F1N Repair

[gm13]

Anyone know of a good repair person for a Canon F1N?
The shutter seems to be jammed. It was working fine, speeds were right on then it jammed , no warnings just won't fire.

Thanks for any info.

 

[Paulbe]

Hello gm13
Re your Canon F1N--
I've had great luck with Mr Ken Oikawa.
He is factory trained and really cannot be beat.
Very reasonable and fast.
He is a little hard for me to understand on the fone...and you may have to leave a message for him to call back.
Ken Oikawa
28288 West Worschester Rd
Sun City CA 92586
951 246 9136
Godd luck--the F1N is a super camera!!
Paul

 

[t.s.k.]

Ken is the only one in the world who likely has all 10,000 parts for the old F1 (only slightly exaggerating) and knows where each part goes by memory. 😀
The F1N should be a breeze.

 

[gm13]

Thanks Paul, I'll give him a ring.
And yes, It is a super camera.
I have the 1VHS as well but when I go for an slr
it's the F1 I usually grab.

 

[gm13]

Ken is the only one in the world who likely has all 10,000 parts for the old F1 (only slightly exaggerating) and knows where each part goes by memory. 😀
The F1N should be a breeze.

Tony
Did you mean KEH, I don't know of a Ken. I did think Of checking with KEH though. I've seen a member here who goes by KEH, are they related?

 

[Mackinaw]

Ken Oikawa is a retired Canon technician who still does repairs in his spare time. He specializes in the older Canon gear (rangefinders and FL/FD SLRs') but may work on the F1N too. He rebuilt an original F-1 for me several years back and did an outstanding job. No relation to KEH as far as I know.

Jim B.

 

[gm13]

Ken Oikawa is a retired Canon technician who still does repairs in his spare time. He specializes in the older Canon gear (rangefinders and FL/FD SLRs') but may work on the F1N too. He rebuilt an original F-1 for me several years back and did an outstanding job. No relation to KEH as far as I know.

Jim B.

Right, that Ken.

Thanks guys

 

[Paulbe]

Double N--
Yes--Ken does lens, also.
Very reasonable---really excellent!
Give him a try...
Paul

 

[BSchall]

Also take a look at Abilene Camera Repair, http://abilenecamera.com/ A friend just had his F1 completely overhaul by them. They basically took it apart and put it back together. the most complete service I've ever heard of.

 

[kermaier]

Essex Camera in NJ has serviced my F-1Ns and lenses - they're great with all sorts of vintage SLR equipment.
Ari

 

[gm13]

I sent it out to Ken last Friday, was going to call today to see if he received it but it was in my mailbox. Maine to California and repaired in a week. The action is buttery smooth now. Ken adjusted the mirror, shutter speed,winding and exposure and replaced cushion and light shield. Also touched up some brassing w/ enamel and cleaned the exterior. Can't beat that turn around time. Highly recommended. Thanks for the referral.

 

[irq506]

What is Ken Oikawa's phone number? is it still 626-852-9393?

 

[loquax ludens]

Also take a look at Abilene Camera Repair, http://abilenecamera.com/ A friend just had his F1 completely overhaul by them. They basically took it apart and put it back together. the most complete service I've ever heard of.

I realize that this thread is a year old, but I just want to report for the benefit of anyone else who might read it, that I emailed ACR today and Star Kori responded saying that they do not service F-1 cameras.

I have left a message for Ken Oikawa. I have his number as (951) 246-9136 from another forum.

 

[berlincontemporary]

no warnings just won't fire.

Thanks for any info.

May also be just a dead battery. The F1N has a fallback mechanical shutter (1/60th ?) but it wont fire when there is a battery in the chamber.

 

[jmcd]

irq506: What is Ken Oikawa's phone number? is it still 626-852-9393?

Ken's number is definitely 951.246.9136.

 

[kermaier]

I can highly recommend Essex Camera Repair in NJ for Canon F-1N service.
::Ari

 

[daninjc]

+1 for Essex Camera, NJ

 

[jmcd]

It sure is nice to have some highly recommended repair services for these classics.

 

[loquax ludens]

I got a call back from Ken Oikawa today. I'm shipping my new F1 to him tomorrow.

 

[loquax ludens]

I see that I forgot to update this thread. I want to rectify that since Ken did such a great job for me.

Ken Oikawa is fast and his services are reasonably priced. He will tell you if your camera has a problem that he can't fix (meaning, that the cost of fixing the camera would be prohibitive).

Ken diagnosed an intermittantly slow second shutter on my F1. He said that a CLA might fix it, but if not, then the camera would not be repairable. He quoted me a price for the CLA, but said that if the shutter problem wasn't resolved with cleaning and lubrication, he would only charge me a very small fee and return the camera. I felt that was imminently fair.

Turnaround on my camera was less than a week from my door to his and back, even though he said two weeks. If you need your F1 serviced, Ken Oikawa is the best.