c/camera-repairers

Thought my old lens cleaning cloths were fine until I ruined a $200 front element

I finally figured out why my lens elements kept fogging up mid repair

Honestly I had a Nikon 50mm 1.4 on my bench last week that kept getting condensation inside no matter how clean the shop was. I tried everything, new desiccant packs, sealing the bellows, even left it in a dry box for 24 hours. Still fogged up. Then my buddy who works on HVAC units said try checking the grease on the focus ring. Sure enough the old lubricant was off gassing every time I heated the lens with my work light. Swapped to a silicone based grease and the fog stopped completely. Has anyone else run into this or am I just the last guy to figure it out?

Debate: Should we still repair old Canon AE-1s or just tell people to buy digital?

Had a guy bring in a Canon AE-1 last week. Took me 3 hours to fix the shutter curtain. He paid $80. Then he asked if it was worth it. I said yes for the craft. But another shop down the street turns these away. Says it's a waste of time. Where do you draw the line on film camera repairs?

Overheard a guy at the camera swap say he never cleans his lenses

He was bragging about never touching his glass except with a blower, and I just stood there holding my microfiber cloth. Has anyone else run into customers who refuse basic cleaning and then blame you for dust in their shots?

Finally tried that Japanese solder I always thought was overhyped

Been fixing shutters for 15 years and always used the cheap stuff, but picked up some Kester 44 at a shop in Chicago last weekend. First time I didn't have to fight a joint on a sticky shutter blade, has anyone else had that kind of difference with solder brands?

An old timer told me to stop using canned air for sensor cleaning

I was at a workshop in Portland last month and a retired Nikon repair guy watched me blow dust off a mirror. He said all I was doing was moving the junk around, not removing it. I switched to a bulb blower and a static brush kit that day, and my second clean took half the time. Has anyone else had a veteran repair person call them out on a bad habit?

Had to decide between a flea market find or a full CLA kit on my desk

Stood at my bench last Tuesday staring at a beat-up Nikon F from a garage sale in Akron and a fresh CLA kit I already bought for a customer's camera. Picked the junker F because the shutter sounded off and I was curious. Turns out a dried lubricant blob was locking the mirror, cleaned it with lighter fluid and it fired clean after a $10 fix. Has anyone else gambled on a mystery camera instead of sticking to the easy job?

A customer told me my shutter cleaning method was ruining their camera. I was sure I knew better, but they showed me the light leak pattern and I changed my whole approach.

That lens grease I always dismissed actually fixed my sticky aperture blades

I had a set of stuck aperture blades on a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 from the 70s. Tried cleaning with lighter fluid twice, no luck. After a tip from an old timer at a repair meetup in Portland, I used a tiny dab of Helimax XP grease on the pivot points and they moved smooth after sitting for 2 hours. Anyone else had good results with specific greases over standard lubes?

Hit 200 shutters in a week and my thumbs are shot

I had a run last month where I rebuilt 200 shutter units in 5 days. That's 40 a day straight. Most were Canon A-1 and AE-1 models coming in from a local camera shop's bulk buyout. I knew I was fast but hitting that number made me realize how repetitive this work can get. My thumb joints felt like rubber by Friday and I had to ice them. Has anyone else burned out on a specific model run and had to switch things up?

Hot take: I think spraying lenses with IPA is way better than using those expensive sensor swabs

I've been cleaning lenses for 15 years now and after trying both methods on a dusty 24-70 f/2.8 last week, the IPA spray left zero streaks while the swab left smudges I had to redo. Has anyone else ditched the fancy swabs for a simple spray bottle?

Spent $40 on a JIS screwdriver set and it saved my Minolta X-700

Took a chance on a cheap JIS set from Amazon after stripping two screws on a shutter assembly, and now I swear by them for any Japanese gear, anyone else ditch Phillips for these?

Shoutout to the guy who talked me out of a CLA on my old Pentax

Was about to drop $150 getting a full CLA done on my Spotmatic last month. A guy at the local shop suggested I just clean the mirror box and check the light seals first. Found out my slow speeds issue was just old gummy seals on the shutter release button. Saved me the money and I learned I need to stop assuming everything needs a full tear down. Anyone else ever pay for work they didn't really need?

That barn find camera lot in Ohio had a hidden gem

I drove out to a farm sale near Columbus last weekend and picked up a box of old 35mm bodies for $40. Turns out there was a beat up Canon F-1 underneath a bunch of junk, the shutter fires clean at every speed and the meter still works. Found some dried up fungus on the prism but that polished out easy enough. Anyone else ever score a surprise F-1 at a random auction?

Spent months trying to rebuild shutters with OEM parts until I tried grinding my own from a broken Minolta

Had a stuck shutter on a Praktica LTL3 that no off-the-shelf part would fix, so I hacked down a scrap curtain from an old Minolta SRT with an X-acto knife and it synced perfectly at 1/125, anyone else found junk cameras more useful than buying new parts?

Shoutout to the old timer who showed me his lens cleaning trick with a bamboo skewer

I was at a camera fair in Portland a few years back, and this guy named Hank saw me struggling with a stuck filter on a vintage 50mm lens. He pulled out a bamboo skewer, wrapped a bit of lens tissue around the tip, and used it to gently pry the filter ring loose without touching the glass. He told me he learned that trick in the 70s when he worked for a camera shop downtown. It saved me from ruining a $40 repair job, and I still use that method every time I deal with stuck filters. Has anyone else picked up a weird repair habit from an old pro like that?

I think everyone is wrong about ultrasonic cleaning for vintage lenses

I was at a camera swap meet in Portland last month and heard three different repair guys swear by ultrasonic cleaners for old glass. I get why people like them, they are fast and make stuff look spotless. But I've been fixing cameras for 12 years and I've seen too many lenses come in with coating damage after a run through one of those machines. The vibration can loosen elements that were barely holding on, and the heat can mess with the old balsam cement. I cleaned a 1950s Biotar last week by hand with isopropyl and a microfiber cloth and it came out perfect. Has anyone else had a bad experience with ultrasonic on vintage stuff, or am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?

Stumbled into a camera repair shop in Portland that blew my mind

I was visiting Portland last month and found this tiny repair shop tucked behind a coffee place. They had this old guy working on a Leica M3 from the 60s, and he let me watch for a bit. I noticed he was using a homemade tool to adjust the shutter speeds, like a little bent piece of metal. He said most of the official tools are lost or too expensive now, so you gotta make do. I asked him about cleaning fungus off lenses and he showed me this trick with a UV light and hydrogen peroxide mix. It was wild to see someone so comfortable working without all the modern gear. Has anyone else found a repair shop that still does things the old school way?

Had to choose between a full CLA or just fixing the shutter on an old Nikon F3

A customer brought in his dad's F3 last month, said it was sitting in a closet for 15 years. The shutter was sticking at 1/1000, but the whole thing was grimy. I gave him two quotes: $180 for just the shutter repair, or $350 for a full clean, lube, and adjust. He went cheap, just the shutter fix. Got it working, but now he's back complaining the film advance is rough and the meter is off. I told him it's because the rest of the camera wasn't serviced, but he's not happy. Anyone else get stuck dealing with the fallout from a customer's budget choice?

TIL I was stripping tiny screws on Leica M3s for a whole year because my driver tip was worn down.

I only figured it out after a guy in the shop pointed out the shiny metal dust on my bench mat and asked if I was using a fresh bit.

My barber asked me why I still fix old film cameras

I was getting a haircut last week and my barber, Mike, saw my shop shirt. He said, 'Man, you fix those old things? My dad had a whole closet of them, said they were junk.' I told him it's not about the tech, it's about saving the stories in the pictures. It hit different because he just saw broken stuff, but I see the family photos and history inside. Anyone else have to explain the 'why' behind our work to people who don't get it?

Update: Tried two different methods for cleaning a Pentax K1000 shutter curtain

Had a K1000 come in last week with the classic sticky shutter issue. The curtain was gummed up pretty bad. I've always used a cotton swab with a bit of lighter fluid, going slow and careful. This time, I decided to try a method an old timer mentioned, using a tiny drop of pure isopropyl alcohol on a microfiber cloth instead. The difference was night and day. The alcohol evaporated faster and left zero residue, where the lighter fluid sometimes left a faint film that could attract more dust. The curtain action is now smooth as butter, no drag at all. It took me about 15 minutes start to finish. Has anyone else moved away from lighter fluid for this specific job? I'm curious if there are other solvents you guys trust for old cloth curtains.

I was convinced a manual shutter tester was a waste of money until a Pentax 67 repair job proved me wrong.

After three days of chasing a sticky curtain issue on a client's camera, I spent $220 on a basic tester and found the exact timing lag in 10 minutes, which completely changed how I approach mechanical shutter diagnosis. What's your go-to tool for tricky shutter problems?

My neighbor, a retired photojournalist, argued that cleaning a shutter with lighter fluid is still the best method, and I'm starting to think he's right.

After he showed me his perfectly working 1970s Nikon F2, which he's maintained that way for forty years, I realized maybe some old-school hacks have merit, so what's your most controversial but effective repair trick?

That week in March where every camera had the same shutter jam

Fixed 8 different models with the exact same issue, all from a batch of bad lubricant. Anyone else see a weird spike like that recently?