CLA that expensive?....

Phantomas

Phantomas

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I'm asking this question on behalf of a friend (no, really).

I have a colleague who I know has above average interest in photography and we talk about it at work sometimes, but her angle is always DSLR equipment and techniques. We never really got into the "alternative" gear talk. Today this colleague opened her bag and to my wideeyed surprise... busted out a Leica M6 plus three Leica lenses :eek: and mentioned she has M3 at home :eek: (how little do I know about my colleagues).

As I was fondling the Leica (although I own a few rangefinders, I have rarely had touched a Leica) we were in an excited conversation and she told me that she wanted to CLA the M6 (there were no issues with it at all, just plain ol' CLA). Then she told me something I'm quite suspicious about - a repairman (who's name I won't mention, but he's a reputable one in Holland) quoted her the price of "around EUR 500" for simple maintenance job on the M6!

Could that be??!! I'll admit, owning a dozen and some cameras, I've never done a CLA (only last week I realised the need to do so on two of them) so I'm not first-hand informed about the costs. But EUR 500 CLA seems way over the top, no?

I suspected she either blurted something out or was in for some serious fixing job, but she insisted, and i've played with that M6 and it works like a charm. I told her not to do anything and that's I'll check. Can someone advise on what the wild, even expensive average cost for typical CLA is? Otherwise I'll even act as her intermediary to get a right quote, as I'll also be in the same boat soon too and if 500 is CLA cost I'm giving up all my photo gear to a charity!

(BTW, the M6 is TTL version, if that matters).
 
well if it's who I think, you cant ask for better service. Sounds to me like she has asked for more than a standard cla. I know a standard cla runs at around the 200 euro mark.
 
A typical CLA by Will van Manen costs around 150-200 euro. A lens around 60-100 euro. So 500 seems about correct for the set.
You can send everything to Leica. You'll pay more then.

But if it doesn't need one, I would keep the money in my pocket and happily keep on shooting.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I too was almost sure something wasn't right. She only mentioned CLA for the body, but since there's a reason for such a high quote there was probably something else figuring in the conversation.
i'll advise her on the averages I've heard here and make sure if she wants simple body CLA not to confuse anyone by sending it with the lens attached and asking to check "everything".
I'm quite curios to participate in her CLA quest, for one to save her from wasting money and for the other to see how the whole CLA process works out, before and after, etc. get some experience through her.
(or I'll try to get her to sell me the camera for 200, since "it needs a 500 CLA :) just kidding).


Oh, and since I've got some locals here, where's a good place to CLA/fix my Rollei 35 in Holland? Slow shutter speeds are dying.
 
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HuubL said:
A typical CLA by Will van Manen costs around 150-200 euro. A lens around 60-100 euro. So 500 seems about correct for the set.
You can send everything to Leica. You'll pay more then.

But if it doesn't need one, I would keep the money in my pocket and happily keep on shooting.
Click to expand...
nine times out of ten - the sensible thing to do!......never had a CLA in forty five years semi-pro and amateur use!
Dave.
 
Are we talking about just the body, and are we talking aobut only one camera or the M3 too? If it is just the M6, that price is at least twice as much as it should be. Dishonest repairmen charge a lot more if the camera is expensive, figuring that the customer can afford it. Honest repairmen charge for the work that needs to be done, regardless of the price of the camera.
 
How hard is it to do your own CLA? I've taken a look inside a IIIc, and although there's plenty of bits in there, none of them look all that difficult to clean up, lube and reassemble. I guess the hard bit is remembering where everything went.
 
One thing to keep in mind, all CLAs are not equal. There are many technicians that will short-cut a proper service. Find out the details. :)
 
"there were no issues with it at all" Run some film through it first to determine 1. if it needs a CLA 2. & if it needs a cla (which it may not) what exactly you want done to it. An M6 is a recent camera. Why would it need a cla.? On cameras with seals...cla's are sometimes done when the seals go. "If it aint broke don't fix it!"
 
500 euros seems quite high to me. but i talked to someone at leica today about restoring an m4 and was told it would be $375 for a complete CLA, so it seems like they've gone up in price from last year.

on a completely different note, i found out that replacing the b/p top plate on the m4 is only going to be $384 and would be brand new with the serial number re-engraved. that seems reasonable to me. DAG told me he could pound the dents out of it "80-85%" for $100, and CLA it for $290. i think it's going to solms...

bob
 
Hey, I agree with all of you about questionable necessity of CLA. I've never done it myself on any of my cameras, coz they always worked, so why fix them?
But I didn't get into long enough conversation to find out the motives behind her need for maintenance (and I did also mention that the fact that M6 is recent model and the built quality of Leica in general should be immediate deterrents to unnecessary CLA ideas). But I also do not think the idea of maintenance just to ensure tiptop condition of your gear is entirely ridiculous (unnecessary, but not ridiculous). If one has more money than purpose for it, knock yourself out. Some gear purists may even advise that. Maybe she's rich.
Anyway, I'll follow up with her on this topic, today I was too taken aback by her cost estimate to talk sence about CLA. Next time I see her I'll definitely hear her reasoning and suggest taking it easy and trusting the camera as it is (until something really starts breaking).
 
I have no idea re: Leica CLAs, but I was recently quoted about 100 euros for a full CLA on my Rolleiflex [which has an intermittently sticky shutter and hesitant self-timer]. That's by a technician with a good reputation, but, I assume, possibly lower than average prices.
 
Another voice counselling against unnecessary CLAs, which were an American fad of the late 80s or early 90s, later adopted world-wide.

If a Leica needs a repair, or has sticky speeds, that's another matter, but if it's working, don't waste your money. Many so-called CLAs are a simple muck-out followed by over-lubrication (with oil that gets everywhere and may dry and go sticky), so cheap ones are best avoided.

The only camera manufacturer I have personally encountered that expressly recommended regular servicing was Hasselblad on the 500 series.

Tashi delek,

Roger
 
When I started in photography years ago I was told by numerous people that you should CLA your cameras yearly! I ignored the advise, but your colleague may have something similar stuck in her head.... and is just trying to "do the right thing."
 
Well, since you are talking about a repair person in the Netherlands (Holland), it just might be Will van Manen. I don't know any other specialists over here, frankly.

Let me state that Will has worked on my M2 (shutter way, way off), Yashica Mat 124 (shutter off & unreliable transport), Nikon EM (shutter wouldn't cock) and my Nikon 35mm f2.0 AF (sticky diaphragm blades).

All his work has been stellar, and turnaround times very fast. I unreservedly recommend him. Even if his prices may seem a tad high for the uninitiated, it's definitely worth it. It's a great feeling to be able te rely on your old workhorses again!

Even so, 500 for a M6 CLA seems high. If the lenses are indeed to be included, it seems a normal price to me. Still, if a CLA is not needed, simply don't do it. If you colleague feels better about her M6 after a CLA, she should by all means do it. Will will do it, even if it's not really needed. He runs a business after all, and the customer is always right!
 
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