Nikon F2 CLA Argentina

Photo by Thomas Millot

Sitting in a Methodist Church in Nottingham England I began looking around and taking stock of my surroundings.  There were massive windows that let in the wonderful UK light that I remember from my time living in London. There were desks put in a circle with a variety of tools laid out.  There were large machines in the front of the room and a small snack for us to eat.  As I looked to the other people in the room I saw men of different ages all gathering to see a Chinese man standing in the front of the class asking him questions.

I would later get to know the Chinese man and his students surrounding him.  You see that man was none other that Mr. Sover Wong.  Anyone who likes old Nikon F2 cameras knows of Sover Wong and his sterling reputation as the absolute best repair man for that particular camera (and no other).

How I ended up sitting in that little room in Nottingham England after traveling more than 7,000 miles, is a story that started back six years ago and evolved in five countries in a most remarkable turn of events and a story worth sharing.  You see, I first learned of Sover when I began looking to buy a Nikon F2.  The concept of an all mechanical camera scared me as these things are old, most being produced in the 1970's and most have not been properly serviced in a couple of decades if at all.  How could I buy an old mechanical tool and ensure it is in working condition for years to come?  

My answer was a proper CLA, so I began looking for someone who could do that.  Every forum I looked at gave me the same answer, the best of the best was Sover Wong.  So I decided to purchase a properly functioning Nikon F2 and send it to him for a CLA.  He is not cheap, not by a long shot, but I wanted the camera to be in PERFECT order.  So off to Ebay I went, found my Nikon F2 made in 1975-76.  

The camera arrived in working order and I began using it.  It is all manual, which forces me to think of the image I want before setting up the camera to take the image.  It is ergonomically well thought out and once you get used to the shutter speed dial's location, is a joy to use.

At the time, I was living in Perth Australia and I began looking to ship my Nikon F2 to Sover.  The cost of the shipping was a bit steep and I had to recover from the purchase of the Nikon F2 and it was working well.  A couple of years later I was transferred to London and the very first thing that went through my mind was my Nikon F2.  As soon as I arrived, hand carrying my F2, I went straight to the post and shipped my camera off to Sover for his "Standard Service".  

A few weeks later, the Nikon F2 was ready and shipped back to me.  It came with a Japanese Yen coin (to safely remove the battery compartment), new batteries, rubber strap protectors, a calibration sheet showing all shutter speeds now within ¼ stop tolerance and a CD.  The CD had various Nikon F2 manuals, some pictures of the camera being worked on.  But most importantly I received my Nikon F2 with the same outside character (the paint fading in all the right spots) but working as smoothly as the day it was made.

This Nikon F2 became my favorite shooter and I had become another Sover enthusiast.  I was then transferred to Jakarta Indonesia and kicked myself for not purchasing another Nikon F2 and having Sover maintain it.  I could always ship one, but the used camera market in Jakarta (due to the humidity) is a challenging one to navigate.  But while there, I found a nice Nikon F2AS on Ebay and on impulse bought it.  I had to wait a year before a trip to the US let me pick it up from my mother's house.  

The plan was to have it serviced by Sover as well, but upon my return to Jakarta I found out that Sover holds classes on how to do a CLA on a Nikon F2!!! I was thrilled and immediately emailed him asking to be signed up for the class.  I had some vacation time saved up and was going to London for work occasionally making it possible to align it with a work trip.

The problem was yet another transfer, this time to Buenos Aires Argentina.  With all the hassle of the move I put the course out of mind until Sover emailed me.  I decided to double down and make this trip happen.  To appease the wife, I suggested that we leave the kids with my father (they had school) and I would take her to visit some friends in Paris and then I would travel to Nottingham for the class.  With her on board off we went!

As expected, Sover knows more about the Nikon F2 than anyone of us will ever know.  He has a very keen eyesight and can immediately spot the slightest hint of a problem, even though the camera seems to be operating well.  He was very forthright with us and explained that he would teach us all he knew about a standard CLA and how to overcome the most common issues.  There are couple of things he will not teach as they have been learned through years of study and are not something that commonly needs to be used for a standard CLA.  I was surprised he was so open and honest about everything he does know.

Over the two day class, Sover walked us through every step of disassembly, proper cleaning areas, where to lubricate (what type, amount and method), various potential problem areas and finally some common things to fix.  He demonstrated proper re-foaming techniques and the various issues with foam and what to look out for.  

Throughout the class, the one thing that kept coming up is "not to my standard".  He has very high standards and would not allow us to take any shortcuts.  He is methodical and highly critical of sloppy work.  He wants each camera to leave the class as if he himself did the CLA.  

Another key component of the class was the need to have special tools.  No these are not available on Ebay and he does not sell them either as they take too long to make.  But he is generous with the plans needed to make them.  I took these home and made myself a set of these tools which took me the better part of an entire day to do.  

One question I get asked, and wondered myself before attending the class, was why would Sover teach other people his livelihood?  He does not keep things from you (aside from the two trade secrets he mentions at the start fo the class), he does not make the explanation more confusing, he honestly and clearly teaches you what you need to know.  So what is stopping someone from becoming his next competition?

Simple answer is that what Sover knows CANNOT be taught in a two day school.  He teaches the basics, enough to give you the knowhow and confidence to open up your camera and do your own CLA.  What cannot be taught in such a short period of time, is what to do to solve all he problems encountered.  Something stops working, why and what to do to solve it.  Something is working but not exactly right, what are the potential implications on the shot and how to fix it.  It would take months of study, working closely with him to learn all these things.  

So why take the class?  Well I can tell you why I took it.  I wanted to learn more about a camera I like and this seemed an interesting way to do it.  I walked away with a new skill set, more confidence and a better respect for a CLA done right.  

When I see people offering a USD 50 CLA, I know this cannot be done.  I know that even with Sover's skills and experience it is a solid day worth of work to do it properly.  I know the shortcuts these "repairmen" take and the implications of them. I also know the amount of dedication needed to become a good "repairman" and respect this craftsmanship even more.  

In short, the course taught me what it takes to be considered an expert.  It showed me how much I do not know and yet what I can do with the right kind of tools and a bit of time. I cannot fix a Nikon F2, I cannot diagnose its issues and I cannot modify it but I can take a 40 year old working camera and get it operating like it was new.  A proper Clean, Lubricate and Adjust.  Not bad for a two day class!!!

To reinforce what I learned I purchased another Nikon F2 (my third) and did a full CLA on my own.  It took me two days to do but is now working smooth as butter.  As I sat back with a glass of red wine looking at my work, I could not help but smile as I believe even Sover would consider it "up to his standard".