Had a change of heart about CLA frequency after talking to a guy at the Portland repair swap

I always thought you should CLA a camera every year no matter what. Met this older repair guy at the Portland swap meet last Saturday who showed me a Nikon F2 that hadn't been serviced since 1987 and it still ran smooth. He said over-oiling is what kills shutters, not under-oiling. Makes me wonder if I've been doing more harm than good on some of these older bodies. Anyone else ease up on their CLA schedule?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_taylor1mo ago

Older repair guy sounds like he knows his stuff... I remember reading about a Leica M3 that went 40 years without a CLA and still tested within spec.

jackson.matthew1mo ago

Did you ever read that old thread on Rangefinderforum about the guy who bought a barn find Leica M2 that was stored for 30 years? He just blew the dust out and ran it, and it was within 1/8th of a stop accuracy. I think we've been brainwashed by camera repair guys who want to make a quick 80 bucks blowing out old grease. The older guy at the swap meet sounds like he's actually seen what happens when people bring a camera in every year and drench the gears in oil.