Pro tip: The $80 digital microscope that saved a Leica M3 repair

Had a customer bring in a Leica M3 with a slow second curtain. Could not see the issue with my loupe. Bought a cheap digital microscope online for about eighty bucks. Hooked it up to my laptop and saw a tiny bit of old grease gumming up a pivot pin. Cleaned it in ten minutes. Without that scope, I would have spent hours guessing. Anyone else use a digital scope for tricky shutter jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

sandra_moore3015d ago

Totally get that. Those cheap scopes are a lifesaver for spotting gunk in tight spots. What brand did you end up going with?

grace_kelly4515d ago

Grabbed a Depstech one off Amazon, works way better than expected. The app's kinda clunky but the camera quality is solid for the price.

pat_harris15d ago

Yeah, @grace_kelly45, that's exactly it... the app is always the weak spot with those. I've got a no-name one from a few years back, and the picture is shockingly clear for seeing inside walls, but man, trying to save a screenshot is like a three-step puzzle every time.