When a CLA isn't a CLA

[btgc]

Just to put it all together, there are shops doing same or better job for less money. Some shops are charging for their past, heritage and experience....which they consider extra value not something what they readily deliver on regular basis. As time passes, some customers decide they need real value not illusion and choose accordingly.

No, I'm talking specifically about Leica. This happens all the time in most of industries.

 

[tjh]

They're just trying to clean, lube, and adjust your wallet.

Good one!

Tom

 

[tjh]

Maybe the automotive terms "tuneup" versus "detailing" are descriptive of Overhaul versus CLA. I've sent 2 Leicas and one LF shutter to 4 different, well known repair persons for CLAs. Only the one Leica I sent to DAG came back perfectly overhauled. The wind was smooth as silk, the prisms and viewfinders clean, the shutter speeds perfect. I could tell he disassembled it and did proper Corrective and Preventative Maintenance (Navy terms). And he even CLEANed the outside! All for the going price of a so called CLA.

My experience with several cameras sent to Don is the same. He even uses the term "overhaul", as I remember. He isn't the only repair person that does things properly but he is right at the top of my list for good workmanship and straightforward honesty.

Tom

 

[Shac]

Timmyjoe - "Dirt and squirt" Wonderful!

 

[Landshark]

Picky I suppose but an Arri runs more film in one project than most Leicas do during their entire life.

 

[L Collins]

I've noticed a definite increase in the digital age of Leica owners who have succumbed to the hysterical "need" to have their camera CLA'd. It's a sickness. It's wasteful. Its stupid. This, of course, "is just my opinion", but the fact that my first run M5 is still working fine, 20 years after being returned from a necessary fix from Ms. Krauter with a stern warning that it was "very dry" and would "fail soon" if not CLA'd, tends to prove my point.

 

[tunalegs]

I've noticed a definite increase in the digital age of Leica owners who have succumbed to the hysterical "need" to have their camera CLA'd. It's a sickness. It's wasteful. Its stupid. This, of course, "is just my opinion", but the fact that my first run M5 is still working fine, 20 years after being returned from a necessary fix from Ms. Krauter with a stern warning that it was "very dry" and would "fail soon" if not CLA'd, tends to prove my point.

The cameras are older now than they were then. A lot of cameras suffering from some years of disuse are no longer working as freely as they might have ten or twenty years ago.

Having worked on my own cameras a surprising number have come back to functioning fine with a good cleaning and sparing use of oil on critical parts - with no adjustments needed. They simply suffered from a lack of use and dried out/gummed up oils and grease.

 

[Vickko]

Um, from experience, if you want to do "dirt and squirt", be very very careful.

I have jammed a lens, using the dirt and squirt method, and I have made leaf shutters malfunction. The problem with "dirt and squirt" is that it washes out the lubricant, but can leave the dirt and the dirt, in tightly toleranced parts, can lead to jamming and seizure of the parts. e.g. if you try to "dirt and squirt" a Leitz Summarit, you may jam the focus helix, then forcing you to take it all apart.

And in shutters, e.g. the B setting, requires parts to slide to work. Wash out all the grease, and the parts don't slide any more. Even using oil won't resolve the issue; you need to find the sliding part and use the correct grease.

I do not advocate taking apart more than necessary, but I do recommend disassembling the correct parts, and lubricating with the correct materials, and putting it back together correctly.

If you are paying for a full tear-down, then you should get a full disassembly, rebuilt and correct lubrication.

But if you are paying for just a minor service to get some small aspect of the unit working, then, hopefully that is what the tech does, and hopefully it is done correctly.

Timmyjoe - "Dirt and squirt" Wonderful!

 

[Vickko]

Yeah, it pays to understand the mechanisms and to understand what work is needed.

And my philosophy has been, don't go further than necessary.

...

Having worked on my own cameras a surprising number have come back to functioning fine with a good cleaning and sparing use of oil on critical parts - with no adjustments needed. They simply suffered from a lack of use and dried out/gummed up oils and grease.

 

[David Hughes]

Wait, a CLA just isn't filler that belongs in a title? Like *RARE* and *LOOK*?

Drat.

Hi,

You left out "Mint" or that strange flavour "Minty" that they use. But who licks cameras?

Regards, David

 

[Pioneer]

This is another one of those little topics that thrive on forums because they can go on forever and never get settled. Just like using filters to protect your lens.

I suspect these little jewels have been popping up since forums were invented. 🙂

 

[nobbylon]

Having taken apart a number of Leica M's I would say that all they needed was a blow out of dust and sand etc with an air blower. A dissolve of old dried up lubricant on the appropriate points and then a relube. The mechanisms do not need stripping down UNLESS there is a specific problem. If the mechs were stripped then we would be paying 2 or 3x for our Cla's for no good reason.

 

[Vickko]

Yes, for the most part, I agree.

On occasion, I find something really bad (loose bearing that is jamming, felt light shield jammed in the shutter) and it becomes pretty obvious what to take apart.

But for most work, it is like you say. Careful swab, light lub and a drop of naptha to "wash-in the lubricant".

Having taken apart a number of Leica M's I would say that all they needed was a blow out of dust and sand etc with an air blower. A dissolve of old dried up lubricant on the appropriate points and then a relube. The mechanisms do not need stripping down UNLESS there is a specific problem. If the mechs were stripped then we would be paying 2 or 3x for our Cla's for no good reason.

 

[Nokton48]

I trust John Van Stelton at Focal Point. One of the few to do optical work.

http://www.focalpointlens.com/fp_intro.html

 

[thegman]

Why I do not buy used

Fair enough, but that severely limits what cameras you have to choose from. Although it would be interesting, if I only ever bought film cameras brand new, what might I have?

I've only ever bought a few brand new film cameras, Lomo LC-A+, Bessa R4A and Fotoman 45SPS. If I'd had to buy my Rolleiflex new, I'd have spent 3 times the amount, but probably be even happier with the outcome.