MISH
Well-known
Krikor serviced my MX-EVS which had sat unused for 30 years and really brought it back to life
Wow. Can't believe people pay so much for a Rolleiflex CLA. Try Mark Hansen, Paul Ebel or Essex Camera. About $125 with shipping. Camera returned in two weeks working like new.
It will cost $200 here in Vancouver.
Yes I can if you email me. Some of the other users above have mentioned a few. A CLA of most camera bodies should never cost more than about $180 anywhere, and that includes shutter curtains for cameras with cloth focal plane shutters. One key is to find a local repairmen you can work with directly rather than through an intermediary like a camera shop (who often takes a cut). This also saves money on shipping charges and allows one to negotiate the cost and appropriate extent of the work.
Many local repairmen have both extensive factory training from camera repair schools and from most of the existing and some defunct camera companies - not exactly amateurs. I am extremely suspicious of the self-appointed repairmen out there that "specialize" in one type of collectible camera or other. This perpetuates the "only I hold the sceptre of knowledge" attitude (coupled with outrageous prices and waiting lists for work). A narrow skill set actually indicates a lack of training.I really don't agree with this.
I went to one of the cheaper repair shops that were supposedly reputable and they butchered my 2.8F. I ended up having to take it to Fleenor and he showed me how the other guy had screwed everything up. He even found loose and missing screws inside the camera, resulting in a lightleak.
A Rolleiflex is mechanically more complex than most people give it credit for. Just getting the focus 'sled' properly aligned in all axis is not a trivial task and there are plenty of specialized tools that you need from Rollei.
The average price for a full Leica M CLA at one of the reliable shops is between $250-360 dollars these days. But these are service technicians who worked for or were trained by Leica. They have the tools to do the job right, unlike some fly by night guy, who read the repair manual and is going to pour 3-in-1 oil in your camera.
I just send my M7 to Kindermann for service and he actually asked me who had previously worked on the camera, because he had noticed some strange things in there, that he claimed no Leica trained technician would do. Two years ago I was in London and the camera got jammed . I did not have the time to send it to Leica Germany. So, I had a local guy fix it through a Leica dealer. It was relatively cheap, but I guess I got what I payed for...
So, in my experience spending the extra money to get the job done right by a repair shop with a good reputation is more than worth it and in the long run sometimes cheaper.
Many local repairmen have both extensive factory training from camera repairs schools and from most of the existing and some defunct camera companies - not exactly amateurs. I am extremely suspicious of the self-appointed repairmen out there that "specialize" in one type of collectible camera or other. This perpetuates the "only I hold the sceptre of knowledge" attitude (coupled with outrageous prices and waiting lists for work). A narrow skill set actually indicates a lack of training.
...
In any case, a Mamiya C330 was overhauled for the equivalent of 125$: The CLA included
- readjusting film transport,
- replacing the "dark-slide",
- cleaning a total of four (two pairs) of lenses,
- restoring a completely-bent filter ring
- and readjusting both Seiko leaf-shutters (used to hang).
It now works as good as it gets - I wouldn't hesitate to give that guy a Rolleiflex.
...Every plumber will discover some "major" problem that only he, as a trained professional, will see and fix for a certain price.
Ok, what's the USD-equivalent man-hour rate for your plumber in your country?
How many hours would the abouve CLA probably take if done properly?
Cheers,
Uwe