We need to stand up for right-to-repair before this whole trade goes digital-only.
You might think they're solid but one wrong turn and it's toast.
It was an older DSLR they planned to trade in, and the board had clear signs of past moisture. They just wanted it working enough to pass a quick check at the store. I know a proper repair would cost more than the camera is worth, but hiding this feels shady. Where do you draw the line between helping a customer and being part of a dishonest sale?
I went to a free talk at our library last week about basic camera care. The presenter showed a safe way to clean mirror boxes with a soft brush and gentle strokes. I tried it on an old SLR I was fixing and it worked great. Now I use this method for all my repairs to avoid marks. It's a small thing but it makes a big difference in quality.
Fixing mechanical shutters used to be about skill. Now it's just swapping parts, and I think that's a step back. For example, on an old SLR, you could tweak each spring yourself.
I used to think free checks brought in more work, but now I see charging a bit saves my shop and filters out the not-serious calls, though I worry it might push away good clients, so what's your opinion?
I used a well known alcohol based solution on a vintage lens. It ate into the coating and now the lens is unusable. Is it time to stop telling new repairers to use this stuff?