on the subject of CLAs

[roger_michel]

a few threads have appeared recently on the subject on CLAs,

including who best to handle this delicate operation. DAG or

sherry?? is focal point still in the picture?? as noted in the m4-p

versus m6 thread, these esteemed repairers charge $250-$400 for a

basic CLA. i have experience with all of these outfits, and can

vouch for the very high quality of their work.

 

since sherry has come under a little fire, i would like to put in a

special plug for her. she is very good and very honest. i spoke

with her on friday, and she seems to be on top of her workload -- as

much as any one-man shop can be on top of their workload. you want

the skill of the craftsman don't expect assembly-line speed!!

 

but now to my real point: as good as the famous (around here anyway)

folks are, there are LOTS of good repairers in every city who can

strip a leica shutter, lube it, time it, adjust the RF, and generally

make the whole beast purrr. and usually for a fraction of the price

of sherry, DAG, et al. now if you need an obscure part, or if you're

up against a really thorny problem, maybe it has to be DAG/sherry.

but for the run of the mill CLA, it's OK to use the local guy and

save a few hundred bucks.

 

in the boston area, e.g., both APC camera in haverhill and new

england photo in arlington do top notch leica repairs. typical CLA

cost: $125. turnaround time: 1 week.

 

and don't email that i don't know what i'm missing. i know the sound

an m3 should make at every different speed. moreover, i've seen

sherry and DAG's work on my own cameras. yes, they are great. but

they are not the only ones out there -- as this forum would have you

believe.

 

next time, consider giving the local guy a try (at least if you can

get a solid reference or two). you might save some time and money.

and who knows, YOU mite find the next DAG. and with a little more

competition, maybe DAG and sherry would lower their prices a little.

 

BTW, how long do you think the average CLA takes??

[john_collier2]

My M2 went to two local repair techs and the jobs were patch ups though I requested

the best work they could do. I then sent it to Gerry Smith at Kindermann Canada and

the camera just works the way it is supposed to day in and day out. Since then all my

repair work goes to Kindremann and it comes back working great no ifs and or buts. I

use my cameras and I need them to work so I do regular CLAs and they do. YMMV

[al_kaplan1]

I'll put in a plug for Manfred at Dan's Camera Clinic on Biscayne Blvd. at about 52nd St. (305)759-2541 He's been keeping my stuff in working order for more years than I like to lay claim to. Leica, Leicaflex, Rolleiflex, Hasselblad, Compur shutters on view camera glass, I've never had a complaint with his work! And he won't give you a song and dance about "ruining the collector value" if you ask him to install M4 style PC sockets in an M2 or M3!

[matt_m__toronto_]

anyone try reinholt mueller in toronto?

[jim_mcbride]

Although I'm a big DAG fan and wouldn't allow anyone else (except Leica itself) to do

super-critical work on my Leicas, I agree with Roger that it makes sense to try out the

local folks every now and then. I live in the smallest state in the union and there's only

one decent camera repair shop here, but we're not THAT far from Boston and I would

go there if I had to - especially for work on my Nikons.

[roger_michel]

no question there are local yobs who don't know much about leicas -- lots of them. my point is that there are lots of locals repairers, especially in any big city, who can do a first class job with a leica shutter. naturally you need to get references, but that's not difficult.

 

again, this forum has set up three or four excellent repairers as repair gods -- use them or get second rate service. as a result, those three or four small places are swamped, and so take a long time and can charge pretty much what they like.

 

as you say YMMV, but i encourage people to do a little investigating. APC is also good for leaf shutters; indeed, over many years i have found APC's work indistinguishable from the legendary (and MUCH missed) stephen grimes.

[roger_michel]

it might be interesting to compile a leica-specific repair guide that was linked to this site. i know photo-net has such a thing but it has gotten too bloated to be useful.

 

then again, such a link here might break the monopoly . . . . look what happened when the fleenor/oceanside -- marflex combine collapsed -- compur springs and xenotars all over the place!!

[joshroot]

Matt,

 

Tom Abrahamsson tries to send me to Reinholt Mueller every time I mention a Leica related repair. I have yet to send him anything, but he must be good if Tom uses him.

[stephen_w.]

I have to find a decent shop here in Houston. I bought a SWC locally, but it had a hair under the rear element. The shop (paying for removal) sends all their stuff to this guy, so I go. He gets the hair out, but mars the lens locking ring.

 

I go to another shop for an estimate on RF alignment ($100). He takes off the lens, but doesn't know how to put it back on properly. He rotated the lens around the mount until it caught, sick metal on metal sounds. So I wrote here for a DIY, it got answered, and i fixed it myself.

 

I took my OM-1 for meter calibration. I didn't want the camera to get dusty (they just place equipment on open shelves), so I left a pristine lens on it. Guess what, they scuffed the front element, and said they didn't do it, and it won't affect the pictures. I replied: point out your car and I'll key it won't affect how it drives.

 

The problem with experimenting with local shops, is you're taking a risk.

[stephen_w.]

I have YET to find a decent shop here in Houston. The original works as well because Id really like to find one. I have found a great HONEST mechanic, e-mail me if you want to know.

[jay_.]

<<next time, consider giving the local guy a try (at least if you can get a solid reference or two). you might save some time and money.>>

 

Or you might be one penny wise, pound foolish sorry-ass puppy when you try to defeat the "you get what you pay for" addage and end up with a Leica with a bunch of internal screws stripped and replaced with non-OEM's; things filed and bent to "adjust" rather than done as they're supposed to be; parts glued together because they don't have quick access to replacements; shutter tensions set too high to cover up skipped clean/lube steps. Believe me I've seen some real hacking inside Leicas that were "serviced" by people who claimed to know what they were doing. There's a reason even Sherry is a lot cheaper than DAG, let alone some jack-of-all-brands at Podunk Camera Repair and Donut Shop. You get what you pay for.

[Rob F.]

Al: 52nd street, eh? Must be on the West side of Biscayne Blvd, right around where the drug store is/was. In fact, I think I bought a used M3 there, back in the '70's. I grew up on 55th Terrace.

 

Matt: Does Mueller do CLA work? I knew he did modifications and special work, like the addition of goggles to the 21mm f/3.4, that Abrahamsson designed. I wondered if He was an option for CLA's and custom work. I have this wild idea to install a .58 finder, and 28mm frameline, in my M2. DAG said it can't be done. I wonder what Mueller would say.

[roger_michel]

yes jay, and then there are those who like to think they are getting something better because they pay more/wait longer for it.

 

no one is talking about buying a pig and a poke, but rather exploring local shops that come with solid references. already a few names are emerging in that category.

 

but on another note, i'm glad the gas has passed and you are back to your old self. you were beginning to freak people out!!

[james_.1]

I'd only go to a reputable well-known shop. I just had a heater core job done on my car- now it squeaks, parts are broken, switches installed upside down, etc. Screw that. Only reason I had it done at an unknown dealer is the manufacturer covered the repair and the only other dealer I've had good experience with is in another state. I don't like the idea of someone OTJ training with my possessions.

[dougmiles]

I chose to have my M2's first-ever CLA done by my local small-city repairman. I've had jobs for him off and on for over 20 years, so at least I trust him not to attempt repairs beyond his ability. The M2 shutter required some repair, including new brakes, and the total was under $200 for parts, labor, and tax. It runs nicer now, quieter and smoother, and good to have more accurate shutter speeds too. He also worked over my first-version 35 Summicron, finding its focusing helix had been assembled one thread out of place. The small focus error would largely be hidden by DoF by f/2.8 he said. I think he did well, took a couple weeks, and the cost was moderate.

 

I've also used a larger shop in Seattle which has done very well too. But I have had the same kind of "problem" with them twice: They'll examine a camera that needs service and declare it's "not feasible to repair". What I now believe that really means is that they don't have parts or the specialized skills, and/or are reluctant to attempt repair that would likely cost more than the customer would pay. They prefer easy routine predictable work I guess.

 

One such instance was an Olympus 35RC with a dead meter and bad foam light seal. My local guy also cautioned that the cost could be more than it was worth, and success not assured. I took it back again later and said, "do it!" He took care of the foam, found the meter problem was simply a bound coil spring in the movement, cleaned and lubed it, and even put on a nicer top cover as mine had a dent. About $90, which is about what I paid for it in 1972, and I'm delighted to have it working like new again.

 

The other "not feasible in Seattle" repair was a Fuji GS645S (not the folding one) which had a sticky RF and non-linear meter. Later I discovered CameraWiz, a Fuji expert, who fixed it up just fine and additionally found broken parts in the lens mount from impact damage. I'd got it recently at a camera show unaware of that internal damage. $140 seems more than fair, and again I'm delighted to have a fully working camera.

 

This does point up, I think, that there are times for the specialists, who have the parts on hand and have developed the expertise to do the jobs other shops cannot.

[jim bob]

It sounds like DAG and Sherry are quite good on M series. Until these recent postings, I was leaning towards Sherry. Now I'll have to think about it. Can anyone recommend repair services that are good on screwmount Leica's? To be even more specific, any in the NW US, especially Seattle area? I have a IIIf that seems to have some shutter problems. Since we are naming names, I bought it from KEH with a high rating. On the other hand, I have bought other cameras (T90, Contessa) from KEH that I am very pleased with, and will continue to shop with them. I guess that only very rarely do the ratings reflect the actual use of the camera to take pictures.

[ray .]

<i>...jack-of-all-brands at Podunk Camera Repair and Donut Shop.</i>

<p>

Yeah, I don't think that was the point...

<p>

I agree Roger, and I think the Leica specific reference is a good idea.

<p>

Here in southern California, we've got Steve's Camera Center in L.A. (formerly Rudy Ling's- been there for years), specialists in Hasselblad and Leica. I'll post the contact info later.

[ray .]

Emails and reputation are nice, but it's also nice to meet the person first hand and see what kind of shop they work in...

[joshroot]

There's not much in the Seattle area to recomend for Leica repair.

[matt_m__toronto_]

reinholt's number : 416 467 6992

[jim_a]

Roger, when Don Goldberg was CLAing a few cameras for me recently I asked him how long it took to CLA an M. I had no idea if it was an hour or eight. He said it was a two to three hour job.

[jim_a]

I'm curious if anyone has used Youxin Ye for a CLA? He's listed at http://www.nemeng.com/leica/007e.shtml. I've spoken with him on the phone a few times and got a really good vibe from him.

[Brian1664876441]

I bought an M3 SS from Youxin. It worked perfectly at all speeds, VF/RF clean bright and accurate, smooth-like-silk winding. It is the quietest camera that I own. I am very pleased with the camera and its operation.

 

I would reccommend him as well as Essex in New Jersey. I have a long track record with Essex: Leica IIIf, Leica M3DS, Nikon F, Nikon F Photomic T; Nikon F2 Photomic; Nikon F2A; Nikon MD-2; Nikon F36; nikkormat FT3; Pentax H1a; and about 10 Leica and Nikon lenses.

 

The camera from Youxin was in perfect operating order and I would not hesitate to buy from him again, or send a Leica to him for CLA.

[jay_.]

<<DIY: Leica Camera Repair Handbook by Thomas Tomosy ISBN 0-936262-87- 7 published by Amherst Media, Inc.

 

As good as the local shop...>>

 

Can't argue with that Frank. Cost me $7 to ship that useless waste of ink and paper back to amazon for a refund.

[henry_ting2]

For repairs, even simple CLA work, I learned a lesson to always go to the reputable person. I was once in Hong Kong and need some work done fast. Based on some people's recommendation, a person who was retired from the Hong Kong Leica agent and was a serviceman with them in the past, I gave him a 100mm APO with a stuck/sticky aperture because that was the only lens I use for the R. The repair work was done in just one afternoon, but I found out I myself could have done a better job. The aperature was no better than before, and the blades were all scratched up. Internally, there were dusts everywhere, there was a deep scratch on the rear lens. I got some cash compensation after having a fit, but the lens was not usable afterwards. The irony was this guy have some Leica certificates from Solms and Canada displaying in his room. Just as Jay say, be very careful in selecting who you want to service your equipment.