How much do you value a CLA when buying a camera?

[stevierose]

I have a Nikon SP with a titanium shutter and 6 lenses that I am probably going to sell. I had my (excellent) camera technician carefully go over these items. He said they are generally in very good shape, however would be better with CLAs. I had a CLA done on this SP approx 8 years ago so it's not as though it has had no attention. However, he said the camera shutter speeds are off on the high speeds and the lenses are in good shape but have some oil on the aperture blades. The price for a CLA on the body is $135 and for each lens is $65-95.

So my questions are: 1. Do you think if I have CLA done on the body and lenses and include that info in my ads for this gear it will bring enough of a premium price to justify the expenditure, or, should I sell the gear "as is" with honest descriptions (which I always do). 2. What is the best way to determine fair asking prices for this gear?

Thanks!

Steve Rosenblum

 

[farlymac]

Depends on what you were going to ask for them in the first place. Having them cleaned will definitely add to the value, and with the price of Nikon gear these days, you could likely add those costs, and not affect the sale badly.

PF

 

[thegman]

CLA on the whole lot is going to cost you $500 or more? Personally, no, I would not CLA before a sale.

On some things a CLA can be attractive I suppose, but sometimes it also means:

1) It's been taken apart. Has it been reassembled well?
2) Perhaps the CLA was not so much a CLA as a repair, so maybe it's still a bit dodgy?

I suppose I don't always see a CLA as a positive at all, it's kind of like when I read a bit about a car I was thinking of buying. The seller proudly said he'd spent $6000 on it recently. I just thought 'What the hell was wrong with it!?'.

 

[Timmyjoe]

For me, a CLA only adds value if I know the person/shop who did the CLA. With Leica Rangefinder gear, if DAG or maybe Sherry did the CLA, that adds value to me and I would pay more. A number of the other techs who service Leica cameras, if I see a camera that they did a CLA on, I would avoid it, or have to factor in the cost of sending it to Don for a complete overhaul.

So I think a lot of it has to do with the reputation of the person/shop doing the CLA.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Corran]

Get the CLA on the body done.

Leave the lenses unless they are actually broken in some way. Oil on the aperture blades is generally harmless and doesn't affect the resale value much. Now if there's so much oil that they aren't working probably, that's a different story.

 

[Dante_Stella]

This is a collectors' item, not a shooting camera for most buyers. Save your money?

Dante

 

[Ko.Fe.]

If you want to sell it high priced due to CLA, you would have to give warranty to make it valuable.

I wouldn't do CLA before sell. Not worth it if here is no big issues.

 

[aizan]

from the ebay auctions i've tracked, you'd only get the cost of the CLA back (most of it anyway) if it's done by a well known, respected repairman and the gear is in exceptional cosmetic condition.

 

[mani]

I've definitely wanted one of these as a user camera ("collector's item" 😕 ), but as others have said, a CLA is only meaningful if it includes some sort of guarantee. Obviously if the service is done by a well-known repairer the situation may be different.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Another vote against, for all the reasons given above. Don't do it!

Cheers,

R.

 

[Vincent.G]

I usually avoid cameras and lenses that are advertised with "recent CLA".
That's because I may end up paying more for the item which may not need the CLA in the first place. Even if the item needs some service (not CLA), I prefer to choose who to do it.

Just my 2cts.

 

[Sparrow]

... yep, I'd never heard of the CLA thing until the interweb came along, and have certainly never had one done ... I just get them fixed when they go wrong

I don't really see what one could expect to be done for that sort of money anyway

 

[markwatts]

I have no idea if my opinion is representative but I would run a mile from any Nikon described as having required a "recent CLA"

 

[furcafe]

1. I would let any buyer make the decision as to the CLA for the reasons articulated by other posters.

2. Check eBay completed sales & the classifieds in specialist fora like RFF.

Off-topic, as someone who regularly uses his Nikon RFs & has 1 or 2 in need of maintenance, who is your tech?

I have a Nikon SP with a titanium shutter and 6 lenses that I am probably going to sell. I had my (excellent) camera technician carefully go over these items. He said they are generally in very good shape, however would be better with CLAs. I had a CLA done on this SP approx 8 years ago so it's not as though it has had no attention. However, he said the camera shutter speeds are off on the high speeds and the lenses are in good shape but have some oil on the aperture blades. The price for a CLA on the body is $135 and for each lens is $65-95.

So my questions are: 1. Do you think if I have CLA done on the body and lenses and include that info in my ads for this gear it will bring enough of a premium price to justify the expenditure, or, should I sell the gear "as is" with honest descriptions (which I always do). 2. What is the best way to determine fair asking prices for this gear?

Thanks!

Steve Rosenblum

 

[judsonzhao]

Admit it, it adds NONE value most time..
People tends to believe that seller should sell something functions great, and the CLA typically just a confirmation on this.

 

[BillBingham2]

......I had a CLA done on this SP approx 8 years ago so it's not as though it has had no attention. However, he said the camera shutter speeds are off on the high speeds and the lenses are in good shape but have some oil on the aperture blades. ........

Oil on the aperture blades of an Automatic Return (SLR) lens is a No-No, it slows down action so your exposures may be off. In a rangefinder lens it's not a big deal. Opening up a lens unless you have a LOT of experience in putting them back together is IMHO a dice role. If you have haze or other funk, go for it.

If you sent your camera in for a CLA and the tech comes back and says that the speeds are off and didn't do anything then what the heck did s/he do? I would not send a camera as special as a SP to that tech again. How far off are the speeds? 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, perfection in shutter speed is a wonderful quest but what is it worth? Do you get good results from your camera today? If you are shooting print film you can adjust for a reasonable percentage in your workflow (analog or digital).

Leica LTMs often need some working-in (firing the shutter a few hundred/thousand) times after setting for years, difference in lubrication from Nikon.

If you really want to have a CLA done on the camera, Stephen (our Host) has an engineer that does MOST EXCELLENT work on Nikons. There are others out there but for an SP, I would not go anywhere but to an expert on Nikons RFs.

As mentioned above, if it's a well known TLC-Expert it may add value, any less I would walk the other way.

I was a Nikon RF-aholic and I would be a prime customer for your stuff.

B2

 

[VinceC]

It hasn't yet been specifically mentioned in this thread, but Nikon Rangefinder cameras very seldom need a CLA. For a collector, cosmetics are of high importance. For a user, price, quality of the viewfinder, and alignment of focus image are of prime importance.

 

[DNG]

Really, you only <need> a real CLA... Camera is dissembled... totally and all the parts are reassembled to OEM specks.
And any screw adjustments, or replacements of lubricants is done at that time... and any worn parts that are close to breaking can be replaced.

those under $100 or even $150 CLA are just partial disassembles of camera modules that may be fine as long as no hidden parts need replacing.
This <cheaper> CLA won't find some worn parts that would be apparent with a full disassemble , but are not found with a <quicky cla>)

So, unless you have a mis-allined RF, or a shutter that is off, or some other mechanical thing that needs adjusting....(not replacing)
There is no need... <NEED> is operative word here.... as long as everything works as it made to.... then... NO...

 

[noisycheese]

I would take a mint camera that needed a CLA over a less than pristine camera that had just had a CLA - and by less than pristine, I do not mean a gently brassed black paint camera.

YMMV.

 

[ChrisLivsey]

A recent e-bay Nikon S3 was noted as having a stiff focus wheel, later the owner added it was now stuck following a squirt of WD-40, that home CLA slightly affected the sale value 🙄

Many buyers, as above posts, would consider a CLA as a warning unless, as above, a name was involved, and documentary evidence provided to back it up. I wouldn't consider the price you quote to be a CLA I would pay any premium for, in fact the opposite.