Advice Needed - Should I ship my LF lenses to get them CLA'ed before selling them?

[8alonzo8]

I am thinking about selling some of my gear and have a modest collection of lenses that are valuable (at least to me). At one point, there were quite a few reliable local service shops in my area that offered CLA services for LF gear but, when I recently called around, it seems that market has dried up. I spent a little time with each lens and they each look, feel, and sound great. I just wanted to take the extra step of having them looked at by a professional group so that any prospective buyer could have the same peace of mind about the gear as I do.

As mentioned in the title, I would like to know if it is a good idea to ship my lenses off to have them CLA'ed before selling them? All comments and responses are welcome. I would especially like to hear about any good or bad experiences and/or advice from anyone who ships their gear for these types of services.

[Dugan]

Many technicians that do CLA's on LF shutters provide a dated printout of resulting shutter speeds after a CLA.
Most CLA warranties are for 30-90 days.
Having dated printouts of shutter speeds MAY help you sell the lenses at a premium...but enough to cover the cost of the CLA's and shipping? Doubtful, unless the lenses are truly scarce/in high demand and in excellent cosmetic and optical condition.

[Leszek Vogt]

There are still few places that service these lenses. I've had mine done near LA couple of years ago (I think it was 10 lenses) and I'm glad I did. That vendor may not be active, but it would help where you are located....so folks can steer you to a nearby place....assuming one exists there.

Either way, you'd have proof that you had the shutters CLA'd and that could help the sale.

Les

[8alonzo8]

Dugan, thank you for your reply.

Good point, the cost of shipping back and forth should be considered and I'd really hate for anything to happen to any of them during shipping. Also, I really like talking to the technicians who are doing the work, which is one of my biggest issues with shipping them to parts unknown. Never had to do that in the past. One is a 300mm Rodenstock Apo-Sironar-S 75 degree, which is probably the most valuable. The other two are 240mm and 90mm Caltar II-N lenses. All in the appropriate COPAL shutters, these lenses have been well cared for and cosmetics and optical condition reflect that (my subjective opinion).

[8alonzo8]

Hi Les,

Agreed, I can say they are fine all I like but professional proof would yield the best price. It's probably what I would insist on if I were paying top dollar. I am in the Houston area. Unbelievable that one cannot just search and find anyone here. We had one of the best a few years back, his name was Mike at Professional Camera Repair. I was a little sad (but happy for Mike) to hear that he has since retired and nobody picked up that area of the great service business he had built.

[Jim Andrada]

I've had really good luck sending my lenses to Carol at Flutot's Camera Repair. They used to be in the LA area but I think they moved to Palm Desert. I'll check tomorrow. She does really good work but it might take a while. Last time I talked to her her husband was in very bad shape health-wise and it was really slowing her down. And I doubt you'd recover 100% of the added cost of a CLA. There's always Grimes in Providence Rhode Island - excellent service, but quite pricey.

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Please note that having them cla'd before a sale, you'll probably rule out as potential buyers people who have expertise to service shutters themselves or want to have it done by their technician of choice.

[David Lindquist]

I've had really good luck sending my lenses to Carol at Flutot's Camera Repair. They used to be in the LA area but I think they moved to Palm Desert. I'll check tomorrow. She does really good work but it might take a while. Last time I talked to her her husband was in very bad shape health-wise and it was really slowing her down. And I doubt you'd recover 100% of the added cost of a CLA. There's always Grimes in Providence Rhode Island - excellent service, but quite pricey.

SK Grimes no longer does CLA on leaf shutters: https://skgrimes.com/services/repair-services/ see bottom of page. They do do a lot of other stuff including engraving diaphragm scales and mounting lenses in shutters.

David

[JMO]

You might contact Bob Watkins at Precision Camera Works (now in the Napa area) to find out if he does CLA and repairs on shutters and lenses. I think he does, and if so I'm sure you'd be satisfied with his work.

[Oslolens]

I had my 508mm Ilex sent directly from seller to SKGRIMES.COM for CLA, modification and adapter rings. If you trust your service provider, you can mention Sending to service, and the service to send forward.
Do not expect to fetch the price the reputable seller gets, when they can back up guarantee with a new shutter or similar lens.

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