Kim Coxon
Moderator
A long story but I will try to give the short version.
Last spring I bought what was supposed to be a good "user" late SS M3 from an eBay seller in the US. Overall described as *GORGEOUS* and the detail said "Shows some typical abrasions on the base plate and top plate and paint wear around the edges of the back flap; also shows a depression around the film rewind knob. Operationally, it is in tip-top condition. Vulcanite is excellent. Shutter speeds are accurate; self-timer works perfect. Viewfinder is clean and clear." It duly arrived and as expected it came with a fairly hefty import bill but still more reasonable than the offerings in the UK. Well it should have been, the cosmetic description was accurate but as to being in "tip top" condition - 🙁 The frame selector was jammed, most of the shutter speeds were way out and on the slow speeds, the shutter didn't even open properly. There were a number of other faults as well. I contacted the seller who assured me that the camera had been checked by a qualified tech and was perfect. I sent it to Peter at CRR who confirmed the faults visually but did no more on my instruction due to the Paypal/eBay dispute process. This found in my favour but all I got from the seller was threats and abuse.
Having gone as far as I could, I then asked Peter to service the camera and paint it. The process is listed on his site. He stripped the camera and prepared it for painting. He no longer does the painting himself due to health but carries out all the mechanical work. The delays then began. His painter was in hospital for some time and the firm who does the painting kept delaying and so on. Having got the bits back, Peter has given the camera a full service and put it all back together. He also found out why he thought there were some problems, it seems as though the camera had been immersed in water!😱
OK, it has been a longish wait but boy has it been worth it. Some may say that Peter is responsible for the work he sent out but I am quite happy that nearly all of the delay was beyond his control. He has been in contact throughout and in the meantime has completed 3 other repair jobs for me each time within a week and didn't charge me for them (I suspect as a result of the delay). The quality of his work is magnificent. The body looks as new. All the blemishs and dent have been removed and bearing in mind the state of the camera I sent to him, the mechanics are just out of this world. The paint job is flawless. I haven't seen a Shintaro repaint but I cannot see how it could be better than this especially when combined with a full mechanical overhaul.
This isn't just a repaint and service, it is a work of art from a craftsman. 😀 The pictures don't do it justice and I will take some more when I have some spare time. To answer Melanie's question from another thread, I don't know how the paint will last but it has been done to a mil spec and I don't think you could get better without coating the camera. Now all I desperately need is one of Luigi's special cases that has the strap fixed to the case to protect the lugs etc.
Sorry for the long post but I am so very happy with it and I cannot praise Peter enough. He does have a waiting list for major jobs and with his quality of work at the price he charges, it is not surprising and well worth the wait. I know Peter can be difficult to contact by email but He is a very pleasant man to deal with and I have always managed to get through to him on the phone. His website with phone number is here. http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/ If any member wants to contact him from outside the UK, I am happy to act as go-between.
Kim
Last spring I bought what was supposed to be a good "user" late SS M3 from an eBay seller in the US. Overall described as *GORGEOUS* and the detail said "Shows some typical abrasions on the base plate and top plate and paint wear around the edges of the back flap; also shows a depression around the film rewind knob. Operationally, it is in tip-top condition. Vulcanite is excellent. Shutter speeds are accurate; self-timer works perfect. Viewfinder is clean and clear." It duly arrived and as expected it came with a fairly hefty import bill but still more reasonable than the offerings in the UK. Well it should have been, the cosmetic description was accurate but as to being in "tip top" condition - 🙁 The frame selector was jammed, most of the shutter speeds were way out and on the slow speeds, the shutter didn't even open properly. There were a number of other faults as well. I contacted the seller who assured me that the camera had been checked by a qualified tech and was perfect. I sent it to Peter at CRR who confirmed the faults visually but did no more on my instruction due to the Paypal/eBay dispute process. This found in my favour but all I got from the seller was threats and abuse.
Having gone as far as I could, I then asked Peter to service the camera and paint it. The process is listed on his site. He stripped the camera and prepared it for painting. He no longer does the painting himself due to health but carries out all the mechanical work. The delays then began. His painter was in hospital for some time and the firm who does the painting kept delaying and so on. Having got the bits back, Peter has given the camera a full service and put it all back together. He also found out why he thought there were some problems, it seems as though the camera had been immersed in water!😱
OK, it has been a longish wait but boy has it been worth it. Some may say that Peter is responsible for the work he sent out but I am quite happy that nearly all of the delay was beyond his control. He has been in contact throughout and in the meantime has completed 3 other repair jobs for me each time within a week and didn't charge me for them (I suspect as a result of the delay). The quality of his work is magnificent. The body looks as new. All the blemishs and dent have been removed and bearing in mind the state of the camera I sent to him, the mechanics are just out of this world. The paint job is flawless. I haven't seen a Shintaro repaint but I cannot see how it could be better than this especially when combined with a full mechanical overhaul.
This isn't just a repaint and service, it is a work of art from a craftsman. 😀 The pictures don't do it justice and I will take some more when I have some spare time. To answer Melanie's question from another thread, I don't know how the paint will last but it has been done to a mil spec and I don't think you could get better without coating the camera. Now all I desperately need is one of Luigi's special cases that has the strap fixed to the case to protect the lugs etc.
Sorry for the long post but I am so very happy with it and I cannot praise Peter enough. He does have a waiting list for major jobs and with his quality of work at the price he charges, it is not surprising and well worth the wait. I know Peter can be difficult to contact by email but He is a very pleasant man to deal with and I have always managed to get through to him on the phone. His website with phone number is here. http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/ If any member wants to contact him from outside the UK, I am happy to act as go-between.
Kim
