maxl93•17h agoMost Upvoted

Just realized a 2 week old CLA totally changed how my Nikon F3 sounds

I picked up an F3 at a swap meet in Portland 6 months ago, shutter sounded like a rusty gate. Finally sent it to a guy I know for a full CLA, cost me $120. Picked it up last Wednesday and the mirror slap is so quiet now, almost like a whisper compared to before. The difference was mostly old grease turning to glue, he said the damping foam was shot too. Anyone else notice a huge sound difference after a basic service on their old gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

lewis.brian11h ago

@danielr99 Totally. My F3's advance felt like I was dragging a brick through sand before the CLA. Now it glides like I actually know how to use a camera instead of just lookin cool with it. My tech showed me the old foam too, was like finding a fossil in there.

danielr9916h ago

Did you notice a change in how the film advance feels too? On my old Canon F-1 the shutter got a lot quieter after a CLA but the big surprise was how smooth the advance lever got. The tech I use said old lubricant turns into this sticky paste that gums everything up, and he showed me the old foam bits crumbling out of the mirror box. I had him replace the light seals too for another 40 bucks and now everything just feels like new old stock instead of something that sat in a garage for twenty years.