesson after a repair job last year where I skipped the deep clean. Anyone else run into this with smokers gear?
I tried to order a replacement flex cable for a Canon AE-1 Program shutter from a seller in Ohio. The part got stuck in shipping for 3 weeks and when it finally showed up, the connector was cracked. I could have just cut and soldered a new one from bulk ribbon cable for about $4. Has anyone else had better luck sourcing these things locally?
For like 6 months I was cleaning the shutter blades with lighter fluid and couldn't get consistent speeds below 1/30. A buddy at the camera co-op in Brooklyn told me to check the gear train for old grease, and sure enough it was all gummed up. Anyone else waste time cleaning the wrong part before realizing the real issue?
I ran into this old guy at a camera show in Chicago last month who fixed Nikons for 40 years. He told me I was wasting my time cleaning shutter blades with alcohol because it leaves a film. Said he used lighter fluid back in the day and then switched to this pure naphtha he got from a chemical supply house. He pulled out a beaten up F2 he still uses and the shutter sounded PERFECT, not a hint of drag. Has anyone else tried naphtha instead of alcohol for sticky blades?
Used to blast my Nikon sensor with canned air every time until I got dust stuck under the shutter curtain from the propellant residue, so now I only use a Giottos rocket blower and wipe with a swab if needed, anyone else ditch the cans after a scary near miss?
Out at a swap meet in Phoenix last Saturday, some retired repair guy watched me use a blower on a sensor and said I was just moving dust around. He showed me the sticky swab method on his own Canon and I had to admit my way was half-assed. Any of you switched over from just air to something else?
The bellows had a pinhole but the shutter sounded perfect after I blew out the cobwebs. Anyone ever brought a old medium format back from the dead with just some light seals and elbow grease?
I always thought those little ultrasonic cleaners from Amazon were a waste of money for camera stuff. Last month I had a Canon 24-70mm f2.8 that got some kind of fungus deep between the front group elements. Tried everything to get at it with swabs and fluid but no luck. Finally picked up a $55 Vevor ultrasonic unit on a whim. Threw the whole element group in there with some distilled water and a drop of dish soap for 3 minutes. Came out completely spotless and the glass looked better than when I started. Honestly I was shocked it actually worked without damaging the coatings. Anyone else using one of these for tricky element groups or am I just getting lucky?
I watched a guy at a camera shop last week blast dust off a sensor with canned air and it left residue that cost the owner $80 to clean professionally, why do people keep doing this when a proper blower costs like $15 and actually works better?
I was shooting a wedding at a park in Denver last Saturday when my shutter mechanism just jammed mid-shot with a loud grinding noise, and I grabbed my backup camera from the car but the battery was dead, so now I'm wondering if anyone else has had to MacGyver their way through a shoot with a phone and if you fixed the shutter yourself or sent it out?
I used to slap a UV filter on every lens that came through my shop. But over the last two years I've noticed a shift. More people are bringing in lenses with hazy or scratched UV filters that actually damaged the front element from trapped grit or moisture. Last month I had a Nikon 50mm where the filter was stuck so bad I had to cut it off with a Dremel. Anyone else seeing more filter-related damage than actual protection benefits?
Ngl I fell for a fancy ultrasonic cleaner and solution bundle thinking it'd save me time on dirty glass. Spent like $150 on it last month and the thing just made a weird buzzing noise without actually getting grime off my 50mm front element. Ended up using a bit of lens cleaner and a microfiber cloth like I should've from the start. Has anyone else had better luck with those home ultrasonic setups or is it all hype?
Had this crusty old shop owner drop by my bench last month and watch me blow out a mirror box. He goes 'you're just moving dust around, kid. Get a proper vacuum pump.' Thought he was just gatekeeping but I got a small HEPA vac setup for like 60 bucks off eBay. Holy cow the difference is huge - no more tiny specks that settle back on the sensor after I think I'm done. Now I hit the whole chamber with the vac first and only use canned air for stubborn bits. Takes maybe 15 extra seconds per camera but saves me from re-cleaning half the time. Anyone else switch to a vacuum approach or am I late to the party?
I always used a microfiber cloth and lens cleaning solution, wiping in circles like most people do. Last month I was working on a vintage 50mm f/1.4 and noticed after cleaning there were still tiny streaks I couldn't get rid of. A guy on this forum mentioned using a zigzag motion from center to edge and said circular wiping just pushes dirt around. I tried it with a fresh microfiber and some Eclipse fluid on that same lens. The difference was night and day - no streaks at all. Has anyone else found that circular cleaning leaves residue they didn't catch before?
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?