Camera repair question, replace or repair?

I'm not sure my camera has a problem but if it does I'd like to know where you would send your camera for repair. I was driving through the mountains of east Tennessee a few days ago, my a77 + 16-50 f/2.8 was on the passenger seat when suddenly the car ahead of me slowed down and came to a stop to avoid hitting a dog. When I hit the brakes to avoid an accident my camera flew off the seat and slammed into the glove box and then the floor. I've tested the camera and lens and everything seems fine but if I have a problem I'd like to send it off for repair. My one concern is the age of both the camera and lens which was purchased in August 2013 and if it's economical to repair? My wife thinks I'm looking for an excuse to buy the a7.

Buy the new a7. :-)

 

You're really fishing, when the camera doesn't seem to be damaged and your asking about the economics of saving it. Keep it as a back up and get one of the III generation a7.

Just use it, and see if it starts to misbehave or the pix do not look good (AF, alignment, etc.).

 

If you like the camera, then have it looked at. You determine the max you are willing to spend for repair, then take it in.

If damage is not apparent, they have to open it up to see what needs to be done. And there is likely a charge for that, even if you decide not to repair.

In your case, I would also be concerned about lens alignment and damage to the mount.

 

My shop is on the other side of the country from you.

The owner is a good guy. I brought a lens in for a CLA, he looked at it for a few minutes, handed it back to me and told me that it would not be worth servicing as the required disassembly and collimation on reassembly would be time consuming and expensive. Sad to hear, but he was being honest with me, and I appreciated it.

 

I need to schedule my old cameras to go in for CLA. That is what happens when you start to collect old cameras, you have a lot to get serviced.

Trading up to a model 2 or 3 A7 camera might be tempting, but as an APS-C camera, your current lenses would be of limited use. Even lenses for film cameras would put you in better stead. While an A7 will shoot in APS-C mode, you would utilize less than 11 MP of a 24 MP sensor.

 

With your existing camera, make sure the zoom and focus rings move without binding. It's possible the lens mount was damaged or bent. A quick test is to make sure it is in focus from one side to the other. A quick check would entail taping a newspaper to the wall and shooting with with the camera parallel to that surface.

 

You could also send the camera in for factory service. A quick check would cost little or nothing beyond shipping cost and inconvenience. If more extensive tests are performed, they are usually deducted from the service cost if you decide to proceed. At that point, you should get an accurate estimate on which to base your repair/replace decision.