Need a Reccomendation For Leica IIa CLA

[Steve M.]

Somewhere in my quest to find a nice $100 SLR I ended up w/ a Konica Auto S2 and a Leica IIa w/ Summar. Funny how these things start, then end. After deciding that none of my inexpensive SLR's came close to the Auto S2 in terms of image quality, I ran some film through the IIA "just to see".

Well. There's Leica-like, as in the Auto S2, and then there's Leica. So I'm going to keep the IIa even though it's much more money that $100 and isn't a SLR because that Summar rocks and the little 1938 IIa is a blast to shoot. But the camera is showing Fed-like shutter issues (as seen on the last shot) so it needs a CLA. I can't afford to send it to DAG, but is there a good CLA person that is good, but not quite so pricey? Here's a few that I liked on the first roll. I had forgotten how nice the Summar can image. Thanks.

 

[john neal]

Steve, where are you?

Youxin Ye, when he's back from holiday would be a good bet, but he's US based, so you would have to include shipping.

 

[Steve M.]

I'm in Las Cruces, New Mexico (the US). Not sure about Youxin Ye though. He's a very nice fellow and I like him personally, but on 2 occasions I had to send cameras to someone else because after he did CLAs they still weren't quite right.

By the way, I have a IIIa, not a IIa, but can't seem to go back and edit the title. No matter, just need a recommendation for a LTM CLA.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Frank Marshman / Camera Wiz in Harrisonburg, VA. (800) 434-8133. The best around.

 

[enasniearth]

Repairs

Repairs

Steve ,
In the last 30 years I have had every major repair person come short on one occasion . They will always make it right , their reputation is at stake .

If you want to shop price , well , then you will find that the camera is put in serviceable condition . From the photos above I assume the camera can produce nice images in it's current state . So obviously you want the camera fine tuned .

Dag is great with the screw mount cameras , often he is two months out , and you need to decide on a repair or complete overhaul - often 60 % more in cost .

I have not used youxin however he has a great rep here on rff

The leica historical site has a listing of recommended repair persons , a good resource .

Often with a 75 year old camera like a II / d many parts are worn . You can go crazy on a restoration , however my thoughts now are to mitigate the damages and place the camera in good serviceable condition .
Many times we expect too much from these people , the idea is to photograph , if a restoration is desired , well then your pockets should be deep . You need to make your intentions clear to the person about to do the work .

 

[John Lawrence]

Ken Rockwell recommends this guy:

Gus Lazzari, TLC Camera Repair
2731 West Lexington Ave. Ext.
High Point, NC 27262-8227
thegreatgus@gmail.com
office: (336) 307-2126
cell: (949) 275-0313

I've never used him, but his prices seem very reasonable - according to Ken's pages:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/repair.htm

John

 

[Steve Karr]

Youxin Ye is fast, affordable and fair. He did my IIIf.

 

[ray*j*gun]

Ordinarily I would not post a note like this but I really feel a warning is in order.

Stay away from John Maddox (L & J Camera). The short version is he had my IIIc K stepper for almost 3 months for a CLA...... I got it back this Friday and the T setting didn't work....when I emailed him about it he said "no charge to you find someone else to repair." The worst part is the camera worked fine when I sent it to him and now I have a problem and am worried about the quality of what he did.

Please take this as a heads up....I'm sure there are others who have had a good experience with L&J but I never had anything like this happen to me before. If anyone wants the details I would be happy to provide them.....my email is rgiambuzzi@verizon.net

 

[Steve M.]

I think you were right to post your experiences ray*j*gun. You're just describing what happened, right? No harm in that, and you may have saved others some grief. I've also had more trouble than I want from Steve's Camera Repair and will never send another camera there, while others have had good experiences.

enasnierth probably summed it up best. We're dealing w/ really old equipment here, so stuff happens. Some great recommendations. Thanks guys. I had an email or two w/ the guy on fleabay that offers good prices on shutter replacements and basic tuneups on screw mount cameras. Someone that communicates well is someone I will work with, so for $160 including ship back I'm gonna give him a try. That includes shutter replacement and a basic CLA and his feedback is 100% positive. He also has excellent prices on TLR CLA's, but mine is over at Paul Ebels now for that. I'll be sending it off tomorrow and will get back here and give a little description of how it goes.

 

[ray*j*gun]

Thanks Steve.....I actually feel bad about the experience.....I went back and re-read my emails to Maddox to see if I could have offended him but I don't see anything weird there..... I did say I was disappointed but that would not be a reason to tell me to "......find someone else...."

Oh well.....there are plenty of other techs out there.

 

[Shac]

Gerry Smith - Kindermann Canada - very good - Gerry has CLA'd my Leica cameras incl. a IIIc
info@kindermann.ca

 

[tjh]

With regard to John Maddox, he has done some good work for me and corrected a couple of really troublesome problems with Leica screwmount cameras.

 

[jn053]

What sort of troublesome problems, if you don't mind the question.

 

[tjh]

One problem was with a IIIf - shutter curtains were frayed as I remember and causing streaks at 1/1000 sec - the frayed fibers were sticking into the narrow slit. John did an overhaul on a Nickel/Black Leica III - he had a replacement black rangefinder bezel, straightened a bent shaft and found a light leak that wasn't coming from expected places.

 

[chrispiper]

I second Gus Lazzarri. He did a full CLA on my M3 DS and it came back like new. It is the smoothest, silkiest most enjoyable camera I have ever owned. The viewfinder is astounding, the framlines positively glow. Don't know about his prices relative to others, but the quality speaks for itself. My M6 probably won't need attention for another decade, but when it does I hope Gus is still around.

Chris

 

[ChipMcD]

I bought an overhauled M3 from Sherry Krauter, and it is a gem. I have a IIf that I am going to send her, but I will call first to see if she'll take it on. With the M3 she did what she said she'd do when she said she'd do it. No problems at all.

 

[Bingley]

Youxin Ye did a CLA and partial overhaul on my IIIc earlier this year, including new shutter curtains, beamsplitter, and film take-up spindle. Yes, I had to send the camera back to him once to correct something that wasn't quite right, but his turnaround time was so fast and his prices are so reasonable that it didn't matter. It's a new camera now and a real joy to shoot.

 

[TheHub]

Not sure about Youxin Ye though. He's a very nice fellow and I like him personally, but on 2 occasions I had to send cameras to someone else because after he did CLAs they still weren't quite right.

You're not the only one with that experience. Except he wasn't nice when I met him.

 

[DonaldJ.]

i would just send it to sherry krauter, she takes the whole camera apart, unlike others who just oil certain areas that need oil, rather then taking everything apart to be fixed correct.. pretty reasonable prices on a CLA for a leica screw mount too.

 

[Steve M.]

I'm glad this thread came back around. I ended up sending the camera to an ebay seller named Camera Works in Latham NY, 518 782 1503. They replaced the shutter and the RF mirrors for $210. It's a snap to focus now, and the exposures have been on the money even at 1/4. Turn around time was about 4 to 5 weeks, and they kept me informed w/ excellent communication along the way. If you have a screw mount Leica I highly recommend them. The camera is working perfectly and has a 6 mo warranty.