CLA (Clean, Lubricate, Adjust)

It’s just a fancy way of saying ‘the standard maintenance of your camera.’

This generally involves (but is not limited to):

• Disassembly and deep cleaning of internal and external camera components

• Lubricant renewal

• Adjustment of loose or misaligned components

• Assessment and calibration of shutter speeds and aperture

• Dust/fungus removal from optics (lens, viewfinder, mirror etc.)

• Light seal replacement as standard

A repair would be classed as any issue that falls outside of the normal wear and tear that could be addressed by a routine CLA and /or instances where the camera is in a state of significant degradation and replacement parts are required.

Examples:

• Corrosion removal

• Replacement of mechanical or electrical components (e.g. battery compartment doors, Olympus Trip 35 selenium light meter replacement, etc.)

We provide a comprehensive repair service for all popular film camera formats:

• Compacts

• SLRs

• Rangefinders

• Viewfinders

• Polaroids

• Medium Format

LENS CLEANING & CALIBRATION:

• Dust removal*

• Fungus removal**

• Aperture cleaning and calibration

*In the absence of the controlled, sterile environment in which most lenses are created, please be aware that it is impossible to completely remove every trace of dust from the optics of a lens. However, in most cases, we are able to significantly reduce the presence of dust particles.

**In most cases fungus is removable; however, depending on the age and spread of fungus, there may be scarring on the coating of the optics. If scarring is present then it is likely to be permanent and not repairable.

Our quote process is as follows:

• After submitting your enquiry we’ll be in touch to let you know if our initial assessment is that your camera requires a standard CLA or a more extensive repair

• On agreement you can either send your camera to us or drop it off at our workshop for a full appraisal.

• We charge an appraisal fee of £15 in order to fully assess your camera and determine the level of work that needs to be done.

• Once you’ve agreed to our repair quote, we’ll get to work right away! 🙂

Note: We have built this service to be as economically priced and as accessible as possible. As such, we have spent the last year proactively building a comprehensive inventory of donor camera parts in preparation for this launch.

We have also recently invested in a 3D printer which will allow us to manufacture certain parts on-site. This will help to reduce the time involved in sourcing increasingly scarce (and costly!) vintage camera parts, whilst ensuring we still have access to the components necessary for keeping these beautiful little machines in circulation 👌

• Current wait times are approximately 10 Business days from receipt of the camera.

• Some cameras can take longer as we may need to produce* or source the parts required to complete repairs.

* We have the facility to 3D print a variety of parts on site. This may add additional time to any work estimates.