Hit lens 2,000 for my repair log and it surprised me

I have been keeping a simple notebook for every camera lens I fix since I started doing this full time three years ago. Yesterday afternoon I was filling out an old Nikon 50mm f1.4 that came in with a sticky aperture and I looked down and saw the number was exactly 2,000. I did not even realize I was that close to hitting 2,000 repairs. It got me thinking about how many of these were simple cleanings versus actual rebuilds with helicoid grease and new screws. I would say maybe 300 of those were the real problem jobs where I had to fix something broken. The rest were just dust and sticky blades from people leaving their gear in a closet for years. Has anyone else ever counted up how many repairs they have done and gotten surprised by the total?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_anthony25d ago

Does it surprise you how many things people just let sit around and collect dust instead of taking five minutes to maintain them? I've noticed the same pattern with cars and lawnmowers, folks will ignore a small issue for years then act shocked when it finally gives out completely. That 1,700 simple cleaning jobs tells me most people just need a little nudge to take better care of their gear.

mark43625d agoMost Upvoted

the_anthony nailed it, but what gets me is how many people probably never even opened that lens manual once.

the_alice25d ago

2,000 repairs in three years? That's absolutely wild, you must never sleep.