Where would you send a Fed-2 for repairs now?

[Alowisney]

I have a Fed-2 that was CLA'd by Fedka a couple of years ago. 1/500 isn't working anymore and the rangefinder needs adjustment. I went to Fedka's site and saw the news that they send equipment to Ukraine for repairs now.

Is there anywhere in the US you'd send an FSU camera for repairs? The turn around time just seems like it would be really long plus shipping would be higher going all the way to Ukraine.

 

[KoNickon]

How about Oleg? http://www.okvintagecamera.com/ He's in Russia but I think he turns things around quickly. Hard to beat his pricing too.

 

[locheeboy]

Ah've bought lenses from Oleg and had 2 x CLAs. Excellent work. I'm waiting for a Kiev atm. Oleg has advised, that shipping times to and from Russia are very slow since New Year.

Took 4 days from UK to Russia, then nearly 3 weeks to reach him. Customs seem to be the problem. He posted back to me last Friday, so I'll monitor the time taken. Ah'd thoroughly recommend his work but contact him to see if shipping has improved.

From folk on other websites it's usually been a 4/5 week turnaround to/from USA. Last two times for me (UK) was around 3 weeks.

 

[rfaspen]

This is a really good question. Where in the US would I get a FSU repaired?

My solution (not for everyone) was to accumulate the necessary tools and a space in the spare room where I could do repairs myself. Adjusting a rangefinder is very easy. Not sure why 500 would be off, but I've repaired plenty of shutter speed problems over the years. Luckily, its usually just stuff gumming up the works. Even on a camera that has had service in recent years, you can get dust, lint, etc. into your camera and it can cause problems.

Anyway, I am curious if anyone has a suggested shop in the US. For me, I'd only consider sending off a camera if I don't have necessary parts (or can't find/make it). My current need: the outer bezel ring for the front rangefinder window on a Zorki 6 (same as Zorki 5).

 

[efinglada]

Oleg CLAd and changed curtains in a Fed 1 NKVD. Took about 3 weeks to come back to Spain, but price and service are very good

Eduardo

 

[rfaspen]

Interesting. So there's no repair shop for FSU gear in the US?

If I had a reliable source for parts, I consider a little side business.

Seriously. I do wish there were a more feasible way to get FSU parts. I know Oleg sells parts on his website. Limited selection, but I'm sure if I emailed him he'd locate (or try) the part I'm after. Unfortunately shipping from Ukraine is just too expensive (for what I'm getting), shipping from Ukraine takes a long time, and Oleg has a rather hefty minimum order amount for parts (I don't really blame him).

I know the cameras are from the FSU, but I once heard about a large box of broken FSU gear being found in the attic of an Arizona house. They were sold at the yard sale for something like $20. I dream that would happen to me🙂

 

[Zorkiiglaza]

20 years ago when I spent a year in Hawaii, I heard the story of Rolls Royce owners not being able to get their cars fixed. What they did was go to the UK and found a RR repairman and settled him and his family in Hawaii where he took care of their cars.
Maybe we need a FSU repairman on this side of the pond!

 

[goamules]

Rhetorical question, but would you pay $200 to a US repairman for a CLA? Or prefer $50? The number of people shooting FSU rangefinders is very small, and not all need work. As 35mm grows weaker, there will be less and less need for repairs. So a repairman may get 1 or 2 jobs a month. Not many people could live, or even supliment a retirement, for a 100 to 400 a month. That's why no one repairs these old items. They are common and cheap, FEDs cost around 50 bucks still.

People balk when they have to pay more for a tuneup than the camera is worth. (But they'll pay $300 for a tuneup on their $30,000 car and the labor time and skills are similar) There were almost a million Leicas made, and probably several hundred thousand Feds and Zorkis. I'd wager only a couple hundred are being used right now, worldwide. Since you can buy another one for half the price of a CLA, that's what I'd do.

 

[mortalenema]

My solution (not for everyone) was to accumulate the necessary tools and a space in the spare room where I could do repairs myself.

If the camera is inexpensive and non-functional, there is very little reason not to crack it open and learn how to fix it yourself. These FSUs are like working on drum breaks. Confusing to look at, but simple to rebuild once you've done it a few times.

 

[wolves3012]

If you're stuck for a repairman, the RF isn't hard to adjust - there's a sticky on how to do it. The non-working 1/500th might be more complex, it suggest capping and a slow first curtain (assuming you mean there's no exposure). That tends to be a sign of CLA being needed but can also be just a case of wrong curtain tension.

 

[rbiemer]

There were almost a million Leicas made, and probably several hundred thousand Feds and Zorkis. I'd wager only a couple hundred are being used right now, worldwide. Since you can buy another one for half the price of a CLA, that's what I'd do.

I agree, it is probably not going to make economic sense for a US based repair person to work on these but there are a lot of the cameras out there:
According to Jean Loup Princelle's book:

"Including all the FED-2 subtypes nearly two million bodies are delivered in 16 years. Then, in the following two decades, more than two million FED-3 are made."

and:

In 50 years, the production of rangefinder FED cameras, either copied or derived from the Leica, totals more than 5.5 million..."

The Authentic Guide to Russian And Soviet Cameras, second edition pub. 2004, pages 104 and 105.

And that number does not count the Zorki or Kiev cameras. Nor any of the other, smaller makers.

Comparing these cameras to cars: it also does not make economic sense to spend money restoring a classic car. Once you've done it you get a really nice car that you're unlikely to ever recoup your investment from. But the money is not usually why folks do it, I think.

As to the OPs question, I don't know of any one in the US to use for FSU cameras. I have been very happy with Oleg Kahlyavin (OK Vintage Cameras) and will continue to use him as long as he is still working. Prices are good and turn around times are acceptable to me.
Rob

 

[goamules]

...

Comparing these cameras to cars: it also does not make economic sense to spend money restoring a classic car. Once you've done it you get a really nice car that you're unlikely to ever recoup your investment from. But the money is not usually why folks do it, I think.
...

Oh you're incorrect there. In the US, you can buy a poor condition classic car for under $5,000, restore it, and if it's the right type, resell it for $20,000. I have a friend that does that to Ford Mustangs. But if you restore a $50 Fed by spending another $150, you're still stuck with a $50 Fed.

 

[rbiemer]

Fair enough but two things to consider:
Your friend is the exception rather than the rule.
I know two folks who bought and restored classic cars (though not mustangs) and even though the cars are now worth upwards of 20-25 grand each, their cost in time and $ make selling at current market price a losing proposition for them.

And, if you buy a $50 dollar FED, and have Oleg service it , you then have a camera worth more than the cost of the camera and the service cost.

True, if you buy that same FED and then have some Leica service person here in the US service it, then you end up with a camera that you will not be able to recover your cost for.
But you will have a camera that you can use for a long time with not too many worries about. Say you spend 200 total on that FED, and then use it for ten years. You have had the use of the FED for $20 a year. Makes sense to me.

I also think that while the skills required to work on the FSU cameras are no less just because the cameras are lower priced, most of the folks who buy them will balk at paying a fair price for that skilled work.
But, for me, I think that skilled labor is worth something. In fact, I have a '37 vintage 9cm Elmar that needed to be CLA-ed. I sent it to Sherry Krauter and she did an excellent job of it. I paid her about 2 1/2 or 3 times the market value of the lens for her services. I will be unlikely to ever make that money back should I sell it*, but even so, I think it was money well spent. I now have a lens that will be useful longer than I will, I think.

I don't think I disagree with your point, but I do sometimes think the whole "it's too cheap to repair" thing is not always valid, surely there are circumstances where it does apply but equally, I can see times when having the specific camera you own repaired is the better choice.

Rob

* I just recently had it in the classifieds here and did NOT ask a price for it based on my total investment in it, I did ask for a bit more than I paid for the lens primarily because I was including some additional bits; I'd accumulated a hood and a SOOGZ adapter that I included in the offer.

 

[goamules]

Those are good points. You're right, a lot of auto/motorcycle restorations cost way too much because people buy basket cases, then put in all OEM parts. But if you get one for a good price that has all the parts, and just needs upholstery and paint, it's possible to win.

I have a couple FEDs and I like them. I also have spent money on a Leica repair, and I'm now stuck with the camera, which I don't like, unless I sell it at a loss. Another Leica I like a lot more, and had DAG do a CLA. It's a black IId with a Hektor 50/2.5. For the price I paid, and the CLA, it's still worth half again what I have in it. I like doing things that way.

My main point was agreeing with you; people don't like to pay for skilled labor, especially on a cheap FED. But the underlying reason is still about what is the final item worth. Three examples, bodies only:

- FED 1D for $50. Shutter curtain replace and CLA for $200 - $250 in a FED worth $50
- Leica IIIc for $250. Shutter curtain replace and CLA for $200 - $450 in a Leica, worth $250
- Black Leica IId for $200. Shutter curtain replace and CLA for $200 - $400 in a Leica, worth $450 (the winner, higher quality finish, more in demand, and rarer than the other two)

When my 10 year old refrigerator broke a couple months ago, I troubleshot it and found it needed a relay. I bought one for $75. Then the compressor went out. I called a shop and they told me to buy a new fridge, "...the cost of repairing it was more than it was worth...." I now have a new one.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

The trouble with all these "are they worth it" replies is that it depends where you start. I buy as cheaply as possible and allow for the work that's probably needed.

As cheaply as possible means a flea market J-8 for a fiver, an Industar-61 something for 49 pennies and a body for pennies over 10 pounds.

Now looking at where we end; I won't have the thing buried with me and it doesn't matter to me what it could be sold for as I intend to go on using it. And I reckon the FED (and Leica II) will outlast me.

Same goes for the Leicas but look at the cost of them, the cost of work on them and so on.

Factor in for ex-USSR and Leicas a couple of extra lenses, lens caps, a body cap or two, the lens hoods and view-finder for the three lenses and the comparison gets weird.

I'd say the same about the Kiev 2 and Contax II.

It boils down to seeing a camera as something you use, or seeing it as something to be bought and sold on...

Regards, David

 

[goamules]

You know David, I'm seeing your point too. And of course, we can't take it with us, and who cares in the long run about "losing" a couple hundred anyway?

Perhaps it's a better deal to fix up a very cheap FED, for using and not sweating how much money is in the body....

 

[Steve Bellayr]

Personally, I try to always buy a working model. My past experience with most film cameras is that the repair outweighs the higher cost of working model. But, in defense of the other side I have purchased a pristine Contax IIIa for $30 and did a CLA for $150. That was definitely worth it. For most Russian cameras you are probably on the borderline. Do careful analysis. My local camera shop has beautiful Russian cameras sitting on shelves for years.

 

[Dralowid]

In 2009, I had an excellent and very reasonable job done on a Zorki 3m in the UK.

The chap who did the work is:

Roger Lean
Russian Camera Repairs
32 Ravenstone Road
Hornsey
London N8 OJT
0208 881 5208

I think he used to work for the importers (TOI?). Not quick but worth waiting for.

Michael

 

[David Hughes]

Personally, I try to always buy a working model... (Snip!)

Hi,

Don't we all? ;-)

The "mint" Leica I bought was filthy when it arrived and - after a good wash - was scratched and dented under the dirt. But I got a reasonable deal on it after a good, old-fashioned moan.

On the other hand, many years ago I picked up a really filthy, dirty camera and, to my horror, it was sticky dirt but I paid a pound for it and (again) washed the dirt off with a damp rag and it was mint when clean. I've still got the camera and still use it. I've also posted pictures from it on RFF. So you never can tell.

Regards, David

 

[rfaspen]

I can't help but mention my current "project" now that I've read David Hughes' comments.

I received a free Leica M3 DS about a month ago. Why? Because it was dropped in the Pacific Ocean, then pulled out, patted dry and set on a shelf for at least 10 years!!😡 It looked pretty nice on the outside, but was completely inoperative. Opening the base plate and looking inside, my heart just sunk.

The camera is now nearly completely disassembled on my workbench at home. The rust and corrosion killed a few springs, but the camera is slowly becoming functional. I need to locate a few replacement springs and a new leatherette covering now, but the quality Leica engineering endured the light corrosion and rust on most parts. I cleaned, scraped, soaked and polished away for nearly 50 full hours now. The prism silvering miraculously remained intact. The framelines are a bit affected, but I managed to get the rangefinder assembly to be rather clear and nice. I'm not done with it yet, so I can't claim victory, but I think I will save this camera.

Was/is it worth it? (extreme overhaul). If I add up the actual expenses for parts along with the value of my time (many, many hours) this will end up being far from a free camera. More like $1000 or more.🙄

Moral of the story: Yeah, spend a little extra and get a fully working camera. There's no such thing as a free Leica.😀

Oh, and I've managed to resurrect a few FSU cameras too, but nothing as far gone as this M3. I suspect the simple, elegant, and overbuilt Russian technology would stand up pretty well if subjected to the same treatment. My Fed 3b is the simplest, yet most elegant and dead reliable camera I have.