SF Bay Area Leica repair? RF ADJ

[muser53]

I have an M7 that the vertical adjustment has drifted on. Before I box it up and send it to one of the usual suspects I thought I'd ask to see if anyone here knows of someone in the San Francisco Bay Area that can do this adjustment.
Mini rant, I am astounded that the Leica store SF wanted to send the camera to Leica to do this

 

[Doug]

I'm sure that sending the M7 to Leica Germany would result in more services than just "this" while it's there. But I'm also sure that some good camera repair tech local to you should be able to do the same. The M Leicas have been around for a while and are a standard job most good techs can handle easily. My local tech here in rural Central Washington did a fine CLA on my Leica M2... For that matter you might check with RFF's "head bartender" at CameraQuest in Thousand Oaks, not so very far from you!

 

[Nitroplait]

I am astounded that the Leica store SF wanted to send the camera to Leica to do this

Not Leica Germany, right - just NJ or where ever the US importer er is located?

That is fully understandable. They'd have to have quite a bit of equipment and a repair tech on site, to "just" do a rangefinder calibration.

 

[Bingley]

Not quite the Bay Area, but I have had California Precision Services in Sacramento adjust the rangefinder on my Leica ME 240 and clean the sensor a couple of times. Might be worth an inquiry.

 

[muser53]

Not quite the Bay Area, but I have had California Precision Services in Sacramento adjust the rangefinder on my Leica ME 240 and clean the sensor a couple of times. Might be worth an inquiry.

Thank you! I was hoping to avoid putting this in the "mail". I will give them a call.

 

[hap]

some possibilities......Camera West in SF might have a tech or know one that is close to you.

Advanced Camera...Portland. Precision SVCS Sacramento. Call these guys in San Francisco Glass Key Photo

 

[muser53]

Surprisingly Camera West does not have a tech who adjust the vertical alignment. I am gobsmacked that shops that sell these ($$$) cameras are unable to do what is a simple adjustment. I am seriously considering ordering the tool from Zhou and doing it myself as i have done this in the past to my M3 with no issues. I have used Leica cameras all my life and I am not about to stop now but the lack of even the most basic service provided by their dealers is distressing to say the least.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Surprisingly Camera West does not have a tech who adjust the vertical alignment. I am gobsmacked that shops that sell these ($$$) cameras are unable to do what is a simple adjustment. I am seriously considering ordering the tool from Zhou and doing it myself as i have done this in the past to my M3 with no issues. I have used Leica cameras all my life and I am not about to stop now but the lack of even the most basic service provided by their dealers is distressing to say the least.

Camera stores almost never offer services like that. The potential liability if they mess something up far outweighs the money they could make offering it. I remember working in a camera store 15 yrs ago and the owner telling us to NEVER help a customer clean a sensor because the cost of fixing it if the customers tried to claim that we scratched it would bankrupt him (and you can bet that people would bring cameras with already scratched sensors then try to blame the store!).

 

[Beemermark]

Shipping is a PIA but the M7 is getting on in years. I bought mine new in '06 or '07 and one of the bumpers went missing. I thought the camera was working fine but I sent it off to DAG. I couldn't believe the difference. Well worth the $185 and the turn around was quick enough. I'd recommend sending to someone who can do the job right. I picked up a used one with the .58 finder and it went to Leica NJ then Germany and came back like new. I was very happy and for some idiotic reason sold it after awhile. I think giving to the Leica store to send for repair is a good option. If it gets lost or damaged in shipment it's on them.

 

[muser53]

Shipping is a PIA but the M7 is getting on in years. I bought mine new in '06 or '07 and one of the bumpers went missing. I thought the camera was working fine but I sent it off to DAG. I couldn't believe the difference. Well worth the $185 and the turn around was quick enough. I'd recommend sending to someone who can do the job right. I picked up a used one with the .58 finder and it went to Leica NJ then Germany and came back like new. I was very happy and for some idiotic reason sold it after awhile. I think giving to the Leica store to send for repair is a good option. If it gets lost or damaged in shipment it's on them.

I the end I sent it off to Don. As we all know his work is the very best and his turn around is more than reasonable.
FWIW this M7 was one of the last 2 or 3 sold from B&H. Soon after I received it life got in the way and it hasn't seen much
action but that is about to change.