rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
Ted,tedwhite said:
Good to know about Alan Turner. And I agree about Eric! I'm expecting a K2 DMD today or tomorrow that he worked on for me. Very communicative and fast. Good price as well.
Rob
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
Let's see....you sent your gear to him about two months before I sent mine so I should expect to get mine back...just about the time I retire? :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: I'd better put thecamera into my will so my neice or nephews will be able to use it.BillFoto said:
Bother.
Well, I do have a DOA Zorki 3m body I bought specifically to re-paint and re-build...guess I'll have to actually get the screw drivers and Maizenberg's book out.
I don't like vodka enough for this kind of nonsense. :bang:
Rob
kiev4a
Well-known
rbiemer said:Let's see....you sent your gear to him about two months before I sent mine so I should expect to get mine back...just about the time I retire? :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: I'd better put thecamera into my will so my neice or nephews will be able to use it.
Bother.
Well, I do have a DOA Zorki 3m body I bought specifically to re-paint and re-build...guess I'll have to actually get the screw drivers and Maizenberg's book out.
I don't like vodka enough for this kind of nonsense. :bang:
Rob
O..L...E...G spells RELIEF. He's done at least a half dozen cameras for me -- none were gone more than two months (most less) and they always work the way they are supposed to work. Even with increased shipping costs to Russia I think he's still the best deal.
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
I finally sent a short note on 18 April to Mr. Mason about my Zorki 3m.
Just "Mr. Mason,
Hope things are going well for you.
Just a short note to ask how my Zorki 3m and lens are coming along?"
Tonight I got back an equally short note:
"It's on the bench Friday.
Regards,
Optical Repair Co."
:bang:
:bang:
Now I am worried about my joking earlier about the tech muttering "he wants his camera, fine. I'll fix his camera., etc" while he's working on my gear will turn to prophecy.:bang:
I must admit I would much rather gotten an email something like:
"Mr. Biemer,
sorry for the delay, got a bit swamped and I will get to your camera/lens as soon as possible."
Oleg for sure, next time I need some work done!
When I decided to use this guy, I wasn't trying to save $--I'm just barely smart enough to realize that you generally get what you pay for when you hire a skill-- Mason's price was some higher than Oleg's, but I was hoping to save time and the shipping back and forth across the Atlantic concerned me some as well.
I'll let folks know how the camera is when I get it back.
Rob
Just "Mr. Mason,
Hope things are going well for you.
Just a short note to ask how my Zorki 3m and lens are coming along?"
Tonight I got back an equally short note:
"It's on the bench Friday.
Regards,
Optical Repair Co."
:bang:
:bang:
Now I am worried about my joking earlier about the tech muttering "he wants his camera, fine. I'll fix his camera., etc" while he's working on my gear will turn to prophecy.:bang:
I must admit I would much rather gotten an email something like:
"Mr. Biemer,
sorry for the delay, got a bit swamped and I will get to your camera/lens as soon as possible."
Oleg for sure, next time I need some work done!
When I decided to use this guy, I wasn't trying to save $--I'm just barely smart enough to realize that you generally get what you pay for when you hire a skill-- Mason's price was some higher than Oleg's, but I was hoping to save time and the shipping back and forth across the Atlantic concerned me some as well.
I'll let folks know how the camera is when I get it back.
Rob
reagan
hey, they're only Zorkis
Unfortunate. I was hoping for the best too. Gee, I hope, "It's on the bench Friday" doesn't mean it's been on the floor til then. [joke]
[joke]mjm6
Established
Cameras finally came back...
Cameras finally came back...
Well I just got a package from Phil Mason with my cameras, and they are all there, but he didn't do any work on one, and another isn't working entirely properly.
The other three seem to be fine, but it's not possible to tell if the shutter is capping at the higher speeds without a film test.
The IIIf RD had a weak secondary image, and he said it needed a new beamsplitter, but that didn't appear to fix the problem, so I'm unsure if he put one in or not. The 1000 speed is also not working on it properly. Otherwise, it looks like it is working fine.
I had sent him a Canon IIb as well, and he sent it back with no work done to it, so I'm unclear what the issue is with that. He also didn't work on the lens with that camera, which needed cleaning and some work to the aperture.
So now I have to try to squeeze blood from a turnip, since everything was prepaid...
I would recommend staying away from him if possible, as at the moment I'm not sure that he is a reliable repairman at all.
---Michael
Cameras finally came back...
Well I just got a package from Phil Mason with my cameras, and they are all there, but he didn't do any work on one, and another isn't working entirely properly.
The other three seem to be fine, but it's not possible to tell if the shutter is capping at the higher speeds without a film test.
The IIIf RD had a weak secondary image, and he said it needed a new beamsplitter, but that didn't appear to fix the problem, so I'm unsure if he put one in or not. The 1000 speed is also not working on it properly. Otherwise, it looks like it is working fine.
I had sent him a Canon IIb as well, and he sent it back with no work done to it, so I'm unclear what the issue is with that. He also didn't work on the lens with that camera, which needed cleaning and some work to the aperture.
So now I have to try to squeeze blood from a turnip, since everything was prepaid...
I would recommend staying away from him if possible, as at the moment I'm not sure that he is a reliable repairman at all.
---Michael
RJBender
RFF Sponsoring Member
mjm6 said:
Michael,
Did you pre-pay through an eBay auction?
R.J.
mjm6
Established
RJ,
No, I had made contact with him just before he started advertising on Ebay. Even if so, it took him so long to finish the work that the complaint process would have long expired, and the same goes for Paypal (45 days for them).
I'll be calling him on Monday to get a refund if I can.
---Michael
No, I had made contact with him just before he started advertising on Ebay. Even if so, it took him so long to finish the work that the complaint process would have long expired, and the same goes for Paypal (45 days for them).
I'll be calling him on Monday to get a refund if I can.
---Michael
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
Still no camera or any word from Mr. Mason. It's been "on his bench" for just under a month now. :bang:
I have decided to send this one to Oleg. I really want a working Z3m again and have spent some time seriously thinking about my skill level (very low) and my experience(non-existant) so haven't touched the camera with any thing but longing.
Any body want to bet which camera I get back first?
Rob
I have decided to send this one to Oleg. I really want a working Z3m again and have spent some time seriously thinking about my skill level (very low) and my experience(non-existant) so haven't touched the camera with any thing but longing.
Any body want to bet which camera I get back first?
Rob
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
Woo Hoo!! Just got this email from Oleg(in regards to the beater Z3m I sent him a couple of weeks ago):
STILL no sign of the Zorki I stupidly sent to Arizona :bang: :bang: :bang:
At least I know I'll have one good Z3m by the end of summer. Since I have reasonable confidence and expectations about the work from Oleg, I think it's time I have some "direct" words with Mr. Mason. Probably I won't be able to quote those words here at RFF
Let you folks know how it goes for amusement's sake...
Rob
STILL no sign of the Zorki I stupidly sent to Arizona :bang: :bang: :bang:
At least I know I'll have one good Z3m by the end of summer. Since I have reasonable confidence and expectations about the work from Oleg, I think it's time I have some "direct" words with Mr. Mason.
Probably I won't be able to quote those words here at RFF Let you folks know how it goes for amusement's sake...
Rob
kmack
do your job, then let go
Darn it Rob, this has been one long strange trip.
If you need some "muscle" I have a very scary brother and sister-in-law in Arizona. They also have some
very scary friends.
Good luck. Thanks for the updates.
If you need some "muscle" I have a very scary brother and sister-in-law in Arizona. They also have some
very scary friends.
Good luck. Thanks for the updates.
ampguy
Veteran
question about service for these fsu cameras
question about service for these fsu cameras
what's the big deal about having them serviced? Aren't these like old leicas? Are leica repair people opposed to fixing cheap clones? Are they afraid of the radiation? I don't get it ?? Why doesn't some knowledgeable repairperson open shop in the US?
10 million immigrants cross the border daily to work at Taco Bell and IHOP, can't 1 FSU person come to work on cameras??
question about service for these fsu cameras
what's the big deal about having them serviced? Aren't these like old leicas? Are leica repair people opposed to fixing cheap clones? Are they afraid of the radiation? I don't get it ?? Why doesn't some knowledgeable repairperson open shop in the US?
10 million immigrants cross the border daily to work at Taco Bell and IHOP, can't 1 FSU person come to work on cameras??
iñaki
Well-known
rbiemer said:Woo Hoo!! Just got this email from Oleg(in regards to the beater Z3m I sent him a couple of weeks ago):
It´s funny I sent my nice Zorki 3m to Oleg in 1-june from Spain, and he emailed me today. Which one will arrive first?
Mister_Hat
Established
I noticed that Fedka is now offering Fed/Zorki repair and service. Price is US$60, an additional 20 if the curtains have to be replaced.
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
Good to know, but I emailed Mr. Mason this morning and just checked my email to find this reply:kmack said:
"Based on the last email it should have been sent out some time ago. When I get back to my shop on Monday I will sort it out and get back to you.
Regards,
Phil"
Which I'm reading as "Oh, crap. I'll ship it out next week"
Don't know but my guesses are :ampguy said:
A) if a Leica service person is willing they will probably charge Leica service prices
B) If an FSU service person did come here to the US, his/her prices would also need to be much more than what Oleg is charging and I suspect spares would be harder to source.
iñaki said:
A freindly wager, perhaps? If you get yours first, I'll have a beer in your honor!(Ought to be a fun night as I'll be hoisting a one or to to Oleg as well when I get mine back!)
Mister_Hat said:
Good to know! I hadn't seen that before. Thanks for the heads up.
Rob
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rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
Man I just love dealing with Oleg! Just today got an email as follows:
And 8 days after he got the package imine is fixed!
Meanwhile back in Arizona, Mr. Mason still hasn't got my camera back to me after, umm, 5 and a half months :bang: :bang:
Lesson learned!
Rob
This camera was the beater I bought thinking I might attempt to fix it up myself, so I know how bad it was. On his web site, Oleg says that some repairs might be as much as( but not more than) $85...I can't quite imagine how bad a camera would have to be to get to that level considering what my Z3m was like
And 8 days after he got the package imine is fixed!
Meanwhile back in Arizona, Mr. Mason still hasn't got my camera back to me after, umm, 5 and a half months :bang: :bang:
Lesson learned!
Rob
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W
wlewisiii
Guest
rbiemer said:
I think this is the real killer - the cost of simply living in the US is so much more obscenely expensive than someone like Oleg is expecting that the price will jump much farther than most care to imagine.
This is one of the reasons I prefer to buy my FSU gear from Fedka.com. Yuri already lives here. Those expenses are built in. Plus he offers a real warranty. When you combine those two factors, then the people doing the older repairs will simply fade away. I expect that Oleg is hoping he can get a good enough "name" before his current biz at home is priced out of reach. Oleg does exquisite work; is it worth what you _will_ pay for it?
William
iñaki
Well-known
rbiemer said:Man I just love dealing with Oleg! Just today got an email as follows:
This camera was the beater I bought thinking I night attempt to fix it up myself, so I know how bad it was. On his web site, Oleg says that some repairs might be as much as but not more than $85...I can't quite imagine how bad a camera would have to be to get to that level considering what my Z3m was like
And8 days after he got the package imine is fixed!
Meanwhile back in Arizona, Mr. Mason still hasn't got my camera back to me after, umm, 5 and a half months :bang: :bang:
Lesson learned!
Rob
It seems that your Zorki 3m will arrive first, I´m still wainting for that mail
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
Not necessarily, the shipping time from the FSU to me is very variable--the range is anywhere from 6 days to three weeks and seemingly not dependant on which particular country the package starts from.iñaki said:It seems that your Zorki 3m will arrive first, I´m still wainting for that mail
I will, however, give very long odds on which Zorki I see first...
Rob
ampguy
Veteran
Well
Well
Those times still beat shipping a camera from canada to calif. :bang:
Want to bet a 4 pack of walgreens film on who gets any camera first??
Well
Those times still beat shipping a camera from canada to calif. :bang:
Want to bet a 4 pack of walgreens film on who gets any camera first??
rbiemer said:Not necessarily, the shipping time from the FSU to me is very variable--the range is anywhere from 6 days to three weeks and seemingly not dependant on which particular country the package starts from.
I will, however, give very long odds on which Zorki I see first...
Rob