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Replacing a shutter curtain vs. full CLA. Which one is actually worth it?
Replacing a shutter curtain vs. full CLA. Which one is actually worth it?
I just spent last Tuesday swapping out a cloth curtain on a 1960s Spotmatic and the whole job took me about 3 hours with parts that cost me $18. But then I did a full clean, lube, and adjust on a similar body right after and the shutter speeds came out way more accurate, like within 5% across all settings. The curtain swap alone fixed the light leak and burn hole, but the camera still drags at 1/1000 unless I do the full CLA too. I know some folks swear by just patching what's broken to keep costs down for clients, but I'm leaning toward always pushing the full service since it adds maybe 45 minutes of work. Do you guys charge extra when you find sticky speeds after a simple curtain replacement, or do you eat that time for goodwill?
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grant.parker1mo ago
Three hours for a curtain swap seems fast, but you might be missing that the real value is in knowing the mirror bumper and light seals are already 60 years old and about to crumble anyway, so charging for the full CLA now saves you a warranty headache in three months.
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