Got a vintage lens CLA that I thought was a waste of money

I bought a 50mm f1.4 from a thrift store for $30 last year and the aperture blades were sticky. A buddy told me to send it to a guy he knew in Portland for a clean and lube. The quote was $85 and I almost said no because I figured I could just work around the sticky blades. But after 6 months of frustration with inconsistent shots I finally sent it in last week. The CLA came back and the difference is night and day. The focus ring is smooth as butter and the aperture snaps clean now at every stop. Has anyone else been burned by trying to cheap out on proper repairs?

2 comments

2 Comments

cole9943d ago

Glad you got it sorted. I did the same thing with an old Nikkor 50mm 1.4, sticky aperture and all. Tried cleaning it myself with some isopropyl alcohol and a q-tip, made it way worse. Ended up sending it to a guy in Ohio and it was like a different lens when it came back. We always think we can save a buck but sometimes the pros just know what they're doing. Its a real lesson in patience and trusting the process.

norab213d ago

I read an interview with a repair guy from Chicago who said most vintage lenses he sees have damage from someone trying to clean them at home with the wrong stuff. He said isopropyl can actually strip the coating on the glass if you're not careful. My lens came back with a little note from the Portland guy saying the old grease had basically turned to glue, and no amount of manual forcing would fix that. So for $85 I basically got a $30 lens that feels like a $200 one now. Makes me wonder how many good lenses end up in the trash because people don't know how simple a proper CLA can be.