How much do shutter repairs cost?

[aaronnate]

I have technica shutter that stopped working at 1/10 down to 1 sec last night. It sounds like it is struggling befor getting stuck. I’ve never had to get a shutter, or any camera gear fixed.

How much do these repairs cost? And who does that kind of work?

[BrianShaw]

100 to 150 dollars or so.

I prefer to use local camera repair shops whenever possible.

[Leigh]

I have technica shutter that stopped working at 1/10 down to 1 sec last night.
Most likely the lubricants in the low-speed escapement have gummed up or solidified.

A proper service requires dis-mounting the lens cells, dis-assembling the shutter (almost) completely, removing the escapement and running it through an ultrasonic cleaner to remove all the old solidified lubricant. The ultrasonic cleaning may take several hours to days.

Then proper lubricants must be applied, the escapement mounted back in the shutter, and the speeds adjusted.

Then the shutter is re-assembled, lens cells mounted, and everything is checked for proper operation.

Of course, this __assumes__ there are no damaged or broken components in the escapement. This is usually true, but if it's not true in this case, obtaining replacement parts may be very difficult/expensive*.

- Leigh

*NB And of course, only mad dogs and Englishmen actually disassemble escapements.

[tonyowen]

. *NB And of course, only mad dogs and Englishmen actually disassemble escapements.
Wrong we send them to someone who does CLA as a business
I got a 135mm Xenar lens repaired a year ago. It cost UK£90.00 [circa US$115.00} and came with 3 months guarantee and this included replacing some of the shutter blades
regards
Tony [ps English & Canadian nationality]

[Alan9940]

Don't know where you are in the world, but if a shutter needs anything my first thought is to contact Carol Flutot (https://www.flutotscamerarepair.com/). She recently did a CLA on an Ilex #4 shutter of mine and now the speeds are spot on.

[Leigh]

*NB And of course, only mad dogs and Englishmen actually disassemble escapements.Wrong we send them to someone who does CLA as a business
Tony,

I do (did) CLAs as a business for many years.

- Leigh

[aaronnate]

Thanks. I’ll contact flutot’s after the holiday. I’m in Arizona.

[Jim Andrada]

+1 for Carol - she's fixed several shutters for me - but the turn-around isn't particularly quick

[Alan9940]

+1 for Carol - she's fixed several shutters for me - but the turn-around isn't particularly quick

I received my shutter back within 6 weeks which I thought was reasonable service.

[peter schrager]

More kudos for carol... she's the best!!

[Maris Rusis]

Years ago I inquired about shutter repairs from famous tech and he said "About $100". But, he warned, if you bring it in as pieces in a bag and say studio junior took it apart and you haven't the time to put it back together again then $200. And if you want to watch then $400!

[bd3]

I'll second Carol Flutot. I had her repair a shutter for my Speed Graphic that was sticky. It works great now. She does like to be contacted before you send anything to her so she can expect it.

[pepeguitarra]

Good luck with her. I am still waiting for the call. She said she was too busy with personal things and she would call me about one year ago. Nothing. In the meantime, I found a guy on Ebay that offered to fix shutters for $90. I send it to him and in two weeks came back perfectly OK. I also found a guy in Youtube who shows how to fix shutters and contacted him. He also CLAd one shutter for $100, about 2 months ago. still waiting for Carol.

[Leigh]

I also found a guy in Youtube who shows how to fix shutters and contacted him.
He also CLAd one shutter for $100, about 2 months ago.
Anybody who shows how to "fix" a shutter on YouTube doesn't know what he's doing.

The difficult parts of a CLA are the L (Lubricate) and A (Adjust).

I have a couple of dozen different lubricants, each of which is used in specific locations in certain shutters.
Some of these are quite expensive (like $90 per ounce).

Adjusting a shutter requires specialized test equipment which an average shooter certainly does not have.

- Leigh

[Alan9940]

He also CLAd one shutter for $100, about 2 months ago. still waiting for Carol.

Carol CLA'd my shutter for $100, too, and I doubt she gained her knowledge of shutters by watching YouTube videos! ;) And, as I said, I had it back within 6 weeks.

[Bob Salomon]

There are many good camera repair shops that can easily repair most shutters. Shutter repairs are very basic work for professional shops.

Try Bob Watkins at Precision in IL, Prescision Camera in Austin, Tempe Camera in Phoenix, Pro Camera in DC, Professional Camera in Charlottesville, Nippon in NYC, or, if you live anywhere near a camera store like Ace, Swamy’s, Bear Images, Glazers, Looking Glass, Hunt, Pro Cam, Arlington, etc. ask them who does it near them.

[pepeguitarra]

Anybody who shows how to "fix" a shutter on YouTube doesn't know what he's doing.



- Leigh

I am impressed (not really, I am used to) with how people respond to a comment with such a radical and absolute affirmation. The person who happened to post these videos on Youtube has a camera repair shop well established. In fact, he could be one of the members of this forum. So, next time, think before writing. I am very happy with his work.

Just for information: Many professionals post videos on Youtube. They cannot advertise their services because they will have to pay Youtube as commercial. So, they post free videos showing what they do. It is up to you to contact and decide if this is the professional you need, or this is just an enthusiast. We are in a new world, we have to adopt to it.