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That super cheap CLA service I swore I'd never use
I spent years telling people to avoid those $50 camera cleaning jobs from random guys online. Last month I sent a beat up Nikon FM2 to a person in Ohio who charges $45 for a full CLA with replacement light seals. Figured I'd lose the camera but the thing came back working better than after my local shop's $200 service. Anyone else have a budget repair that surprised you?
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park.aaron7d ago
Wait, $45?! For a full CLA with light seals? That's insane. I paid $180 for a basic clean on my F3 last year and they didn't even touch the mirror box. How does this guy in Ohio even make money at that price? The parts alone for seals cost like $10. Either he's doing this for fun or he's secretly a repair robot. I'm half tempted to send him my beat up Pentax just to see if it actually works.
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mitchell.thomas7d ago
Light seal kits aren't $10 anymore. I just bought a precut set for my Nikon FE2 from a specialty shop and it was $18 with shipping. The good ones don't come from random craft foam. They use specific closed-cell foam that doesn't break down and turn sticky after a year. If this Ohio guy is using quality foam and doing a full CLA, he's probably making like $15 profit per camera after materials and a couple hours of his time.
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matthewking7d ago
My buddy sent him a broken Yashica and got it back working perfectly for forty bucks.
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