Inflation and Camera Repairs & Servicing

[Duofold RF]

I think that, beyond the slight increase in the cost of the CLA, the length of time to actually get the service done is the most frustrating point these days. We are talking 6 months to a year for a service.

Think about Henry Scherer contax CLA waiting time is erhhh about 20-30 years

 

[qqphotos]

Could that be because we're now an instant gratification based society?

I think that at some point it's just like not owning a camera, but more expensive.

I owned an M2 for about a year and a half, during which it was actually in my possession for about 5 days - bought it, found problems, sent for repair, returned months later; problems remained; sent back again, returned months later again. I currently have another camera in the same situation on its second go-back. I don't know when I'll see it again or if it will need to be sent back as soon as it's returned to me.

It's starting to look like in the event of needed repairs it may make more sense to just buy another camera that's already been recently serviced, then sell the repaired one the next year when you get it back.

 

[boojum]

I think that at some point it's just like not owning a camera, but more expensive.

I owned an M2 for about a year and a half, during which it was actually in my possession for about 5 days - bought it, found problems, sent for repair, returned months later; problems remained; sent back again, returned months later again. I currently have another camera in the same situation on its second go-back. I don't know when I'll see it again or if it will need to be sent back as soon as it's returned to me.

It's starting to look like in the event of needed repairs it may make more sense to just buy another camera that's already been recently serviced, then sell the repaired one the next year when you get it back.

I just sent back a Jupiter 8 that had been in for a CLA and the f-stop ring was bound up and hard to turn. Don't these folks check the lenses before they say they are finished? Really, two things on the lens turn: focus and f-stop. How hard is it to check them both? Makes me wonder about the rest of the job. I think I will send it to a guy I trust for a checkup when I get it back. This does not qualify as good service.

 

[qqphotos]

I just sent back a Jupiter 8 that had been in for a CLA and the f-stop ring was bound up and hard to turn. Don't these folks check the lenses before they say they are finished? Really, two things on the lens turn: focus and f-stop. How hard is it to check them both? Makes me wonder about the rest of the job. I think I will send it to a guy I trust for a checkup when I get it back. This does not qualify as good service.

For what it's worth, the Jupiter 8 is about as easy as it gets to fix up yourself, and they're cheap enough it's not the end of the world if you break it.

But your point stands. I think there are so many people sending cameras and lenses to them, many of which probably don't even need anything, that they're probably working largely on an assembly line basis to get through work as fast as possible, and probably thoroughness slips through the cracks.

 

[peefeeniz]

In this fake consumer economy I tip my repair persons because I want them to prosper.

It would be good to know about some younger person starting up a repair service so we could support them who support us. One of my concerns is that I'll send a camera off for service and the frail old repair person will keel over while the camera is in their possession (half apart, pieces in Dixie cups) and it will be impossible to retrieve it.

In other words to gripe about CLA prices is pretty petty. Sell the camera if you can't afford it to take care of it properly?

 

[raydm6]

... One of my concerns is that I'll send a camera off for service and the frail old repair person will keel over while the camera is in their possession (half apart, pieces in Dixie cups) and it will be impossible to retrieve it. ...

Good point. A valid concern. I didn't think of this contingency.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

If you change the shim on a J-8 or J-3, you need to re-index the aperture ring. This is a PINTA as you need to drill out new holes for the set screws. If you do not- the heads of the set screws will hang on the barrel, making the ring hard to turn.

 

[KoNickon]

Aging repairers and fewer and fewer parts being available are the main problems. Maybe 3-D printing will help with the latter, but unless more people are getting trained in camera repair, this will be a problem. It already is.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

With a bit of extra income recently (one of the few upsides of the pandemic, for me), I've invested in getting all of my equipment CLA'd or otherwise updated and repaired. Some of those CLA's and repairs cost more than the same item in "minty" condition on ebay, but we all know how treacherous that game can be! Now I know that all of my equipment is functioning accurately and is in top-notch shape, and will probably serve me well for the remainder of my life, and will probably serve someone else well after I'm gone. There's a real comfort in that freedom from worry, and I consider it money (quite a bit of it!) well spent.
And as an interesting and hopeful BTW, my favorite repair tech just took on a new apprentice from the engineering department at the local university. Apparently, this young woman has already learned her way around a good number of classic mechanical film SLRs, and is full of enthusiasm. There is hope!

 

[boojum]

In this fake consumer economy I tip my repair persons because I want them to prosper.

It would be good to know about some younger person starting up a repair service so we could support them who support us. One of my concerns is that I'll send a camera off for service and the frail old repair person will keel over while the camera is in their possession (half apart, pieces in Dixie cups) and it will be impossible to retrieve it.

In other words to gripe about CLA prices is pretty petty. Sell the camera if you can't afford it to take care of it properly?

As for dealing with aged camera techs, there are younger ones in the biz. I have had Jadon do work for me in the past and he was good and he was fast. I think I will have to do more with him in the future: https://www.instagram.com/reddotrepair/

Jadon also does an M9 sensor upgrade to fix Leica sensor corrosion.

 

[boojum]

If you change the shim on a J-8 or J-3, you need to re-index the aperture ring. This is a PINTA as you need to drill out new holes for the set screws. If you do not- the heads of the set screws will hang on the barrel, making the ring hard to turn.

Brian, thanks for this information. You are known to be lens savvy. One would assume that a tech in a camera repair shop would also be. One would assume. The guy I talked with in the shop had more excuses than a dope fiend going to jail. His list of reasons why the ring was binding did not include, "We screwed up." When a customer returns an item improperly repaired the best tack is, "I'm sorry. We'll fix it. Thank you." I could not believe the guy, arguing with me about why the ring was binding. It had just left their shop for a CLA. Hello!!?? Did I miss something? Doesn't CLA mean Clean, Lubricate and Adjust? An amazing expedience in a shop I have done business with for at least a decade and which had always been good in the past. I think it has changed ownership.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The Jupiter lenses are not common in the US, and few shops have worked on them. Their low cost makes it uneconomical for someone to pay $100 to $150 for a CLA. They tend to be cans-of-worms to work on. Set screws are fragile and break easily, screws are jammed in place, and liberal amounts of grease often make up for slop in the mechanism. Take apart a few hundred of these, still never know what you will find waiting.

I currently have over 20 Jupiter-3's in Leica and Contax mount. Cherry Picked over 20 years. Probably some of the best Jupiter-3's in the world. !2 KMZ lenses. They are the best. Went through more than 10 Valdai lenses to find a good one. And then replaced the front element with one from a ZOMZ, is now really good. The Jupiters- the older the better, if you can find them clean. Those made before 1954 have Schott glass, a good ones equals a wartime Zeiss Sonnar.

 

[KoNickon]

Maybe an indication these folks are in over their heads -- still climbing the learning curve. Also, some humility on their end would go a long way rather than defensiveness, but I think that is not the default attitude for a lot of people.

 

[boojum]

The Jupiter lenses are not common in the US, and few shops have worked on them. Their low cost makes it uneconomical for someone to pay $100 to $150 for a CLA. They tend to be cans-of-worms to work on. Set screws are fragile and break easily, screws are jammed in place, and liberal amounts of grease often make up for slop in the mechanism. Take apart a few hundred of these, still never know what you will find waiting.

I currently have over 20 Jupiter-3's in Leica and Contax mount. Cherry Picked over 20 years. Probably some of the best Jupiter-3's in the world. !2 KMZ lenses. They are the best. Went through more than 10 Valdai lenses to find a good one. And then replaced the front element with one from a ZOMZ, is now really good. The Jupiters- the older the better, if you can find them clean. Those made before 1954 have Schott glass, a good ones equals a wartime Zeiss Sonnar.

If the shop does not know how to do a CLA they should refuse the work. I am sure that you are right that opening one can be a surprise party. Still, the shop has the responsibility of either knowing what they are doing, learning how to do it or not doing it. They need to make that choice and not accept for CLA what they cannot do a CLA on. It is their responsibility to their clientele.

The J8 that had the f-stop ring sticking is my '51 KMZ. I'd like to see it correct. The '57 I have is a honey as you have seen in some of my posts. The color and definition are quite good and very Zeiss.

BTW, you have spoken now of the J3, is that a better lens than the J8 other than larger lens opening?

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I prefer the J-3 over my J-8's, My good ones are better wide-open than my good J-8's. The LTM focus mount is a much better design than the J-8 focus mount, more adjustments can be made and there is usually less wobble in the mount. The J-8 mount is not a good design, I've spent a lot of time polishing the rear rings with fiber-optic polishing sheets to get smooth and care in applying just the right amount of grease. Not all of them can be made to work smoothly. The best are the Tabbed mount, the worst are the 1960s silver lenses with non-rotating focus. The late Black ones are easy to work on, but often the RF Cam is way off.

 

[boojum]

I prefer the J-3 over my J-8's, My good ones are better wide-open than my good J-8's. The LTM focus mount is a much better design than the J-8 focus mount, more adjustments can be made and there is usually less wobble in the mount. The J-8 mount is not a good design, I've spent a lot of time polishing the rear rings with fiver-optic polishing sheets to get smooth and care in applying just the right amount of grease. Not all of them can be made to work smoothly. The best are the Tabbed mount, the worst are the 1960s silver lenses with non-rotating focus. The late Black ones are easy to work on, but often the RF Cam is way off.

OK, I have the best of the J8's, all being tabbed. That's a relief. I like the '57 a lot and would really like to see how the '51 stacks up. Let's see what the camera repair shop can do. Hopefully they will not take another three months. This is their screw-up and that should waive the wait time. Let's see how they interpret service. Thankfully I have some good 50's, like that Canon f/1.8. ;o)

 

[Rayt]

I need to send a Leica lens to DAG to tighten up the focusing ring. How do people contact Don? Do you call him? I understand from other threads he doesn’t often reply to emails.

 

[Miles.]

I need to send a Leica lens to DAG to tighten up the focusing ring. How do people contact Don? Do you call him? I understand from other threads he doesn’t often reply to emails.

I tend to email Don if it's not urgent and otherwise I'll call him and try to make it as brief as possible.

Last time I chatted with him he said he was getting 400-600 emails a day. Things fall through the cracks sometimes.

 

[Miles.]

I tend to have high expectations for the mechanical/optical condition of my gear (sometimes to a fault) and very rarely do I purchase an old camera or lens and not feel that it needs some level of servicing. Given the increasing costs and wait times I've been buying less, and in turn, have started using my current gear more often (which is one positive consequence of these changing times).

Sadly for many cameras and lenses (the obscure, rare, and complicated), increasing costs and wait times aren't the biggest issue, it's actually getting it into the hands of the one person who still knows how to work on them - many of them have retired already or died. It's nearly "the end of the line" for a lot of gear. I hope I'm wrong though.

 

[Rayt]

I tend to email Don if it's not urgent and otherwise I'll call him and try to make it as brief as possible.

Last time I chatted with him he said he was getting 400-600 emails a day. Things fall through the cracks sometimes.

I had an assistant who did nothing all day but answer emails and it was way less than 100 a day. That’s crazy. It’s worth the wait. Don did a lens conversion for me some 15 years ago a Canon 50/.95 to M mount. Not a peep for 18 months and then I got an email it was done.