Is it time to stop rebuilding old leaf shutters with modern lubes?

Had a conversation last Friday with a retired repair guy from Pittsburgh who said he never uses synthetic lubricants on Compur or Prontor shutters, only the old blended stuff. He claimed the modern oils migrate differently after a few months and change the timing curve, even when you properly burnish the pivots. I always thought synthetics were just better, period, so it caught me off guard. He showed me a shutter he serviced three years ago that came back with a slow 1/500 speed, and his test proved the lube had dried unevenly. But I have also seen old lubes turn to varnish on cameras stored in attics, which is why I switched in the first place. So which is it, are we chasing the past or ignoring proven chemistry? Has anyone else run into this disagreement with older techs, and what did you settle on for daily driver closures?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_martin27d ago

I read a piece in a camera repair forum last year where a guy tested both types on a test rig and found synthetics stayed consistent for the first year, then drifted less than the old stuff ever did. The Pittsburgh guy might just be set in his ways, but I'd trust the chemistry over the folklore.

hayden_rivera25d ago

That test rig stuff is interesting, but I remember seeing something different a while back. A retired engineer from a lens coating company posted on a photo forum about how the old whale oils actually hold up better in extreme cold because they don't get brittle. He said synthetics are fine for normal use, but if you're shooting in subzero temps, the older blends can be safer. I've never tested it myself, but the chemistry argument goes both ways depending on conditions.