Hit my 500th shutter repair last week and it stopped me cold

I've been fixing cameras out of my garage for about 8 years now, mostly old mechanical SLRs. Last Wednesday I counted up my records and realized I had done exactly 507 shutter curtains, which is way more than I ever thought I'd see. Has anybody else kept track of a specific repair type and been surprised by the number?

3 comments

3 Comments

johnson.daniel1mo ago

Man, "stopped me cold" is exactly the right way to put it. I had the same moment last year when I realized I had done over 300 Canon AE-1 mirror bumper replacements. Those little foam pads just disintegrate on every single one, and I never really thought about it until I added them up. It's wild how many times you can do the same repair before it hits you. Makes you wonder how many more are still out there waiting.

shaneb161mo ago

Do we know for sure those foam bumpers were actually failing or is it possible people just got freaked out by a little light leak that wouldn't affect most shooting? I've seen plenty of AE-1s work fine with degraded foam if you're not shooting direct sun.

fisher.adam1d ago

Hits you right in the gut, doesn't it? I had the same moment with my own work a few years back, it's like you're just going through the motions and then bam, the real weight of all those hours hits you. It's a weird mix of pride and just being stunned at how many broken cameras are out there.