Plaubel Makina 67: Anyone used Wiese Fototechnik for service?

[skysh4rk]

Hi all,

As per thread title, I was wondering if anyone has used Wiese Fototechnik in Germany for servicing their cameras, particularly for Plaubel Makina 67s?

My Makina 67 is working, but I recently noticed that the rangefinder window is a bit loose and one side is sticking more into the body than the other (although recently discovered, I suspect it could have actually been this way for some time). Photos look fine for the moment, but the looseness of the window seems to mean that vertical alignment in the viewfinder is prone to drifting up and down in correspondence.

Due to this, I was hoping to get the camera serviced at some point soon to prevent any issues from becoming worse.

I know that Plaubel themselves stopped servicing these cameras in 2017, but their website now recommends Wiese Fototechnik for repairs. I contacted Wiese and they said that they fix these cameras and their email signature even included the Plaubel logo (a small, but reassuring touch).

As I'm based in the UK, I would prefer to send to a European-based repair shop such as this. Ordinarily I send my cameras to Miles Whitehead or Newton Ellis in the UK, but know that the Makina is a bit of a special beast.

There have been some threads on similar topics in the past, but most of these appear to be about two years old and before Plaubel began recommending Wiese Fototechnik.

So, with the above in mind, any experiences/thoughts on Wiese or on repairing the Makina 67 in UK/Europe would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

RJ

 

[warden]

I remember when Plaubel discontinued service without identifying a partner to take over, which was disappointing. I'm glad to hear they have a partner now, so if you do send your Makina to Wiese Fototechnik I hope you'll share your experiences here.

 

[skysh4rk]

I remember when Plaubel discontinued service without identifying a partner to take over, which was disappointing. I'm glad to hear they have a partner now, so if you do send your Makina to Wiese Fototechnik I hope you'll share your experiences here.

Yeah, it is encouraging that they have a partner, but I also have seen what seemed to be mixed reviews online regarding the partner (translated from German). With this in mind, I was hoping there had been users on this site with some experience dealing with the shop even if not necessarily with a Plaubel camera.

On a related note, I spoke to the repair technician from Newton Ellis in the UK today and he recommended using the camera until it just simply didn't work anymore rather than risk any repairs or servicing now. He stated he was not a fan of the camera in no uncertain terms and wouldn't be willing to fix/service the camera.

 

[warden]

On a related note, I spoke to the repair technician from Newton Ellis in the UK today and he recommended using the camera until it just simply didn't work anymore rather than risk any repairs or servicing now. He stated he was not a fan of the camera in no uncertain terms and wouldn't be willing to fix/service the camera.

Wow, not exactly a ringing endorsement!

It's a pretty simple camera so I imagine it'll be fine to continue to use it, assuming there is no risk of the rangefinder window falling out.

 

[skysh4rk]

Wow, not exactly a ringing endorsement!

It's a pretty simple camera so I imagine it'll be fine to continue to use it, assuming there is no risk of the rangefinder window falling out.

Yeah, he said he'd had trouble repairing these previously, so was not a fan.

I actually suspect the rangefinder window has been that way for some time, so it's probably fine. I have put a tiny bit of black electrical tape around the one edge of the rangefinder window though, just in case, to try to minimise any movement. Because it's black and I've carefully applied it, you don't even notice the tape on the camera.

 

[OrientPoint]

I brought mine to WizCam here in New York. Service wasn't cheap ($250), but he knows what he's doing and communication was ok. Turnaround was a bit more than a month. Of course, for you it means shipping it to the USA which may be a nonstarter, but there are definitely people out there who can service these things.

 

[warden]

I brought mine to WizCam here in New York. Service wasn't cheap ($250), but he knows what he's doing and communication was ok. Turnaround was a bit more than a month. Of course, for you it means shipping it to the USA which may be a nonstarter, but there are definitely people out there who can service these things.

I sent one Makina to Plaubel and the service, communication, and turn-around was excellent, but very pricey. I also used WizCam with another Makina and the communication was bad but the work was good.

I'm hoping Plaubel did the proper due diligence on their new service partner.