Hot take: Repairing lenses in the field is almost never worth it
Last month I got a call from a buddy who shoots weddings, his 24-70 took a tumble off a tripod at a park in Austin. He wanted me to come to him, fix it on site between ceremonies. I told him no, bring it to the shop. Look, I get the appeal of saving time, but dust and humidity are killers for lens internals. I opened that thing in my clean room and found a hair and what looked like pollen stuck between two elements. If I'd tried that in a parking lot or under a tent, it would have been a disaster. He was pissed for an hour but after I told him I charged $160 for the cleanup instead of $350 for a full replacement he calmed down. Has anyone else had a client push back on bringing gear in?