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I was stuck choosing between a $20 generic shutter blade or a $90 original for a Pentax K1000 repair.
I went with the original part from a donor body and the camera's been running perfectly for a client for over six months now, so what's your go-to move when a part is discontinued but the generic feels like a gamble?
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adam1861mo ago
Yeah, that "gamble" feeling is real. I read a camera repair blog that said generic blades can be thinner metal, so they might not have the right spring tension. That could mess with your shutter speeds over time, even if it seems okay at first.
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white.keith1mo ago
That point about spring tension is something I hadn't considered. Does that blog mention if the thinner blades wear out the shutter mechanism faster, or is the speed inconsistency the main worry?
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pat_harris5d ago
3 years running a repair shop. Saw a guy bring in a Nikon F3 with a shutter that was dragging at 1/60. He'd put in a "new" generic shutter curtain someone sold him online. The blade material was visibly thinner, like seriously half the thickness. That spring tension thing is real, I've watched a high-speed video of a generic blade set fail to close completely at 1/1000. Just fluttered.
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