What Is Done In A "CLA"?

[jyl]

Superficially a dumb question, but - well, at heart maybe a dumb question too. Still, I'll persist.

What is typically done when you have the repairman "CLA" your camera? Is there a checklist of things that you should count on getting for your $100 or more? As cameras get more and more electronic, isn't there less and less to clean, lubricate or adjust?

(This last comes to mind as I compare my late-sixties Nikon F to my friend's Nikon N65.)

Why do you have a camera CLA'd, anyway? If it's not working, I understand that, but suppose it is working to your satisfaction, but has not had a CLA in 10 years, or maybe ever - is there any reason to have it CLA'd?

 

[jlw]

There's really no standard for what a "CLA" includes. If you're planning to send it in to a particular shop, you might want to ask specifically what services are included for the price of a CLA.

I suspect some shops don't do anything more than a superficial cleaning and check of shutter speeds etc., unless they find evidence of a problem.

And that might be OK -- I was told by one independent repairman that if a camera is working properly and within spec, it's better NOT to open it up.

 

[nwcanonman]

What their "supposed" to do is clean any corrosion or old gummy lube off and put new lube on all moving parts. Then clean the glass surfaces on fixed lens RF's too. The adjust part includes checking shutter speeds and proper shutter closing and making sure the film advance works correctly.
With the new electronic cameras you have micro motors and sensitive electronics too be careful of, very delicate. Many old-time techs won't touch them.
Once you find a good tech, don't lose him. Worth their weight in gold ~ ; - )

 

[Doug]

All machinery needs periodic preventive maintenance, such as your car or lawn mower. I understand it's been common for professional photographers to have their gear checked, cleaned and lubed on some regular schedule.

35 years ago I bought a 10-year-old Leica, and over the years it did go in a couple of times for RF realignment but never for CLA. I use it only periodically so it doesn't suffer a lot of wear, but over time lubricants thicken and debris accumulates. Finally last year I took it in for a lube job.

The technician cleaned out all the old dried lube, dirt, metal powder, etc and checked the conditon of the internals with specific attention to the film transport, shutter parts, and rangefinder. He cleaned the optical surfaces in the RF, checked all the shutter speeds and adjusted them as necessary for accuracy. I'm told the 1/500 and 1/1000 were slow but they're all fine now except that the 1/60 is firing at the same 1/50th as the X-synch.

It had earlier been squeaking occasionally as the shutter was recocked, sounding like a dry bearing. He relubed all appropriate points with better modern lube. As a result of the CLA, the camera is quieter and smoother in operation, and the viewfinder/rangefinder is brighter and more contrasty. There are signs of prism separation around the edges as viewed from the front, but this doesn't inhibit a fine view from the business end.

I also had the old 35 Summicron cleaned and lubed for the first time, and he found that the focusing helical had been assembled one thread off at the factory. DoF covered the small focus error except wide open and close in, and I'd never noticed a problem. Good to have it right, however!

I've had several other cameras CLA'd as well, either my old gear that hadn't ever been serviced, or "new" old gear acquired through eBay! Unless the seller can document a recent service, it's a routine expectation that an older used piece of camera gear is going to need a CLA, and that should be budgeted. Much better than taking the recently aquired camera/lens/meter on a photo expedition only to have it fail to work as it should.

 

[RML]

When I sent my M2 for a CLA to Herr Wiener in München I had no expectations of what he'd do. But the camera needed quite some work: the shutter needed calibrating, the rewind knob was loose, and few other things. When I sent the M2 I included a letter asking Herr Wiener to notify if repairs would be over a certain amount of money. Herr Wiener sent me a letter, almost immediately, indication the things he found and asking me to authorise the repairs, which I did. IMO this is the way things should go: you tell the repairman to check the camera and you set a "warning" level. The repairman will check the camera and indicate what needs to be done. Than it's up to you to go along with the price and/or repairs. The repair list for M2 included covering in new leather (the old whatisthatstuff had become brittle and fallen off mostly), but that was something I was already working on. It was the only item on the list that I didn't authorise. After a week or two my camera came back, working like the wonderful machine it is.

 

[Pherdinand]

I had the very same experience like RML, with a Rollei specialist here in the Netherlands, Hans Klinkhamer, when i sent my Rolleicord to him.

A CLA apparently can mean all or nothing, depending on how serious the person is. Example, Henry Scherer contax specialist on his webpage talks completely against the CLA by anybody, saying that it's a useless superficial fast work what you get (briefly). I however think he is a bit extreme in his view.

Normally, C should mean clean - not only externally but internally too, where it's needed; L is lube which is important to be done where it has to be and with correct materials, and adjust includes alot of things not only checking the shutter speeds - also focusing, film transport and basicly everything that has to move or fit precisely. This all was done, together with a shutter repair, on my rolleicord for a bit less than 100 euro.

With mechanical cameras, the variation between models can be very big. A technician accepting any kind of camera for repair has the disadvantage that he cannot be specialist in all of them, thus, it will either be a slow, a superficial/inadecvate, or a very expensive job. Or both three, in the worst case. I'd say always try to find someone who's specialist in the camera you want to have repaired; it's still possible.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Essex in New Jersey lists prices for "standard repairs". I have sent them cameras that are completely locked up, including a $50 chrome Nikon F2 found in a pawn shop that was completely jammed to JD's ex-M3 with a shutter capping problem. They have never called back or asked for extra funds to cover the repair. Minor parts are included. On JD's M3, the shutter-capping problem was gone, Vulcanite patched, and finder was sparkling clean. X-Sync was right on, and the cameras were quite smooth. Cameras requiring major parts included my M2 and M3DS. These ran $30 (rewind gears) and $40 (new finder parts) more than the standard price.

On lenses,I have sent them my early '50s Leica lenses with the infamous haze that gets onto the older soft lens coatings. I picked up the lenses for $125 and $140, and paid $90 to CLA them. They have perform a deep-cleaning, including removing the infamous Summarit Haze. That required a complete dismantle of the lens and cleaning of the coating. They managed to do this without removing the coating. Results are here, in my Summarit folder.

 

[peter_n]

Re: What Is Done In A "CLA"?

Why do you have a camera CLA'd, anyway? If it's not working, I understand that, but suppose it is working to your satisfaction, but has not had a CLA in 10 years, or maybe ever - is there any reason to have it CLA'd?

For the same reason that you take your car in for a service every few thousand miles - you want to maintain it in good working condition.

As you read the posts above you realize what variation there is in this service. I've only ever had a Nikkor 28mm lens CLA'd but when it came back it was just beautiful to use. My M6 will be 10 years old in 2008 so it will be going for a visit to DAG then. 🙂

 

[Huck Finn]

When I had one done, it came back saying: "Restore all fucntions to original factory specs."

 

[rover]

Then there is the strip it down to each individual part and power wash them approach.

http://www.zeisscamera.com/ContaxIIa/Prices.html

 

[RObert Budding]

Some cameras are worth sending for a complete "power wash" treatment. Other times it's better to spend as little as possible to get a camera working. Just make sure that yoy don't pay for the power wash and end up with the "as little as possible" job.

Robert