Dropped a Lens at a Repair Meet in Austin and It Changed My Process

Last month I went to a camera repair meetup at a shop off South Congress, and someone handed me a vintage 50mm f/1.4 that skidded right off my oily fingers. It hit the concrete floor and the focus ring seized up instantly. The guy wasn't mad, but I felt terrible and spent the whole day kicking myself. Has anyone else had a close call like that, and did you switch to wearing mechanic's gloves after?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_rowan15d ago

My own clumsy moment happened about five years ago at a camera swap in Portland. I had this old Pentax 50mm f/1.4 and was showing it to a friend, but my hands were a little greasy from a breakfast burrito I'd just eaten. The lens slipped, bounced off my knee, and the aperture blades jammed halfway open. I spent the next hour trying to fix it with a toothpick and a lot of bad language. I still don't wear gloves, but I do keep a napkin handy now.

carter.hugo14d ago

Gloves just get in the way and kill your feel for the gear. A napkin is a good idea, but I'd rather just clean my hands before touching anything. The real problem is you were eating a burrito while handling a lens. That's just asking for trouble. I've dropped gear before, but it was always because I was rushing or not paying attention, not because my fingers were slippery. A toothpick on aperture blades is crazy too, you probably made it worse. Just send it to a repair guy next time.