Don at DAG camera >>>2019

C

chaospress

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Has anyone been in touch with Don at DAG camera within the past week or two?

He received my M7 Nov 27 for a possible shutter issue he said he thought would probably be minor. I emailed him several days ago to ask if he had an idea when it would be done. Emailed him again yesterday still no reply…. He's usually very good at responding within a day.

His work is top notch, no question. Just wondering if anyone has been in contact with him lately.

Thanks
 
Hard to say why he replies sometimes and other's doesn't. I sent him my Leica CL to have the meter fixed and adjusted for modern battery. He replied to my couple of emails I sent.
 
Jim, I'll give it a couple days more and then call him. Actually didn't know his phone number was posted anywhere but I see now it's on his DAG camera parts website.
 
Don is very busy all the time. Currently he has 6 of my lenses to work on. He replied to most of my emails during the past one month.
 
I had a CL overhaul and meter fix with him last year . it took a *lot* longer than planned and his communications were erratic, but I got back a fully functional, basically as new camera. My impression is he's a straightshooter, maybe old school when it comes to emails, but it's worth taking the long view, letting him do his thing at his pace and enjoying the results.
 
Re: the CL. He told me he's been repairing them since 1975 and they always needed the meter, RF, and shutter adjusted. Mine shoots fine but I'd like to have the meter fixed to use modern batteries for those times I'm not shooting sunny 16.
 
lots of threads like these over the years if you do a search.

no worries, DAG is the best, and since this is well-known, he has a never ending pile of repairs in front of him.
 
presspass said:
Maybe he has time to work on cameras and lenses or answer emails.
Click to expand...

I've used Don for decades. Some times he will not respond - I assume he is very busy. Other times (rare) we'll shoot the breeze for quite awhile. i assume he doesn't have much work or he just needs a break. if you have a full time job (I used to) you can spend all day answering emails or ignore 95% of them and get something useful done. When you send an email asking when or camera will be done what is he going to answer? "I don't know", "soon", "maybe in 6 months'. He'll probably just ignore it unless you trying to communicate something really important.
see http://peopleprocessandprofit.com/2010/05/28/how-to-write-emails-so-people-stop-ignoring-you/
 
Sover Wong (F2s only) seems to be the complete opposite. He tells you exactly when to ship it, so gear does not pile up too much on his end. And when "your" slot is up, he is incredibly transparent in what he does. I guess I need another F2 serviced some time :)
 
Sover is amazing, with full documentation and photos. Although he only works on one model, DAG works on a much larger variety. He's also old-school, he's been at this for what, over 40 years? :) Well before email and the internet.
 
There is definitely a sure thing successful name your price career opportunity available for any young person who wanted to do Leica repairs, if they were good at it. It’s the getting good at it which will take years, which most people are not willing to put in, and the few who are currently good at it are so busy it makes no sense from their standpoint to train someone.

Bob Watkins at Precision has an apprentice he’s trying to train to do Linhof repairs, but that’s unusual, and I don’t know how he has structured it.

As a client, I think Sover’s model is ideal. I had to wait in line for 8 months, but when I got to the front of the line it was as efficient and timely as anyone could ask for and there were no surprises, and no one has ever asked “where’s Sover?” on an Internet forum as far as I’ve ever seen. Everybody else, you send it in and tend to wait in the netherworld for an indeterminate time, more or less in the dark. And keeping them on the phone or typing email responses just slows it down for everyone. If they are typing or talking, they are not working.
DAG does great work, but he’s overworked and he doesn’t do it in the order it came in. When you are doing piecework, and are overbooked, with cases piled up all over your work area, it is easy for things to get out of control, especially when there is no actual appointment book with due dates in it. I’m sure he does his best, but some of this is too much for one person to handle if you just let everybody send things in whenever they feel like it.
 
I agree Larry C. Don G has done impeccable work for me & remains my number one choice. I always phone and then send an email followup. Also, the December/January period is in general an incredibly busy time....so I try to avoid it whenever I can.....for anything....purchases, repairs.
 
Yes, I know I know I know.

I love Don's work and that's why he's got my camera now. I never send anything to him without communicating with him first, and one time last year he did tell me he was too busy to take on something. This time he told me to send it.

I expect as well that he's busy and we're just past the holiday as well. I don't see anything wrong though with asking if anyone had been in contact with him, so thanks Kevin for letting me know you've been in contact with him.

I do wonder what his procedure would be for getting equipment back to people if something happened to him- heaven forbid. I assume he has some kind of assistance- a wife or other family member, or secretary or something.

I finally got around to calling today and the line is busy, so I'll just wait it out for now.
 
Re Sover:

Haven't had him do any work for me but yes, he was great communicating with me quite a few times when I was looking into getting an F2, a camera I've had a few years now and only occasionally use but will keep forever.
 
Spoke with Don about a week and a half ago...

He seemed upbeat, happy to hear from me, since we had not spoken in sometime.
 
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