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Just read a repair manual from 1978 that blew my mind
I was digging through a box of old books at a flea market in Akron and found a Nikon F2 service guide. On page 23, it says the factory expected a trained tech to fully disassemble and clean the mirror box assembly in under 12 minutes. That's the whole sequence, from removing the prism to cleaning the cushion and resetting the timing. I've been doing this for fifteen years and my best time on a good day is maybe 20 minutes if nothing is stuck. It makes you wonder if they had different tools or just expected people to move at a crazy pace back then. Has anyone else come across old time standards that seem totally wild now?
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tara_palmer2mo ago
Twelve minutes for that whole process is absolutely insane.
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spencer_ellis3mo ago
Was that 12 minute time for a full clean and lube, or just a basic dust removal? The manual might have been describing a stripped-down routine for cameras that were in for regular service, not a full fix for a really gummed-up unit.
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