Recommendation for Nikon F3HP CLA?

<p>I have a Nikon F3HP that I think may be shutter capping, if I understand the term correctly. I searched here for CLA recommendations but most are several years old - I don't think Nikon services them any more.</p>

<p>Who's the go-to guy for a Nikon F3 CLA?</p>

<p>Any competent camera service engineer should understand how a focal-plane shutter works and be able to adjust the spring tensions and, if necessary, the release solenoid(s) correctly. The L for lube bit of CLA can be completely ignored, since all shutters should be designed to run "dry".</p>

<p>If you give us your geographical location, then maybe we can recommend someone local to you.</p>

<p>USA guy here, located in the dry, hot, sunny state of Iowa.</p>

<p> I have used Advance Camera Repair, Portland Oregon a couple times. I will use them again next time. Nikon does not sell parts to small business any longer so I do not know if that is a problem. Old film camera's may be just salvage stuff these days anyway but I do not know. You could email Advance camera and tell them what's on your mind. <br>

<a href="http://www.advancecamera.com/">http://www.advancecamera.com/</a></p>

<p>You may try to do it yourself! There are 2 gears at the bottom of the camera when you remove the bottom plate. Turning them would increase the tension. One of them for the first curtain and the other for the second curtain. It's dangerous though. I damaged one of my camera by letting the tension too loose and they jammed. But the second camera I could get the shutter curtain travel time and shutter speed in specs.</p>

<p>Authorized Photo Service (Morton Grove, IL) is an authorized Nikon repair facility near Chicago. They've been around for ages and offer a very high level of expertise/skill. I have done biz w/ APS on several occasions and find them to be A-1 in many respects.</p>

<p>If you are getting darkness on one side of the image (uneven exposure) then it probably is the shutter and probably only needs adjustment.</p>

<p>Sometimes this happens when a camera has been sitting unused for a long time, and just working the shutter for a while at different speeds may cure the problem.</p>

<p>Although I confess that this hasn't happened on my own old Nikon cameras, it is common on some models of Prakticas and Pentaxes. It happens differently depending on whether the shutter moves horizontally or vertically.</p>

<p>+1 for Authorized Photo Service. I've used them on 3-4 occasions and been very pleased with their work as well as their turnaround time.</p>

<p>I have used Essex Camera Service in New Jersey for my Nikon repair and they are excellent and fast. Highly recommended.</p>

<p>BeBu, removing the bottom plate and fiddling with the spring tension is the easy bit. To get the slit width even across the entire frame travel needs an accurate shutter speed tester with a small aperture and the knowledge of which blind to adjust, and in which direction, to correct any errors. There's also the issue of why the shutter's not running right to start with. Is it simply wear, or dirt in the blind channels, or a damaged blind, or.....</p>

<p>If you want to mess about with FP shutters, start with a Pentacon Six. If you can get one of those accurately tuned across all its speeds, you can time anything. And if it's still accurate 5 minutes after you've put it back together, then you're a true repair genius!</p>

<p>BTW, I recently bought an F3HP for the equivalent of around $80 US. It's a bit tatty, but works perfectly. Old film cameras are getting so cheap it's hardly worth repairing them. Just treat them as a throwaway item when they stop working properly.</p>

<p>I do have a Kyoritsu tester. Yeah you do need one.</p>

<p>Vermont Camera Works can certainly fix it. Whether it's worth the expense is another matter, of course, but if you send it to them it's likely to come back properly done.</p>

<p>http://vermontcamera.com</p>

<p>Clarence Gass at Gass Camera in Mission, Kansas has CLA'd several of my F3HP's. Very good work.</p>

<p>Antother vote for Essex Camera. They provide great service.</p>