Canon 7 CLA

[KingJon]

Have a canon 7, which has become my favorite camera. Would like to get the light seals replaced and a general CLA so it’ll last another 50 years or so. Anyone have a recommendation of who would work on an old canon rangefinder?
Thanks,

Jon

 

[mgb74]

I vaguely remember reading that Yousin Ye does not work on the Canon 7, but I'd check with him anyway. Please post whatever you find out.

 

[jgoody]

Don Goldberg (DAG) will do a CLA on the Canon 7. Yousin Ye will not work on a 7. I had Don CLA my Canon P and was surprised at the quick turnaround. I found him responsive to emails as well. He has an excellent reputation. https://www.dagcamera.com

 

[Paul Howell]

Wonder why a tech will work on a P but not a 7? What makes a 7 so different from a P?

 

[jgoody]

Electrics for the meter on the 7 - the P is all mechanical.

 

[Paul Howell]

The 7 has a Selenium meter, the shutter is all mechanical, I can understand that a selenium meter may not be salvageable, other wise replace light seals, clean and lube.

 

[BrianVS]

Documentation and experience count for a lot when taking apart a camera. The Canon 7 finder is much more complex than the Canon P, getting the top plate back on can be a trick. Working around the meter, getting it all back together without knocking the meter off and causing the shutter release to jam up- takes a lot of time. Took me a long time to figure out why the shutter release would not work WHEN the top plate was back on. Turned out that the frameline selector had not fallen exactly into place. Then had to "recalibrate" the meter. Took a couple of screw-ups to figure it out. Then, unless oyu do it often- forget the lessons learned. Canon 7's are going for cheap these days, and a pro would have to charge a fair bit to work on one. takes longer than the P.

 

[KingJon]

All,
Thanks for the responses. Found three places to send a 7 or any Canon Rangefinder, I imagine.
Mark Hama
DAG
Stephen Gandy @Cameraquest

I have used Mark Hama before and send my Leicas to Sherry Krauter so I don’t have any experience with the others. If anyone has had experience with DAG or Cameraquest, I’d like to hear about it.
Thanks,
Jon

 

[jgoody]

As I mentioned I had Don Goldberg do a CLA on a Canon P. It was done quicker than I expected and I haven't had any issues. At some point I plan to send him my 7. No experience with Mark Hama, or repairs at Cameraquest.

 

[biggreydog]

As I mentioned I had Don Goldberg do a CLA on a Canon P. It was done quicker than I expected and I haven't had any issues. At some point I plan to send him my 7. No experience with Mark Hama, or repairs at Cameraquest.

Can I ask when you had DAG do your Canon P?
I've had him do a number of things for me, and the work was exquisite and fast, but that was 5 or more years ago. I'm hearing that he, like most of the better-known Leica repair people, is snowed under now and turn around times are long. (But that's not first hand experience.)

Also, as a data point, I've had Sherry Krauter do both Leicas and Nikons for me, but I asked her last week and she's not doing Canons, or any lenses for now. Leica bodies only, I guess. Too much work.

 

[jgoody]

Don received the camera on 8/3/17 and it was ready on 8/27/17 - so it was quick. I did email him first to tell him I wanted to send it in and get a rough estimate of time, costs. A pleasant experience!

 

[horacekenneth]

Where did you end up? I'm curious, I'm in need of some repair on the same

 

[aoresteen]

+1 for Don. I've used him since 2001.