Am I CRAZY ??

[jime11]

How crazy is it to spend 3X what you paid for a lens for a cla?

I bought one with "no return" privelges !!
It looks good -the glass looks perfect & the lens body only has a tiny amount of paint loss. I think this will be a good lens after the sticky appeture leaves are freed up. Seller said it had been in storage for a while.

The lens is a Vivitar Series 1 28-90 f2.8-3.5 for Minolta md mount.

 

[elekm]

Repair costs often are more than the value of the item. The biggest factor in repairing an item is time. And that's something that you can't change.

For example, you can only disassemble, service and then reassemble a lens or camera at a certain pace.

And so most repair bills are based on time.

I can say without hesitation that it takes just as much time to service a $40 Yashica SLR as it does a $500 Kyocera Contax SLR. And so while a $50 repair bill for the Contax might not seem outrageous, it makes you pause as to whether you would spend that on a Yashica. By the way, the average cost for routine service is closer to $100.

 

[FilmOnly]

I just recently spent a fair amount for a lens CLA, and my situation was almost identical to yours. The lens was in great shape, but had sticky blades. Since the lens was somewhat hard to come by, I opted for the CLA (which cost $45...almost as much as the lens). Interestingly, I just received the lens back today.

My advice would be to base your decision on the general obtainability of the lens and the relative usefulness of the lens to you. Also, you might think of it this way: you bought the lens for a bargain, and so whatever you pay for the CLA would perhaps bring the lens up to its actual value. The bottom line for me is: I would rather pay $50 to CLA a $25 classic lens--a real lens--than pay $300 for some plastic wonder lens.

 

[Ektagraphic]

If it is personally worth is to you (not talking money here) go for it. Is it worth the trouble for a Vivitar lens?

 

[mopar_guy]

I just had a shutter for my Speed Graphic CLA'd. At the same time some parts were required to get the 'M' synch to work. I could have "won" a whole other lens and shutter off of eBay for less than the repair cost but guess what? The replacement would also need a CLA. Now I have a shutter that will work properly. I intend to use this camera. I have every reason to believe that I will get decades more service out of my Speed Graphic if I continue to do maintenance. If you want to have a Professional quality camera, you will have to take care of it. Ebay is filled with nice cameras that would work for a while and then die from neglect.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

If you decide to replace it, I will take it off your hands. Worth a shot at disassembly because replacing it is low dollar.

 

[flatulent1]

I do this all the time with camera bodies. Bought an EOS 630 last year for $25 and spent $100+ having it refurbished. Waste of money, certainly, but I really like the camera and enjoy using it, so it was worth it. Did the same thing this year to a pair of XD11s. It seems a shame to have something that doesn't work properly.

 

[januaryman]

If it is personally worth is to you (not talking money here) go for it. Is it worth the trouble for a Vivitar lens?

The Vivitar Series I lens group are all very high quality. Definitely worth an investment.

 

[Russ - SVP]

How crazy is it to spend 3X what you paid for a lens for a cla?

I bought one with "no return" privelges !!
It looks good -the glass looks perfect & the lens body only has a tiny amount of paint loss. I think this will be a good lens after the sticky appeture leaves are freed up. Seller said it had been in storage for a while.

The lens is a Vivitar Series 1 28-90 f2.8-3.5 for Minolta md mount.

That particular lens is worth it.

Kiron Kid

 

[Joe Grodis]

Boils down to passion.... I bought a Minolta XGA for $45 then paid $120 to have it recovered with bright red snake skin leather. Waste of money? Maybe but I simply liked the camera so it was worth it to me.

 

[railwayman3]

Well, it depends what you paid for the lens itself and therefor the overall cost. If that total is worthwhile to you to get a reliable and fully-working lens which you can enjoy and use to advantage, I don't think it matters and it's certainly not crazy to pay for a good cla.

And, Vivitar is a very good independent make.

There is a lot of good analogue equipment about just now for silly-low prices, and so long as an item is basically sound it can be really good value even allowing for a good cla.

 

[Changeling1]

Here's whatcha do...

How crazy is it to spend 3X what you paid for a lens for a cla?

I bought one with "no return" privelges !!
It looks good -the glass looks perfect & the lens body only has a tiny amount of paint loss. I think this will be a good lens after the sticky appeture leaves are freed up. Seller said it had been in storage for a while.

The lens is a Vivitar Series 1 28-90 f2.8-3.5 for Minolta md mount.

Slather that lens with a generous amount of Vaseline and return it to the seller with a simple note that reads: HAVE FUN!

 

[MattKing]

To help put this into perspective...

Is it a lens that you would seriously consider investing CLA money in if you had owned it and used it for several years?

A CLA'd lens is a known quantity. A used lens available from a third party, even if accurately described, is not.

Matt

 

[jime11]

Thanks for all the input.
I put it in the mail to Havel Camera in San Antonio for a cla.
I have some other Series 1 lenses for the X700 but this one is going on my XG-M & will be the only lens I use for that camera.
I've been using a small bag with a lot of stuff in it as a to go bag but will start giving the XG-M a work out instead of my back (from hauling the bag around)
I will be selling the Vivitar 35-70 3.5 that is currently on the XG-M as the new lens is its' replacement.
Thanks again for all the comments pro & con.

 

[Anscojohn]

I just had a shutter for my Speed Graphic CLA'd. At the same time some parts were required to get the 'M' synch to work. I could have "won" a whole other lens and shutter off of eBay for less than the repair cost but guess what? The replacement would also need a CLA. Now I have a shutter that will work properly. I intend to use this camera. I have every reason to believe that I will get decades more service out of my Speed Graphic if I continue to do maintenance. If you want to have a Professional quality camera, you will have to take care of it. Ebay is filled with nice cameras that would work for a while and then die from neglect.

*****
CLA of quality lens/shutters for such cameras and view cameras is, virtually, always worth the cost.

 

[Colin Corneau]

Is it worth the trouble for a Vivitar lens?

Bingo.

Minolta is known for good glass. I don't mean to start any smarmy, pointless flame-wars on the topic, but why do anything if not well. The money spent could have been used on Rokkor glass, and I doubt anyone would dispute its superior quality.

 

[Vonder]

It's always a gamble to use any "aging" piece of equipment. My wife tells me that all the time.

I recently bought a "mint" Canon AE-1 that turned out to have many problems. So I bought another one from Joe Careta, this one CLA'd and overhauled with a warranty. I sent him the broken body and he's going to overhaul that one for me. I'll end up with 2 AE-1 bodies that I can rely on to take good pictures for quite a while. My $57 "mint" camera is now two working cameras for a total of $225. Is that worth it? It is when I go to take a picture of my kids, and I know if I miss the shot it's my fault, not a camera malfunction.

 

[Russ - SVP]

I've used the Viv S-1 28-90, professionally for over two+ decades. It delivers!

KK

 

[benjiboy]

I don't think you're crazy at all, I just spent a fortune in getting my three Canon FD body's a 35mm f2 lens and a Mamiya C330F CLAd probably much more than they would fetch if I sold them on the open market, it would have been cheaper to replace them on eBay, but these have been my tools for more than twenty years, and I'm very attached to them, I know where they've been, I know they haven't been dropped, or subject to ham fisted repairs by amateurs, and when I get them all back I hope I can look forward to many more years enjoyment from them.

 

[mattk]

I just paid around $350 to recement a badly hazed Hugo Meyer double anastigmat--I bought it for 89.00 on the ebay. I am almost 100% positive it was not a financially sound decision. Do I regret it--nope. Can't wait to throw it on the 8x10.

 

[removed account4]

How crazy is it to spend 3X what you paid for a lens for a cla?

I bought one with "no return" privelges !!
It looks good -the glass looks perfect & the lens body only has a tiny amount of paint loss. I think this will be a good lens after the sticky appeture leaves are freed up. Seller said it had been in storage for a while.

The lens is a Vivitar Series 1 28-90 f2.8-3.5 for Minolta md mount.

hi jime11

you obviously aren't paying enough for your lenses!

john

 

[benjiboy]

Bingo.

Minolta is known for good glass. I don't mean to start any smarmy, pointless flame-wars on the topic, but why do anything if not well. The money spent could have been used on Rokkor glass, and I doubt anyone would dispute its superior quality.

Just to set the record straight,I have no axe to grind in this matter but one of the reasons that the Vivitar series 1 range of optics was so successful was they were making a range of lenses that had a much more advanced specification than any of the marque lenses of any major camera manufacturers were producing, by using the best computer technology that Silicon Valley had to offer to design them, and contracting good Japanese optical firms to make them.
I sold these lenses when they were current, and if you look at the specification of the Series 1 range you will see that, not Nikon, Minolta, Canon, Pentax or anybody else was making anything like them at that time.

 

[Sirius Glass]

One of the reasons that the Vivitar series 1 range of optics was so successful was they were making a range of lenses that had a much more advanced specification than any of the marque lenses of any major camera manufacturers were producing, I sold these lenses when they were new and no one was making a quality 28-90 f2.8-3.5 zoom in those days .

Vivitar Series 1 lenses were also a great improvement over the previous Vivitar lenses.

I know, I bought the old style about three months before the Series 1 came out!

Steve

 

[benjiboy]

Vivitar Series 1 lenses were also a great improvement over the previous Vivitar lenses.

I know, I bought the old style about three months before the Series 1 came out!

Steve

I know Steve, the Series 1 range had lenses like the 28-105 f2.8-f3.8 zoom, the 35-85 f2.8 varifocal, the 28-90 f2.8-3.5 zoom and a 70-210 f2.8-3.5 zoom with 1:2 macro capability, lenses with specs. that other makers could only dream about in those days that were mechanically and optically excellent, the only drawback is they are very heavy.

 

[jime11]

Well - I got my first roll back from Duane's Friday. I think this is a good lens & well worth the cla.

160nc - Minolta XGm - Vivitar 28-90 2.8/3.5

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v57/Jim.e/new 3-14-10/8660516165NEG0016.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v57/Jim.e/new 3-14-10/8660516165NEG0021.jpg