That old Rolleiflex owner at the diner convinced me to stop forcing repairs

I was at a diner in Portland last weekend, and this guy in his 70s saw my repair case and started talking about his Rolleiflex 2.8F. He said he quit sending it out for repairs 20 years ago and just learned to work around the small issues, like the slow shutter speeds being off by a stop. He told me that trying to get every single function perfectly factory spec was ruining the camera's character, and that the quirks actually made his favorite shots better. That hit me different because I've spent weeks chasing tiny tolerances on older gear, only to end up frustrated. He honestly made me realize that maybe a 90 percent working camera with some soul is better than a fully overhauled one that sits on a shelf. Has anyone else here backed off from obsessing over perfection on vintage stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby2903d ago

You see this everywhere now. At coffee shops, people get mad if their latte art isn't perfect instead of just enjoying the drink. My neighbor spent six months deciding on a couch because he was researching fabric durability like it was a scientific paper. The guy at the hardware store told me people return perfectly good paint because the color is 2% off from the swatch. All that chasing tiny details means you never actually get to use the thing. It's like we forgot that stuff is supposed to get a little worn down and still work fine.

lunaw724d ago

That's not just a camera thing honestly - it's everywhere now. People obsess over making everything perfect instead of just enjoying what works.