NRC repair in taiwan (70-200 VR1 restoration from NR.com)

[robert_stig]

<p>Im writing this for those who arent in the US (mostly europe/ME/asia areas) and are looking for a repair center because the ones in your countries arent very proficient and competent.<br>

my 28-70 AFS 2.8 died a few months back and was pretty much locked on to send it to the US to Nikon melville NY.I did go the nikon importer in my country and they said they dont deal with complex repair and send out to nikon japan. I also took it to another repair center and they said the same. for those who have repairs and dont exactly to trust the repair cneters in their countries, the only available option is to send it to other repair centers out of the country. there are many. but if I were to send it to nikon in the US, they dont ship out of country, so the package would have to be sent to a friend in the US, delaying shipment even more. and extra shipping fees.<br /> <br />after seeing how they brought back the 70-200 VR1 lens back to life<br /> it can be searched under "Amazing restoration of old Nikon lenses" on NR site.<br>

the other was "Four design drawbacks of the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens." you can find it on NR site as well.<br>

I was curious and sent them an email. got a very fast reply from Daniel. very friendly guy. said, the motor may not be the problem. it may be some other issue like the bearings but mostly, it needs to be opened and accessed.<br>

I liked the personal service and got their address and decided to send it in. I know turn around time for nikon is usually in the month area and till id see the lens back would be close to 2 months. plus the bureaucracy of catching someone to talk to is a pain in the butt. I sent the lens on wednesday by EMS to NRC. it arrived today I guess, and he opened it and said the motherboard is bad and also the bearings (3 of them) are a bit worn and for now theyre ok but later it might be an issue with it intermittently working. I think its best to replace them now then and save the hassle of it failing again down the line. if I already sent it in for repair, might as well take care of it sooner than later.<br>

ill update more when I get more info. just wanting to give people feedback on my situation. im sure there are those who are in my exact shoes and uncertain what to do. I personally dont trust the repair centers in my country as I dont think they have the knowledge/experience or proper machinery to do the job properly and would only get it done right somewhere else. <br />the SWM isnt a repair thats done frequently. after seeing what he did with the 70-200 I was very curious.<br>

anyways were discussing the situation with bearings. there is a plastic bearing and metal bearing im guessing. not 100% sure.<br /> some pictures of my dissembled lens<br>

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=am4376&s=8</p>

[robert_stig]

<p>Just updating this post <br>

total time back and forth was 3 weeks at most from what I remember. and thats to him, repair and back. price was reasonable. $350 including shipping express and he fixed the ding and replaced the worn focus ring as well. also made an adjustment on the mount which was offset. man the thing zooms, very quiet and precise. shot an event yesterday and im very happy. need a bit more testing as I prefered to shoot with my 70-200 85 and 105 over the 28-70. the test is in low light in weddings with fast moving subjects. <br /><br />the procedure for sending a lens out of country isnt so fun. a lot of BS bureaucracy. basically, went to customs, showed them the lens, told them it needs to be repaired out of country. they print u out a form with your pertinent info and write the lens serial on it and what the item is as well. then I take it and pack it and I made a copy of the paper and placed one in the box and taped another copy on the outside of the box and wrote "for customs. lens inside is for repair and to be sent back, please dont charge customs fees to receiver"<br /><br />on return the other copy was added to the outside of the box and customs released it of fees as they confirmed the serial of the lens. you must do this step or you will be charged customs. possibly if you show a paid receipt with serial showing you bought it in your country they will let it pass when you explain it was repaired. Daniel the manager also includes a repair invoice for them.<br /><br />I have to send him the 70-200VR1. I was at a wedding and the lens was on my shoulder and I stupid and it hit something when I went up some stairs to mount my off camera flash. focus ring is very stiff to move.<br /><br />btw, from what someone on another forum posted, nikon no longer repairs the 80-200 SWM version. not sure where though. japan, US, or his country. so basically, repair choices are getting more limited.<br /><br />Daniel was very professional, replied usually in hours and take into consideration we have over 60 emails back and forth. 60! try 10 with nikon and see how that goes. fast personal friendly service. Im sticking with him. not sure if he does flashes/cameras though. for some people in certain countries, its either send out of country or not repair and buy something else. repairing it saved me money over buying used or new.<br /><br />the NRC youtube channel is here. very interesting to see how lenses are repaired.<br />https://www.youtube.com/user/520pf/videos<br>

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its not updating the old post as new, so made a new one and copy pasted that info.</p>