$180 to CLA a Nikon F-4?

[james_ogara1]

I toook my F-4s to Strauss Photo Repair in Washington, D.C. where they

get $180 for a full CLA. I asked what that included and got a verbal

list of things like shutter adjustment, metering calibration etc.

 

Does $180 sound like the right ballpark re price? Last time I had

this done I think I paid less than $100, but that guy retired.

[lex_jenkins]

CLAs usually run $100-$200 depending on the camera and tech. It varies according to how difficult it is to get to critical components. I'd want to know specifically which parts or repairs, if any, will be included at this price if they need to be replaced or fixed.

 

For example, John Hermanson of Camtech will include a battery modification with the CLA of an OM-1 so that it can meter properly with silver oxide batteries instead of mercury cells.

[gary_watson]

Is something in particular ailing your F4, James? If not, then I'd skip the "maintenance" impulse and keep shooting. Maybe it's just innate skepticism, but I find the whole CLA thing thing to be a bit of a co-dependency: dutiful owners who think they're doing their cameras a favor and less-than-honest techs who encourage the often baseless the "oil change" analogy for a quick $.

[tomweis]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. No, $180 is not too high, but I am used to having NPS fix

my F4s's so maybe it's more expensive anyway. Keep shootin'.

[ShunCheung]

In the late 1990's, shortly after I had bought an F5 which became my main SLR, I sent my older F4 to Nikon in Long Island, New York for a CLA. That was about 7 years ago and they charged me around $250. Since then, I rarely used my F4 and 2, 3 years after that CLA, it somehow developed electronic problems and it doesn't always switch on in these days. Since I don't shoot 35mm film any more, I can care less and my F4 is primarily a papwerweight in these days.

 

I wish I never spent that $250.

 

BTW, at my local pro store, they have a bunch of very beaten up (but 100% functional) used F4 and they are asking $150 for each. I was surprised that used F4's are so cheap.

[rick_helmke]

Shun who is it that is selling F4 beaters for $150? I wouldn't mind keeping something like that in my car all the time. E-mail me if you don't want to put it here on the forum. Thanks.

 

Rick H.

[ShunCheung]

My local pro store is <A HREF="http://www.kandsphoto.com/">Keeble and Shuchat</A> in Palo Alto, California in the San Francisco area. I know they do mail order also. I saw those F4s's at their used department about a month or two ago. The price tag was higher but the salesperson offered them to another customer for either $175 or $150. I don't remember the exact price but they sure looked very beaten up. At that time they seemed to have several of them around and perhaps that was why they were willing to discount in order to move them.

<P>

I suppose it doesn't hurt to give them a call.

[ebogaerts]

$180 sounds about right. Authorized Photo in Illinois quoted me $179 for a CLA, and that price included the replacement of *minor* parts.

[melvin_bramley]

Here in Canada it cost me $180 CDN to have a F2S CLA'd including new foam. My old F cost me $180 CDN for a CLA. A few years ago I had the shutter replaced on my FE for $180 CDN. FWIW I had my Mamiya C330S CLA'd for; you guessed it $180 CDN.It seems to be a universal price. Does it cost 180 pounds in the UK? As for your F4 if it aint broke;don't fix it.

[david_f._stein]

I'd ask Pete Smith Nikon / Fotocamera Repair in Lake Worth, Florida what they charge for an F-4 CLA, what's included and when to have one done. The price sounds what a major repairer like Strauss would charge. Several years ago I had an FM serviced by Pete Smith Nikon. They fixed the meter, cleared the prism of debris and fixed the back latch for $125-I thought it a good value. They also do AI-ing of older lenses.

[constance_cook]

There is a big difference between a cla on an FM and on an F4s.

 

Three years ago I had my F5 cla7d at the Morton Grove store and it was $185. They called and told me the shutter was seriously out of time and did I want it fixws ainxe I had told them to only do the cla. I had the shutter timing repaired -- still $185. In addition, I had a thumb-sized dent in the DP30 finder. They tool out the dent and the only way you can find it is by moving it around until the light happens to hit the spot. They cleaned the outside and the camera looked llike new.

 

I knew my pics weren't right (the shutter problem) but I'm always ready to believe it's my fault and so didn't think that there might be a problem. I got the camera in 1996 and it's got gosh-awful miles on it so I figured it was time for a cla. The pics really improved when I got it back.

 

Conni

[dave_bernard]

I wonder what they do for $180 on something with the electronics of an F4. In the old mechanical days there were things such as shutter timings, or meter coupling linkages... Things like dents and repairs it seems would be over and above a CLA.

 

Could it be like bringing in a modern car for a $90 tune up these days-- no carb to adjust, no timing to adjust, no points to replace, 100,000 miles spark plugs, so much else computerized.... exactly what do they do for the $90???

[kelly_flanigan1]

Th list price of a Nikon F body with standard prism was 230 bucks in 1970. I bought one new in 1964 for about 180. An older used F body I got before that was about 120 bucks with a standard prism. The 5.8cm F1.4 I got in the early 1960's was darn expensive too; in those old dollars. It is abit weird how a CLA would cost more than what I paid for each item. What is the reason for the CLA? I have never had one on a Nikon F or F2 yet; but then the bodies get used and are not collected.

[kelly_flanigan1]

Part of a CLA can be just verifying the proper operation of a camera; seeing if the speeds are close to spec. Many "repair" places dont even pop the hood if all is in order. It is considered bad practice to open up a unit that all works well and within certain specs. In military optics and devices; often there are several specs. There is often a mid range tolerance where one doesnt mess with the adjustments. There is a wider spec level were one MUST attempt an adjustment. Not all adjustments are clean and easy and can be set to the nominal perfect setting.