Genuine parts vs generic: which way do you go on older cameras?

I had a Nikon FM2 come in last week with a broken shutter curtain. Genuine replacement was $85 and a week wait, generic was $20 and in stock. I went generic and the curtain hangs a half millimeter off, needs readjustment. Has anyone else had better luck with one or the other?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverreed1mo ago

@caleb_thomas93 my buddy went generic on a Minolta and the part snapped after three months.

caleb_thomas931mo ago

Oh man, been there. My FM2 shutter fix turned into a three hour project because I thought I'd save ten bucks. Ended up having to shim the replacement part with a piece of a soda can. Looked ridiculous but worked somehow. Generic parts are fine if you're okay with playing amateur machinist for a few hours. But honestly the peace of mind from genuine parts is worth it unless you're broke like me and eating ramen that week.