Olympus Repairs?

[ed_ponti]

<p>I have an OM-1n I want fully repaired. Unfortunately, when I asked my dad where to go he told me to go to the London Camera Clinic. Of course, I just went without thinking twice about it, and brought along my Minolta 7000AF to have a service too. I was a bit put-off by their £20 (refundable on repair) checking fee, per camera, but obliged to pay as I was assured it would be not very expensive, and would take a week.... I am now kicking myself at how I could be so naive! They did not even call with a quote for a week, and when they did, said the Olympus repair would be £174.95 with the £20 deducted (to replace the lens mount, and the light meter)! Thats several times more than the camera. I have no idea why, but I agreed, as I love the camera. I then looked at the reviews of the place on google, which average 1.5 star out of 5, mostly made of reviewers who want don't have the option to give no stars, with a few suspiciously stellar reviews bumping up the average. Of course I called them to ask if I could cancel, but they said they had already ordered the parts, and I'd have to pay, so I've decided if I don't hear from them by the 3rd Jan I'm going to make it my mission to get my camera back. Unfortunately attached to the camera was my lovely 70-210 zuiko which I shudder to think what condition that may come back in... Also, I have heard nothing about the Minolta despite calling a few times (they rarely pick up). S***.<br>

ANYWAY...... the REAL question is, I am getting another Olympus which I will want CLA'd or whatever, and I was wondering if there are ANY honest camera repair stores in London, or the UK, or better still if there are any Olympus OM specialists???<br>

If I can afford to, I will bring the OM-1n to be re-repaired if needs be.<br>

Also, any horror stories with the Camera Clinic?</p>

[ed_ponti]

<p>http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=london+camera+clinic+reviews&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=camera+clinic&hnear=Westminster,+London&cid=3389245551861816147&ei=B3YXTcqcBY30sgbhsuTUDA&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=placepage-link&resnum=1&ved=0CCEQ4gkwAA</p>

[starvy]

<p>There is a place in Luton that does OM repairs. I wanted to get my 50 f1.4 cleaned out but they wanted £70.</p>

[mdma]

<p>Im afraid you might struggle to find a quote thats not worth more than the camera's value, but thats your decision to make.<br>

http://www.olympuscamerarepairs.co.uk/<br>

When I popped in a month ago, they told me it would be approx. £75 for a full service and battery conversion for my OM-1n, but thats not including buying new parts. However I ended up replacing my OM-1n with a OM-2n, so while I cant vouch for them personally they seem like decent chaps. When I mentioned my Nikon F3, they spontaneously showed me a 1959 Nikon F that was literally factory fresh - but non functional. So someone clearly trusts them enough to send that. <br>

Anyway good luck with getting your original Olympus back, and indeed Minolta 7000 (which I coincidently also have!)</p>

[luis_g]

<p>He's not in England, but John Hermanson is an OM specialist, and his Camtech shop has a great reputation.</p>

<p>http://www.zuiko.com/</p>

<p> </p>

[dan_b.4]

<p>I see this question in various forms on forums across the 'net. The question isn't whether you can get another of the same camera for less -- which may end up not working, either -- but how much is an overhaul to bring it into good working order that, if done properly, should give you another 20 or 30 years of service? I've had camera bodies go that long, and longer, without needing an overhaul. When they finally did need work, I decided then how much it would be worth to me to have them work another 20 or 30 years.</p>

[john_hermanson2]

<p>I'd be happy to overhaul your OM body if you decide to send it. I get cameras from all over the world. John www.zuiko.com</p>

[archaeoImages]

<p>You could try Michael Spencer - <a href="http://www.camerarepairs-r-us.co.uk/">http://www.camerarepairs-r-us.co.uk/</a> - worked on several Olympus cameras/lenses for me with excellent results. Reasonable prices & definitely honest.</p>

[chris_smith23]

<p>I've used Keith Leedham to perform a CLA on my OM-4 and the results were very good. His website's here: http://www.klcamerarepairs.co.uk/.<br>

Chris</p>