Who repairs zeiss ikons in the US?

[stompyq]

My m6 is with youxin for a RF adjustment and it got me thinking about the Zeiss ikon ZM. I agonized over the M6 vs zeiss until finally being push over the edge for a M6 b/c of a great deal. The one thing that scared me off the ikon was the apparent lack of competent repair facilities. If anyone was to buy a ikon used who would be able to service/repair it if needed?

 

[willie_901]

Ikons are repaired in Germany. You send the camera to New Jersey and Zeiss sends it on to Germany. When the camera is repaired, the process is reversed. They do a great job for a reasonable price.

 

[Bruin]

My ZI frame counter wasn't resetting properly and I sent it to Richard S. at Zeiss NJ, who sent it to Cosina for the fix. Good customer service, and no worries about the factory not having parts, warranty on the repairs, or knowing how to fix something.

 

[Bob Michaels]

My local camera repair friend, Michael at Kiwi Camera in Winter Park FL, says there is nothing special about a Zeiss Ikon. He says any competent camera guy should be able to do just about anything needed. Mine was the first he saw and he aligned the RF in about 5 minutes. I also had the iso / shutter speed knob reattached when the screws came loose by a local camera repair guy in Pensacola FL. (I was passing through town) He had never seen one either but said everything was very common.

Some of the electronics seem to be shared with the Nikon FM 10. I think, but am not positive, this includes the shutter.

I don't understand why everyone believes they have to send their cameras around the world for common things. There is probably a local camera repair guy around if you live in any metro area. They don't advertise, just stay busy catering to the local pros.

 

[morback]

My local camera repair friend, Michael at Kiwi Camera in Winter Park FL, says there is nothing special about a Zeiss Ikon. He says any competent camera guy should be able to do just about anything needed. Mine was the first he saw and he aligned the RF in about 5 minutes. I also had the iso / shutter speed knob reattached when the screws came loose by a local camera repair guy in Pensacola FL. (I was passing through town) He had never seen one either but said everything was very common.

Some of the electronics seem to be shared with the Nikon FM 10. I think, but am not positive, this includes the shutter.

I don't understand why everyone believes they have to send their cameras around the world for common things. There is probably a local camera repair guy around if you live in any metro area. They don't advertise, just stay busy catering to the local pros.

Nice to hear there's nothing fancy about the Zeiss' interior. No exotic parts might be the best thing to keep it repairable in the long term.

As to local repair guys, I used Nippon Photo Clinic in NYC and they screwed it up. Not too bad (rangefinder alignement way off), but kinda strange none the less...

 

[ZeissFan]

I don't know why anyone would think that parts would be gone in 10 years. The camera already has been in production for five years, so that means that there will only be parts for another five years?

This would be true only if you assume that production ends tomorrow and that parts would be available only for another 10 years.

 

[danielschwartzkopf]

I had my ZI rangefinder adjusted by Popflash, but I'm not sure i they officially offer the service

 

[stompyq]

My local camera repair friend, Michael at Kiwi Camera in Winter Park FL, says there is nothing special about a Zeiss Ikon. He says any competent camera guy should be able to do just about anything needed. Mine was the first he saw and he aligned the RF in about 5 minutes. I also had the iso / shutter speed knob reattached when the screws came loose by a local camera repair guy in Pensacola FL. (I was passing through town) He had never seen one either but said everything was very common.

Some of the electronics seem to be shared with the Nikon FM 10. I think, but am not positive, this includes the shutter.

I don't understand why everyone believes they have to send their cameras around the world for common things. There is probably a local camera repair guy around if you live in any metro area. They don't advertise, just stay busy catering to the local pros.

The reason for asking this question (and me getting cold feet on the zeiss) was that i read the zeiss RF is very difficult to adjust outside of sending to zeiss repair in germany. Zeiss (at least in the US) also seems to have adopted nikon's "attitude" towards grey market gear where they refuse to touch any import (a problem if buying used). I've looked everywhere for information that counters this line of thinking but came up empty. So i was fairly happy when i saw your post. How happy are you with the RF adjustment? I'am not particularly worried about parts etc but something as basic as a RF alignment going bad (very possible with a slight bump/vibration) should NOT warrant a trip to germany and a couple of months of waiting.

 

[Dan Grisez]

Gus Lazarri at OC Camera (San Diego) works on just about everything and does a great job. Email thegreatgus@gmail.com
www.occamera.com

 

[rxmd]

The reason for asking this question (and me getting cold feet on the zeiss) was that i read the zeiss RF is very difficult to adjust outside of sending to zeiss repair in germany.

That was the case a few years ago, but by now the Zeiss Ikon rangefinder adjustment procedure is pretty well documented.

Originally posted here at RFF, too.

 

[stompyq]

That was the case a few years ago, but by now the Zeiss Ikon rangefinder adjustment procedure is pretty well documented.

Originally posted here at RFF, too.

Thanks!! thats good information.

 

[morback]

I'am not particularly worried about parts etc but something as basic as a RF alignment going bad (very possible with a slight bump/vibration) should NOT warrant a trip to germany and a couple of months of waiting.

I have an early silver Zeiss and it took a fall from the table to the floor to knock it out. It will take more than "a slight bump" or "vibration" (honestly???) to knock it out of alignment.

I chuck it in my backpack, it rides with me on my bicycle it gets no special treatment and it has always been fine. It's sturdier than other would make you believe it is.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Let us remember that modern day cameras are not unduly complex electronic black boxes that only a handful of people can fix. Yes, they have miniature circuit boards with ribbon connectors but that has become basic technology with most of the problems in the simple connections. Modern cameras are relatively simple electronic mechanical assemblies.

RF is a simple alignment. It is like making an adjustable stick be one meter long. It either is or it is not.

Now I cannot do this. But I know people can and they say it is not rocket science.

 

[jonmanjiro]

According to Japanese law, Cosina will be required to carry spare parts for the Zeiss Ikon for a minimum of eight years from when the camera is discontinued (製造打ち切り後の補修用性能部品の保有期間). And if Cosina operates like most other camera manufacturers in Japan, they will aim to carry spares for at least 10 years from when the camera is discontinued.

The Hexar RF can still be repaired in Japan. Sony took over the job from Konica Minolta on the 1st of April 2006, and they're passing the baton to Kenko from the 1st of April 2010.

http://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/www/konicaminolta/repair_service/
http://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/www/konicaminolta/repair_service/film.html
http://www.kenko-tokina.co.jp/service.html

 

[jonmanjiro]

That's the first I've heard of a shipping mistake between Konica and Sony.

It sucks that people overseas don't have easy access to repairs in Japan. But one option is to go through Dirk at Japan Exposures (see this webpage for details). He accepts cameras from overseas and handles the repair on this end for a small fee.