“Clean, Lubricate, Adjust” Should Actually Mean Something
Written By: Jim Sollows
Date: October 17 2025
In the world of vintage cameras, three little letters, C-L-A, get tossed around more than a film canister at a camera swap. “Clean, Lubricate, Adjust” refers to a full mechanical and optical service meant to bring a camera back to near factory-spec performance. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the term has started to lose its meaning and become a marketing buzzword.
Scroll through any online marketplace and you’ll see it everywhere: “Recently CLA’d!” or “Just CLA’d and ready to shoot!” But more often than not, that so-called CLA is little more than a wiped-down exterior and a few shutter clicks to show it still makes noise. That is not a real CLA, and the kind of work that actually counts is not cheap, so you will not find it on bargain-bin cameras.
Not long ago, I opened a camera belonging to one of my students. He had purchased it after being told it was “recently CLA’d,”. He contacted me because he was having trouble with a rough film advance. The exterior looked clean, but once I removed the top plate, I found dust, grime, and even a spider web. It was very clear evidence that the camera had not been opened in decades, if ever.
A true CLA is a meticulous process. It means fully disassembling the camera to clean away old, hardened lubricants and applying the correct modern equivalents in just the right places and nowhere else. It also involves calibrating shutter speeds, replacing light seals, aligning rangefinders, and ensuring every moving part behaves the way the original engineers intended. It’s not a five-minute job; it’s a skilled task that takes experience, knowledge, and often specialized tools.
When sending a camera or lens for a CLA, it’s essential to choose a reputable professional who specializes in vintage cameras. The best technicians document their work, sometimes providing test data, photos of the process, or calibration notes. Just as importantly, they stand behind their work, offering a warranty or follow-up support if something isn’t quite right. This all comes at a price, a CLA is an investment, giving new life to your vintage gear.
People often ask me to do a CLA on their camera. I can handle some basic service work, but I don’t have the skills needed for a full CLA. Many of my own cameras have been professionally serviced by my go-to technician, Gary at LensMedic YYC in Calgary. Gary has the skills, tools, and experience to do it right, and he’s never let me down. He recently CLA’d a very rare Kalimar Six Sixty medium-format camera. Even Gary admitted he had never seen one in person, yet his work was impeccable.
One of my most prized cameras, a 75-year-old Leica IIIF, recently went for a CLA. When it came back, it included a list of work that filled more than three pages. Every gear, spring, and screw had been inspected, cleaned, and adjusted. The shutter curtains were replaced, and all components that were out of spec were either restored to factory standards or replaced entirely. Because of the extent of the work and the need for camera-specific parts, I chose to have it serviced directly through Leica. The result was remarkable. The camera now looks and performs exactly as it did when it left the factory 75 years ago. Holding it, winding it, seeing the crisp clear viewfinder and rangefinder plus hearing that shutter snap feels like stepping back in time.
When a camera truly receives a proper CLA, it shows. The shutter feels crisp, the advance is smooth, and the meter (if it has one) is accurate. Everything works as it should, often better than it has in decades.
The next time you see someone proudly claim their camera has been CLA’d, take it with a grain of salt unless there’s proof. In the world of vintage mechanical cameras, a true CLA isn’t just a marketing phrase. It is a way to roll back the clock, restoring a fine camera’s performance, preserving its craftsmanship, and keeping it shooting beautifully for decades to come.