The thing that old Leica shooter told me at a garage sale still sticks with me

I was at this random garage sale in Portland about 6 months ago, just looking for old junk, and I spotted a beat up Leica M3 sitting on a table. The guy running the sale was this older gentleman, probably in his 80s, and he saw me staring at it. He said "that one's been through 3 wars and a divorce, it'll outlive us both." I asked him what he meant and he spent 20 minutes explaining how he never sent it to a shop for cleaning, he just used lens cleaner and a soft cloth on the body, nothing more. He told me most folks overcomplicate camera maintenance and end up breaking things by trying to fix what ain't broken. It really made me think about all the times I've taken apart a perfectly working shutter just because I thought it needed a CLA. Has anyone else had an old timer drop some simple wisdom on you that changed how you approach repairs?

2 comments

2 Comments

angelafisher8d ago

Started reading about this exact thing in an old camera forum from like 2006. Someone was saying how the CLA industry basically convinced everyone their cameras needed annual teardowns when really most just needed a gentle wipe down and some careful storage. I bet that old guy's M3 probably runs smoother than half the cameras I've sent off for "professional" servicing. Makes me wonder how many perfectly good shutters and focusing helicoids got wrecked by well meaning but unnecessary tinkering over the years.

craig.grant8d ago

Doesn't it just make you wonder how many perfectly good cameras got sent to an early grave by all that unnecessary tinkering? I've got an old F2 that's never been inside a repair shop (knock on wood) and it still fires like a dream, just sits in a dry cabinet with a silica pack. Meanwhile, I had a friend who sent his pristine Spotmatic for a "preventive" CLA and the guy somehow gummed up the slow speeds so bad it's never been right since. It's like the whole industry found a way to monetize our anxiety about gear, you know? Sometimes I think the best service is just leaving it alone and shooting it more.