resummerfield
2-Apr-2005, 23:07
Whenever I acquire a new lens (a used lens, but new to me), I’ll clean it externally and check the speeds (I have a small Calumet shutter tester), and that’s all. I’ll use the lens for years with no other maintenance, unless I know something is wrong.
Obviously, the best course would be to send all my lenses off for professional preventive maintenance, probably yearly. But realistically, that’s just too expensive and time consuming. And I would be without the lens for weeks. So I was wondering, how difficult would it be to perform routine maintenance myself? Not to disassemble the individual lens elements, but just an internal clean and lube of the shutter? In reading some back posts, it seems others have been doing just that.
So how about some feedback: Who does perform their own CLAs? Where did you learn how? And most importantly, give me some suggestions on acquiring the basic knowledge of shutter maintenance.
On a related subject, someone relayed to me advice from his repair shop, that the best way to store a lens was with the aperture open, and the speed on T with shutter open. He said it released tension on the springs. Has anyone else heard of this? Does anyone have a special way to store their lenses?
Obviously, the best course would be to send all my lenses off for professional preventive maintenance, probably yearly. But realistically, that’s just too expensive and time consuming. And I would be without the lens for weeks. So I was wondering, how difficult would it be to perform routine maintenance myself? Not to disassemble the individual lens elements, but just an internal clean and lube of the shutter? In reading some back posts, it seems others have been doing just that.
So how about some feedback: Who does perform their own CLAs? Where did you learn how? And most importantly, give me some suggestions on acquiring the basic knowledge of shutter maintenance.
On a related subject, someone relayed to me advice from his repair shop, that the best way to store a lens was with the aperture open, and the speed on T with shutter open. He said it released tension on the springs. Has anyone else heard of this? Does anyone have a special way to store their lenses?