Does anyone out there work on Canonets these days?

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blackwave

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I've used a guy on the forum for Canonet repair in the past, but he's no longer taking them. I have a really nice Canonet I just picked up, but the film advance isn't locking. I found instructions on the web to repair it, but I'm not brave enough.

Is there anyone out there who works on these now? I don't want a full CLA or anything, just a fix to this known problem. Give me your resources :)

Thanks!
Chris
 
I'm sure Essex Camera in NJ would repair it; they can do pretty much any camera. Whether the cost makes economic sense I'd up to you, of course.
 
I emailed them for an estimate. The quoted price was exactly six times the price I paid for the camera :) I think I can live with it! I did think about selling the camera though, because I have one that has done me well for about six years. Aside from that flaw, it is probably the nicest one I've seen. Hmm..
 
blackwave said:
I emailed them for an estimate. The quoted price was exactly six times the price I paid for the camera :) I think I can live with it! I did think about selling the camera though, because I have one that has done me well for about six years. Aside from that flaw, it is probably the nicest one I've seen. Hmm..
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Well, yes.

I am constantly astonished by those who ask about repairs for cameras which were not top-of-the-line when they were new, and have not improved in the last few decades.

Twenty or thirty years ago, when the cameras were 20 or 30 years newer, and worth a lot more money, and skilled mechanics were more common, I could understand repairs on such things as Canonets. Nowadays, you have to be deeply emotionally attached to consider a repair.

Cheers,

R.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Well, yes.

Twenty or thirty years ago, when the cameras were 20 or 30 years newer, and worth a lot more money, and skilled mechanics were more common, I could understand repairs on such things as Canonets. Nowadays, you have to be deeply emotionally attached to consider a repair.

Cheers,

R.
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Or, you can think, let's see - 20- 30 bucks for an old Canonet. Add 80 bucks for a CLA, you spent under $150 for a great film camera that out performs every damn digital plastic P&S out there. Do you think you can get something comparable to what was called "the poor man's Leica" for that money? Is there a good lens like that out there for that? You spend the money, you get yourself a reliable mechanical camera, with a meter, with a fantastic lens, and it'll probably last 20 - 30 more years. I love the Canonet. And these repairmen deserve to get paid for doing the job, having the expertise, don't they? Just my thoughts on this.

 
Roger Hicks said:
I am constantly astonished by those who ask about repairs for cameras which were not top-of-the-line when they were new, and have not improved in the last few decades.

Twenty or thirty years ago, when the cameras were 20 or 30 years newer, and worth a lot more money, and skilled mechanics were more common, I could understand repairs on such things as Canonets. Nowadays, you have to be deeply emotionally attached to consider a repair.

Cheers,

R.
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I paid to have one of my Canonets repaired. It costs me around 3 times as much as I paid for it, but the way I see it, I could pay for a CLA and know that the camera works great, or I can keep gambling and hope I find one that works ok..
 
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Or -- gather all of your courage and learn to repair these things. Hey, if I can do it, almost anyone can! :) Just take care and pay attention to detail.
 
Roger Hicks said:
...I am constantly astonished by those who ask about repairs for cameras which were not top-of-the-line when they were new, and have not improved in the last few decades.
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Dear Roger,

this is purely hobby and as a hobby it needs no rational justification.

As a hobbyist myself I've spent gazillion US$$ on CLA'ing "not top-of-the-line" old cameras by very old and skilled repairmen and guess what, I feel good about it.

All the best!
 
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There are so few skilled repair people left and in many cases parts must be salvaged from a "parts camera" because new ones aren't available. Consider that a new $150 camera in 1965 would be about a $750 if made today so a several hundred dollar repair starts looking reasonable.
 
My granddaughter likes to work on old cameras, after I remove the condensor if it has a flash, but she has not learned to put them back together.
 
Mark Hama might be another less expensive alternative. He's doesn't just do Yashicas ya know... http://markhama.home.comcast.net/~markhama/index.html

As for sending it out? Absolutely. In the case of these old cameras, they take great pics, are fun to use... They wind up costing not much more with repair/CLA that a run of the mill point-n-shoot digital and will last for decades. Most CLAs/repair return the camera to near original condition.
 
scottgee1 said:
Has anyone dealt with Mark Hama recently? The most recent feedback at photo.net raises concerns.
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My Yashica Mat-124 is "visiting" Mr. Hama right now. I'll drop a line when I get it back or if something out of the ordinary happens between now and then.
 
He's ba-ack!

He's ba-ack!

Interesting that this thread would reactivate today. Just this morning I bought a 124G from someone who bought it from Hama-san in December.

Good to know he's back!

I'll report after I get and test drive it. :D

dogberryjr, may I ask what he did and how much he charged?
 
I had my canonet CLA'ed by this gentleman from Chicago back in 2008. Seemed to be reasonable cost and works fine. I don't know whether he does repairs but you could check.

Taana Photography Inc.
795 Waikiki Drive, Suite 4
Des Plaines, IL 60016
(312) 758-6244
 
I'd definately be interested in repairing my Canonet. Got ripped off as well by a seller and ended up with the shutter being stuck as well. Anyone know of any repair places in Southern CA? Anyone on this forum do repairs?
 
Ducky said:
My granddaughter likes to work on old cameras, ... but she has not learned to put them back together.
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LOL!

When I had the GIII disassembled a few years back (WOW, that was like 5 years ago, just realized!) and I was about to begin putting it back together I recalled a somewhat humorous incident from some years ago ...

It was in HS biology lab. This was back when you dissected frogs as a course requirement. Toward the end of the very tedious lab period everyone had all kinds of various frog parts stuck with pins to the tar trays and labeled and such, and the instructor was making the rounds checking the work.

Anyway, the instructor remarks to the class ...

"Everybody has everything pinned and tagged, right?"

{pause while heads nod and such}

"Because tomorrow, you will have to put them back together!"

:) :)
 
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