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Noticed a big shift in how people ask for CLA work
Over the last 6 months, I've seen way more folks bringing in old folding cameras like Zeiss Ikontas and asking for a full CLA rather than just a shutter fix. It used to be maybe 1 out of 10 requests, but now it's closer to half. I think the online forums and YouTube videos are making people realize bellows leaks and slow speeds are connected. Has anyone else seen this change in what people want done on their vintage gear?
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marymorgan28d ago
A friend of mine bought an old Kodak Duaflex at a garage sale last month and asked me to look at it. He didn't even know what CLA meant. I think these YouTube videos are making people believe their old camera is a goldmine. They watch one guy fix a shutter and suddenly everyone's a collector. They don't realize most of those bellows are dry rotted or the lens has fungus inside. I tell people straight up, a full CLA on a common folding camera costs more than what the camera is worth on a good day. But they insist, so you end up spending two hours cleaning out a camera that's never going to take a sharp picture.
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elizabetht5628d ago
Oh man, this hits home. A buddy of mine found an old Argus C3 at a thrift store, thought he struck gold, and then spent a whole weekend trying to get the shutter to fire only to realize the whole thing was seized up with rust. Have you ever had someone bring you a camera that was just way too far gone to save?
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