cole
Established
Just wanted to leave some kind words here in favour of Gerry Smith over at Kindermann in Ontario.
I recently sent Gerry my M2, as the rangefinder was becoming quite dim; also, as the camera still had the original Leica "L" wax stamp on it, I figured the poor thing was due for some servicing.
Gerry initially offered to have a look at the camera at no charge - shipping excluded, of course - and to let me know what, if anything, he thought the camera could benefit from.
After a couple phone calls, Gerry let me know that the shutter speeds were fairly erratic, and that the camera as a whole would benefit from a CLA. He wasn't sure how much the rangefinder's visibility would benefit, but we went ahead with the servicing.
All told, the camera was back in my hands within 2 weeks of me shipping it off to him, and the bill was quite reasonable. Gerry was a pleasure to deal with, very courteous on the phone and prompt with his response time.
The camera arrived back to me feeling like new! It even looked new - all the controls and exterior of the camera had been polished to a shine. The advance lever felt smoother than before (which I didn't think was possible), the shutter sounded much healthier, and the frame counter's action is much smoother and more decisive.
The rangefinder itself is still not honestly as bright as I would like it, but there is only so much one can expect from a 40 year old assembly! My M7's RF is still much brighter, but again, it's only 7 years old.
Gerry's cleaning of the RF, however, did benefit it and bring it back to what I think is 'as best as can be' considering the camera's age. I can also now be much more confident in its alignment than I was before, having only tweaked it a little myself.
Long story short, I've had a wonderful experience with Gerry and all the staff at Kindermann, and would recommend them to any fellow Canadian Leicaphiles! Thanks, Gerry.
I recently sent Gerry my M2, as the rangefinder was becoming quite dim; also, as the camera still had the original Leica "L" wax stamp on it, I figured the poor thing was due for some servicing.
Gerry initially offered to have a look at the camera at no charge - shipping excluded, of course - and to let me know what, if anything, he thought the camera could benefit from.
After a couple phone calls, Gerry let me know that the shutter speeds were fairly erratic, and that the camera as a whole would benefit from a CLA. He wasn't sure how much the rangefinder's visibility would benefit, but we went ahead with the servicing.
All told, the camera was back in my hands within 2 weeks of me shipping it off to him, and the bill was quite reasonable. Gerry was a pleasure to deal with, very courteous on the phone and prompt with his response time.
The camera arrived back to me feeling like new! It even looked new - all the controls and exterior of the camera had been polished to a shine. The advance lever felt smoother than before (which I didn't think was possible), the shutter sounded much healthier, and the frame counter's action is much smoother and more decisive.
The rangefinder itself is still not honestly as bright as I would like it, but there is only so much one can expect from a 40 year old assembly! My M7's RF is still much brighter, but again, it's only 7 years old.
Gerry's cleaning of the RF, however, did benefit it and bring it back to what I think is 'as best as can be' considering the camera's age. I can also now be much more confident in its alignment than I was before, having only tweaked it a little myself.
Long story short, I've had a wonderful experience with Gerry and all the staff at Kindermann, and would recommend them to any fellow Canadian Leicaphiles! Thanks, Gerry.
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