Hit 500 shutter replacements on a single camera model and it's got me thinking...

I just logged my 500th shutter replacement on the old Nikon F3HP. That number really hit me. On one hand, it's a point of pride... I know every spring, every curtain track, every tiny quirk of that mechanism by feel now. It's like an old friend. But on the other hand, it makes me wonder if we're just propping up gear that's past its prime. Each repair takes hours, and finding good donor parts is getting harder and pricier. I've had clients spend more on fixes over five years than a used digital body would cost. But then they show me the photos they took with their 'reborn' camera, and the joy is real. Is our job about keeping history alive, or are we sometimes enabling a costly love affair with old tech? Where do you draw the line?

2 comments

2 Comments

jason_chen20d ago

You said it's a costly love affair, but that's the whole point. The value isn't in the price tag, it's in the tool that makes the art. If someone gets that joy from their F3, keeping it running is the real service. Finding parts is our problem to solve, not their burden.

briannguyen20d ago

Wait, but joy doesn't pay for the parts.