I lost $150 on a CLA kit for a Canon AE-1 that I could've done cheaper myself

Bought one of those pre-packaged light seal kits and tools from a camera supply site last month. Cost me $150 with shipping for the foam, mirror bumper, and a couple screwdrivers. Found out later I could've gotten better quality foam sheets for $20 at a local craft store and cut them myself. The kit's foam started peeling after 3 weeks on a humid day in Houston. Anyone else ever overpay for a supposed all-in-one repair kit and regret it?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina_clark1mo ago

Three weeks in humid Houston is rough but that's still way too fast for any kit to fail. I'm wondering if the foam they used was just cheap black craft foam instead of actual light seal material. Did you check if the kit specified what kind of adhesive they used or if it came with a moisture resistant backing? That peeling issue makes me think it was basically double sided tape with some foam on top. I've had good luck just ordering the foam sheets from a specialty camera shop online for like $8 each and cutting them with scissors and a ruler. It takes maybe an hour but saves you from dealing with that frustration. Have you tried reaching out to the company about the peeling yet?

wood.john1mo ago

Man, I just read something similar on a photography forum last week. Someone broke down a bunch of those kits and said most of them just use cheap hobby foam with no actual moisture protection. @nina_clark you're probably spot on about the adhesive too, I've seen a few folks say the backing they use is basically just sticker paper. Did you end up finding a good source for the specialty foam sheets or do you just go with whatever has decent reviews online?