What does the term CLA mean ?

cklammer

cklammer

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Hi everybody,

As you can see from the title of my post: I am new here. And ran into a term I don't understand:

CLA

I google'd, of course. But "conjugated linoleic acid" or the "Canadian Lumbermen's Association" are probably not pertaining to the subject of rangefinder cameras ... as the first is claimed to help one lose excess body mass whereas some of the honorable members of the second are surely avid rangefinder cam users (I assume).

From the context of the posts I have studied it appears to be connected to technical servicing of rangefinder cameras - but what it is exactly ?

Thanks in advance,
cklammer

 
A CLA means different things to different repair techs. It's best to get the details before you drop off your camera for one.
 
Clean, lubricate and adjust - a reasonably new term more commonly known in Europe as a 'service', some think they should be carried out on a regular basis - as you would a car or similar machine, personally - in over forty years amatuer and semi-pro use, and with two nikormats seeing regular duty for over thirty years, I have never felt the need for a CLA! - like my other gear, they still run smoothly. If it breaks, or malfunctions - yes, get it serviced, otherwise just use 'em!.
Welcome to RFF!, Dave.
 
What is involved with a CLA is different amongst repair techs. There is no ISO standard on what goes into a CLA.

I'm also of the mind "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
 
cklammer said:
CLA - but what it is exactly ?
Click to expand...

Well, technically it means clean, lube, and adjust. Practially, it can mean anything from "take the shutter off, dunk it in a bucket of alcohol, let it drip and then wonder why it doesn't work right" to "take the whole camera apart and hand clean each piece individually with naptha." It can also mean anything between. Installing new light seals is usually an understood step in a CLA, but not always. Also, the "lube" and/or "adjust" parts of a CLA are often skipped over. Even when they aren't, many repairmen use too much lube (and/or inappropriate lubes), as was previously mentioned. For god's sake never let WD-40 or other powdered lubricant come anywhere near a camera! Overlubing or using the wrong lube is pretty much always going to be worse than no lube at all. Sometimes even the factories used too much lube or the wrong kind (Canonets often had too much oil and many Agfas had a particularly bad kind -- which is why so many of them have frozen focus adjustments today). Done properly, a really good CLA will return your camera to something very near to the functional state it was in when it was new. Screwed up, it won't work at all.
 
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