Visited a small repair shop in Portland and noticed they charge way too much for cleaning

I stopped by this place called Old Town Camera Repairs last weekend to pick up some parts, and I saw their price list for sensor cleaning. They wanted $85 just to blow some dust off a mirrorless sensor. That seems crazy to me when you can do it yourself with a $15 kit and a little patience. I get that they have overhead and rent is high in that area, but a lot of people don't know how easy it is to do at home. I've been cleaning my own sensors for years with no issues, just watch a couple videos first. Am I the only one who thinks these shop prices are getting out of hand? What do you all charge for a basic sensor clean?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamiesingh1mo ago

OH man, I have a PERFECT story for this. My buddy Luke took his camera to a shop in Seattle last year and they charged him $120 for a "full sensor cleaning package" that supposedly took them an hour. He picked it up and there was STILL a dust spot visible in every shot when he got home. He went back and complained and the guy just shrugged and said "sometimes it takes multiple passes." Luke ended up watching a YouTube video and cleaning it himself in ten minutes for free. The shop basically charged him for nothing. It's a total rip-off, some of these places just bank on people being scared to touch their own gear.

webb.jordan1mo ago

Thats just the way things are now with any kind of service really. Everyone acts like their time and knowledge is worth a premium but half the battle is just figuring out who actually knows what theyre doing versus who watched a youtube video that morning like you would.