Vent: Wasted $150 on a lens repair I could have done myself

I sent a Canon 50mm f/1.4 to a shop in Chicago because the aperture blades were stuck. They charged me $150 and said the whole diaphragm needed replacing. I got it back, same problem two weeks later. So I watched a YouTube video and fixed it with a toothpick and some lighter fluid in about 20 minutes. Anyone else get taken for a ride by a repair place that just did a basic clean?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryanburns15h ago

Learn from your mistakes, man. That sucks.

angela_dixon7h ago

Learn from your mistakes" is what got me actually. I used to think it was all about just moving on and not dwelling on stuff. But @ryanburns, seeing you say that reminded me that I totally changed my mind after a big mess I made last year. I was so focused on not repeating the same error I never looked at the bigger picture. Now I actually sit down and think about what went wrong and why, not just that it happened. It's a pain but it helps way more than just shrugging it off.