Fixed a Nikon F3 with a stuck shutter and the owner cried in my shop | Camera Repairers - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Fixed a Nikon F3 with a stuck shutter and the owner cried in my shop
Last Tuesday I had a guy walk in with his dad's old Nikon F3 that had been sitting in a closet for 20 odd years. The shutter was locked up and the mirror was stuck halfway, classic old lube turned to glue. I told him it might take a couple days but I got it apart that same afternoon, cleaned out the old grease with some naphtha and a soft brush, and relubed the gears. When he came back Thursday and fired off a test roll on the counter, he just stood there quiet for a second and then his eyes got wet. Turns out his dad passed two springs ago and this was the camera from every family trip they ever took. I only charged him $85 and honestly I felt weird taking even that. Days like that remind me why I got into this trade instead of just swapping boards at a phone store. What is the strangest repair you ever did where the camera meant way more to the person than the money was worth?