c/camera-repairers

Pro tip: I keep seeing people strip the tiny screws on old Nikon F2s because they use the wrong size driver.

After fixing a dozen of them this year, I've learned you need a JIS #00, not a Phillips, and the difference is about a 0.2mm tip width that saves the slot.

A customer's simple comment made me rethink my shutter cleaning process

A guy brought in a Nikon F2 last week and said, 'You know, the second curtain still drags a bit after your service.' I'd been using the same method for years, a light brush and air. His feedback made me look it up, and I found a forum post from a tech in Japan suggesting a specific 99% isopropyl alcohol mix for old grease. Tried it on a test body, and the curtain travel smoothed out completely. Now I add that step for any camera older than twenty years. Anyone else tweak their routine because of something a customer pointed out?

A customer in Asheville told me they'd rather fix their old camera than buy a new one

I was cleaning the shutter on their Pentax K1000, and they said, 'I know this thing inside and out now, and that feels better than any new menu system.' It hit different because I'm so used to people just wanting the cheapest, fastest fix. They were talking about the relationship with the tool, not just the repair. Made me wonder if we're seeing more of that, people wanting to keep things they understand. Anyone else getting customers who are into the long-term bond with their gear?

Vent: A drop of mineral oil on a stuck aperture ring made a huge mess

I had a vintage 50mm lens come in with a really stiff aperture ring. The owner said it hadn't moved in years. Instead of a full teardown right away, I figured I'd try a tiny bit of mineral oil on the ring's seam, just to see if it would free up. Big mistake. I used a single drop from a needle applicator. It didn't just seep in, it wicked right under the ring and got all over the aperture blades. Now the whole mechanism is gummed up and I have to completely disassemble it to clean every single blade, which is a much bigger job. I learned that even a 'safe' lubricant in the wrong spot can cause a real headache. Has anyone else found a better first step for a stiff ring that doesn't risk this kind of mess?

Found a stat about old camera shutter springs that changed how I order parts

I was reading a repair manual for a Pentax K1000 from 1979 and it mentioned the factory used a specific alloy for the shutter curtain tension springs. The manual said they were rated for about 100,000 cycles before fatigue. I always just replaced them when they felt weak, but knowing that number makes me check the frame counters on old bodies now. Anyone else use original factory cycle counts to guide their maintenance checks?

I used to think a $30 ultrasonic cleaner was fine for shutter blades

For years I cleaned old leaf shutters in a cheap cleaner from Harbor Freight. Last month a guy at the Seattle camera swap said his $150 unit from Crest gets parts cleaner in half the time. I tried his on a stuck Compur from a Rolleiflex, and the blades came out spotless with zero residue. My cheap one always left a film. Anyone else made the jump to a better cleaner for delicate parts?

I used to clean shutter blades with lighter fluid, but a drop of naphtha on a cotton swab works way better.

The lighter fluid left a residue that would sometimes slow the action down, but the naphtha evaporates clean. Anyone else made that switch?

I finally tried a cheap plastic spudger against my good metal one for ribbon cable clips

Had a Fuji X-T3 come in with a stuck rear screen, needed to pop the tiny clip on the flex cable. The metal tool I always used slipped and nearly tore the cable. Grabbed a five dollar plastic spudger from a phone repair kit, and it popped right off without a scratch. The extra give in the plastic made all the difference. Anyone else find a simple swap like that saves a ton of headaches?

A guy in my shop last month tried to pay me with a broken lens he 'found'

He brought in a Canon AE-1 with a stuck shutter, and after I fixed it in about an hour, he pulled a busted 50mm f/1.8 out of his bag and said 'This should cover it, right?'. Honestly, it happened at my bench in Cincinnati and I just stared at him. How do you even start that conversation without making a customer mad?

That moment you realize the tiny spring you just launched across the room is the only thing holding the shutter together

Happened yesterday with a Nikon FM2, and I spent 45 minutes on my hands and knees with a magnet. Anyone have a better method for chasing down those little demons?

Rant: That $80 digital microscope was a game changer for sensor cleaning

I was tired of sending cameras out for sensor cleaning and paying $50 a pop. I took a chance on a cheap digital microscope from an online store, about $80. It plugs right into my laptop. The first time I used it, I saw stuff on the sensor I never knew was there, tiny fibers and spots my loupe missed. Now I can see exactly what I'm cleaning and check my work before I put the camera back together. It paid for itself in two jobs. Has anyone found a good way to keep the sensor still under that much magnification? My hands are not that steady.

Vent: Tried to fix a stuck shutter with a toothpick versus a proper spudger

Had this old Canon AE-1 come in with a shutter that wouldn't fire. First, I tried using a wooden toothpick to gently nudge the mechanism, thinking it was a soft touch. The toothpick just snapped and left a tiny splinter inside. Then I grabbed my plastic spudger from the iFixit kit and gave it a careful wiggle in the same spot. The shutter clicked free instantly with no mess. That splinter took me another twenty minutes to fish out with tweezers. Anyone have a better tool they reach for first on sticky mechanical parts?

A client in Seattle said my shutter curtain cleaning method was too rough

He showed me a picture of a tiny scratch on his Leica M6 curtain after I worked on it. I switched to using a softer brush and lighter fluid instead of my old stiff one. Anyone else get called out on a cleaning technique they thought was fine?

Can we talk about the $80 I spent on a tiny rubber mallet for mirror box adjustments

It felt ridiculous at the time, but that soft tap saved a Contax RTS from becoming a very expensive paperweight when the standard hammer I almost used would have shattered the whole assembly, so what's your go-to tool for delicate percussive persuasion?

A stuck shutter curtain on a Pentax K1000 turned into a two day job

I had a simple CLA request come in for an old K1000, but the second curtain was stuck halfway. Figured it was just some old grease, maybe an hour to clean. After opening it up, I found a tiny, bent spring in the curtain mechanism that wasn't even in the service manual I had. Sourcing a replacement and getting the tension right took me the rest of that day and most of the next. Anyone else run into weird, undocumented parts on these classic bodies?

Overheard a client say they 'fixed' their lens with a YouTube video and a toothpick

They brought it in today and the aperture blades are jammed with wood splinters. Has anyone else seen a repair attempt go this sideways?

Cleaned a viewfinder on a 1970s Nikon and the difference was night and day

Had this old F2 come in, viewfinder was so dim and hazy you could barely frame a shot. Figured it was just old glass. Spent about 45 minutes taking it apart, cleaning the prism and the focusing screen with a proper lens pen and some isopropyl. Put it back together and it was like a new camera. Bright, clear, no more fog. The owner said it hadn't been that clean since he bought it in '85. Makes you realize how much gunk builds up over decades. Anyone else find that a simple clean fixes what people think is a major problem?

Tried cleaning a sticky shutter with a drop of lighter fluid on a cotton swab

I was working on an old Minolta SRT-101 and the first curtain was dragging. Used a tiny bit of Ronsonol on the edge of the curtain rail, and it freed up right away, no disassembly needed. Has anyone else had luck with this quick fix, or is it a bad idea for certain shutter types?

My shop in Tucson just got a 1972 Nikon F2 with a shutter that sounds like a bag of gravel, and the customer wants it 'like new' for under $150.

After spending three evenings just getting the mirror box unstuck, I'm starting to think 'like new' and that budget might be mutually exclusive goals, so has anyone found a decent source for old F2 curtain tension springs that won't cost more than the repair?

I've been over-tightening shutter tension springs for ages without realizing it

I was setting up a Minolta X-700 for a customer and the second curtain was lagging, so I kept adding a tiny bit more tension each time I checked it. The real clue was when my mentor, watching over my shoulder in the shop, simply said 'you're fighting the grease, not the spring' and pointed out the old, hardened lubricant in the curtain track. How do you all approach a slow second curtain, do you clean the tracks first every single time?

Update: I keep seeing techs over-tighten the screws on Minolta X-700 bottom plates.

They strip the soft brass inserts every time, and I've had to helicoil three this month. What's your go-to torque for those tiny plate screws?

Spent 3 hours on a stuck shutter because of a tiny spring in a Nikon FM2n

It was a single, tiny return spring behind the advance lever that had jumped its post, and I only spotted it after taking the whole top plate off twice. Anyone have a good trick for keeping those little guys in place during reassembly?

Just fixed a sticky shutter on a 1983 Pentax Super Program with a tiny drop of lighter fluid

It was gummed up pretty bad and I had to choose between a full disassembly or trying a tiny bit of solvent on the pivot. I went with the solvent, just a single drop on a needle, and worked it in. After letting it sit for an hour, the shutter fires perfectly now at all speeds. Has anyone else had luck with lighter fluid on old metal shutters, or is that a big no-no?

Warning: that old trick with the rubber band on a stuck film advance lever can cause more damage.

I used to wrap a thick band around the lever and yank it, thinking the extra grip was safe. After a Nikon FM2's internal gear stripped in my shop last month, I switched to a drop of lighter fluid on the mechanism and gentle heat from a hairdryer. Anyone have a better fix for seized advance levers on older metal bodies?

Just realized I've been cleaning shutter blades wrong for probably 10 years. A tech in Tacoma pointed out my solvent was leaving a residue.