Nikon SP2005 dropped, where to repair ?

[Niko]

I dropped my Nikon SP2005 with Nikkor SC 8.5cm f1.5 on concrete from about 1m high. It landed on the upper rear part first as the cosmetic damages include a bent advance lever and frame line selector. The rangefinder is off. Shutter is very fast at 1/4 and T works like B. That’s what i can say before a test roll...
I have adjusted the rangefinder before myself and i think i could do it again, but perhaps it would be a good time now to check the camera otherwise too. But where are these repaired ?
And perhaps i need a second Nikon S body after all...

 

[CameraQuest]

You don't need to risk your camera and lens to international shipping.

Try Nikon Finland - or whatever the Finish Nikon importer calls itself.

They were required to stock SP2005 parts in 2005.

Maybe they have some left.

 

[Niko]

I have sent email to the repair shop that is listed at Nikon Finland. But from my experience i doubt if they can do it.

 

[jonmanjiro]

I'm fairly certain Nikon in Japan still has a good stock of parts for the SP 2005. I'd send the camera direct to Nikon Japan via an intermediary such as JapanCameraHunter. Nikon will no doubt respond that they cannot guarantee they have the required parts (mainly because the required period for holding a stock of parts has expired and they're covering their a55es) but they should take the camera "for a look" and repair it with the parts they have.

On the off chance that Nikon won't accept the camera for repair, there is always Kiitos (a familiar word for a Finn!). They're the premier Nikon repairer in Japan besides Nikon themselves, and most of the staff are ex-Nikon people. They also have access to many parts (including for the reissue Nikon RFs) that no one else can get (direct contacts with Nikon has benefits). Bellamy at JapanCameraHunter can also hook you up with Kiitos if Nikon falls through.

http://photo-kiitos.co.jp/

 

[Niko]

Thanks! I contacted Bellamy🙂

 

[Highway 61]

This is unfortunate.

The fact that the rangefinder is now off is a proof that it's well designed and can survive some shocks. At least it isn't broken. The slow speeds escapement linkage cam has probably budged, which explains the wrong behavior of 1/4s, B and T. Nothing that cannot be fixed, either.

Not so long ago I dropped my photo bag from a shoulder height and the whole shebang fell on the old pavement of a pedestrian street. The Nikon S3 that was inside the bag got some bumps in spite of the bag inserts (Domke F-803) padded material. The frame counter cover got a major ding. The top cover was dented close to the NKT logo. The rangefinder was off. The winding lever was bent. Fortunately the lens got out undamaged.

I could remove the dent of the top cover after having taken it apart, unbend the winding lever, and adjust the rangefinder.

Then thanks to Jonmanjiro and the Kiitos camera guys I got a spare frame counter cover and another winding lever in the mail and so the S3 didn't keep any scars left.

I am with you here ! My very best wishes that your SP 2005 will be fixed in full with no cosmetic issues left behind.

 

[Niko]

Update. My SP went to Kiitos Camera via Bellamy. They sent it back as unrepairable, without further explanation other than "no parts available".
I decided to take a last change with Kanto Camera. They responded that the camera is badly damaged, even the body itself is distorted (which does not surprise me too much, the 85/1.5 isn´t a lightweight lens). But they were confident enough that it´s repairable that they were willing to try, and i gave them a go-ahead. Now some four months waiting to see if it indeed was repairable...

 

[splitimageview]

good luck!

 

[ocs301]

Wish you luck on your repair.

This thread has made me wonder, can more common silver Nikon Rangefinders be used as parts sources for the less common black and 2000/2005 reissues? How interchangeable are parts?

Thanks

- Tim

 

[Gregm61]

The new models were supposedly exact copies other than the more modern glass and coating on the lenses.

I would imagine spares of any kind, even for older bodies, are on the short side. It's not like they were hugely mass produced in number, donor bodies can't be that numerous and one has to hope the damaged part on the one body is still available off a donor.

A camera that costs as much as those remakes.....you just need to know you can't afford to be all-thumbs when using them because they are, limited production items with almost no ability to fix massive damage at this point, and any repair facility with the ability to fabricate parts to make it good again will not be an inexpensive fix.

As Japan Camera Hunter said in their video on the 2000 model S3 and 2005 SP's....if you break them, no replacement parts are available, which may not be a 100% certaintly, but most likely 95% so..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RA3YTkl0BM

 

[NIKON KIU]

Ouch!

Hope it woks out

 

[Niko]

Kanto made it! The SP2005 is now fixed. Even the flange-film distance. Considering how the camera, and the lens, got a CLA at the same time i find the price of about 120.000JPY reasonable. After the first very slow response to email the communications with Kanto has been perfect, with them also sending pictures of the item.

Now just to wait a week or so and start shooting again!

 

[xasthur]

wow that's excellent news! Will there be before and after photos? Edit! I see that they posted it on their IG and it looks beautiful!

 

[markjwyatt]

Sounds like a smashing success! 😎

Glad it got fixed!

 

[Rayt]

Sounds like a smashing success! 😎

Glad it got fixed!

Yes! Hit the ground running. (Sorry)

 

[Gregm61]

Running, but with a good grip, LOL..

 

[Archlich]

Kanto is awesome as usual.