how often do you have your shutters CLA'd ?

removed account4 · Oct 14, 2015

with the personal iso thread going strong i figured it would be
interesting to learn how often people have their shutters CLA'd.
( cleaned - lubricated - adjusted )
some of my colleagues used to have it done every 6 months, some every year
others when they noticed speed drift in their chromes or negatives.
there really is no point in personal iso tests if shutters aren't calibrated ...
so you know that 1/60thS isn't 1/15th or 1/30thS
otherwise your personal iso will be different for every camera or every shuttered lens you use.

i have trusted repairmen who CLA different cameras for me. some are better for some shutters
some for others, and i CLA graflex focal plane shutters myself. i also have a calumet tester
so if i am jonesing to see what 1/125 is really firing at i can easily do a simple test and learn it is at 1/30th.

what do you do and how often ?

darkosaric · Oct 14, 2015

Never had any camera CLA'd. While it works - it works. Nikon F3 is around 9-10 years in my hands, M6 and M3 around 6-7 years, nikon F around 5 years, so far they work without problems (I got them all without CLA). The same is for cheaper cameras (but I don't use them so often).

Doremus Scudder · Oct 14, 2015

I have my own shutter tester. I test my shutters fairly regularly. As long as they are consistent and are close to the same as earlier readings, I don't bother sending them in for regular maintenance. If things are not up to snuff, e.g., slower than before, irregular performance, the clockwork sounds sticky or irregular, then Carol Flutot gets an e-mail. I have some shutters that have been going for decades and not been serviced. Others have been in more often.

That said, I have plenty of lenses and back-ups if something goes wrong. Plus I shoot black-and-white negatives only, so small exposure errors are not that critical. If I were doing commercial work with chromes, I would be checking more often and, if I were making my living at it, I'd be sending my shutters in regularly (yearly) for a CLA.

It depends somewhat on how critical your exposure needs are and how devastating a breakdown would be to your business or clientele.

Best,

Doremus

Xmas · Oct 14, 2015

More frequently

A shutter ribbon snaps
A shutter caps
Shard of film gets stuck
Electro magnet (solenoid) gums up
Wind on logic gets confused

More rarely
Slow speed escarpment stops
Electric contact fails

Some I fix myself

DannL. · Oct 14, 2015

A lens cap doesn't need to be adjusted. It's the camera operator that needs adjusting.

wildbill · Oct 14, 2015

only when it stops working

BrianShaw · Oct 14, 2015

When they start "acting up" but before they break or stop working. "Acting up" may include sounding slow, causing unanticipated exposures, making other odd sounds, or creating bad compositions.

benjiboy · Oct 17, 2015

Only If I suspect the shutter is malfunctioning and giving incorrect exposures.

Peltigera · Oct 17, 2015

Never. Even my 1929 Compur is accurate enough and works flawlessly.

Sent from my A1-840 using Tapatalk

Theo Sulphate · Oct 17, 2015

benjiboy said:
Only If I suspect the shutter is malfunctioning and giving incorrect exposures.

Same for me. This year I had both a Voigtländer Bessamatic and Minox IIIs shutter repaired and CLA'd.

I know the Exakta VXIIa I bought earlier this year caps its shutter at 1/1000 but is otherwise perfect. I don't know anyone yet who works on Exaktas.

My Leica M3's have never had a CLA, but I'm looking to do that.

Sirius Glass · Oct 17, 2015

I used to have the Minoltas done every year when they were is Torrance California [Los Angeles Area]. Now when I see problems starting.

benjiboy · May 29, 2017

I don't believe that cameras and lenses need regular maintenance like cars, I leave well alone, as long as they work O.K I leave them alone.

Eric Rose · May 29, 2017

If it ain't broke don't fix it. That's my mantra. I get them repaired when they crap out, not before. I have backup cameras so no big deal. I can alway rent an extra one if I have to.

Old-N-Feeble · May 29, 2017

This brings up a good point... it might be wise to have spare shutters to swap cells into so a faulty one can be sent away for service when needed. If all your lenses are in #1 or #0 Copals then you only need one of each.

Leigh B · May 29, 2017

I only CLA a shutter if its speeds are off significantly, like half of spec'd accuracy.
I have a calibrated commercial-grade shutter tester.

I do them myself since I'm a trained camera service tech with a good stock of parts.
Earned my living doing that in the previous millennium.

- Leigh

MartinCrabtree · May 29, 2017

Since I shoot 35MM exclusively only when things appear to be headed south. Got an FM2n free and sent it off for a CLA/restore. Got it back recently and it's so nice to use.

Ron789 · May 29, 2017

Never. If it ain't broken don't fix it. If it is broken or really inaccurate it's cheaper nowadays to get another camera body than to get a CLA done. Unless you're using very expensive stuff like Leica or Hasselblad, which I avoid anyway.

benjiboy · May 29, 2017

Ron789 said:
Never. If it ain't broken don't fix it. If it is broken or really inaccurate it's cheaper nowadays to get another camera body than to get a CLA done. Unless you're using very expensive stuff like Leica or Hasselblad, which I avoid anyway.

I wouldn't pay to have a Canon AE1 or A1 C.L.A.'d, but I would for a Canon F1

Jim Jones · May 30, 2017

A CLAA is more invasive than normal use. Too much maintenance is no better than none at all. Remember the old saying. "If it isn't broken, fix it until it is."

how often do you have your shutters CLA'd ?

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