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Repair shops getting overwhelmed.
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I'm thinking that at the 6 month mark, all reasons to continue being polite about it are null and void.
Surely when you sent in a camera for servicing, you asked for a time estimate and your expectations were set accordingly??! What span of time were you told to expect?
When I have sent cameras out for servicing, I always ask how long I should expect the process to take, and I am always provided with an answer. If the serviceman declines to give me a clear idea of how long the process should take, I decline to send it to that business. I have yet to have a camera servicing take longer than the maximum time I was told to expect it to take.
If someone were to tell me that servicing a camera would take 8-12 weeks and it turned into 7 months, there's no way they'd get repeat business from me, and I'd be inclined to warn friends away from that business.
At least 3 weeks. That was 5 months ago.
First off - were you given an estimated completion date?
And no doubt you've reached out to ask about progress and an ETA?
Several times. "give me a couple weeks." The last time was 9 weeks ago.
That service provider should be avoided at all costs, IMO. Unacceptable performance.
You can be sure I will avoid him. There are extenuating circumstances though, which is why I haven't gotten too angry yet. He has to put back together an uncommon camera that he didn't take apart, which has to be a challenge. But he also knew what he was getting into when he accepted the job and billed me.
Old people who are mostly if not predominately are doing work in the shops are getting to the physical stage they can't do it anymore.
Younger ones are not into it. Charging price, operating cost and living expenses are not matching this type of business and geography.
Shops like those might be only profitable in Mexico, Vietnam like countries.
Younger ones are not into it. Charging price, operating cost and living expenses are not matching this type of business and geography.
Shops like those might be only profitable in Mexico, Vietnam like countries.
If you run it as typical forum warrior and sit on several bodies, the decades is correct statement.
If you'll try to use it even in remote proximity to Winogrand, by several bulks per year on single camera, LEICA won't hold it now.
The only first quality for long term use I was able to discover so far are old mechanical Nikons.
So called Leica has deteriorating parts which are more difficult to replace comparing to typical SLR foams.
I wonder if this isn't the Ebay effect made worse by the pandemic. Too many old and past-their-best cameras changing hands at an ever faster pace. You buy one, you can't get it to work properly, you sell it on, you buy another, and so on. The solution might be to buy less, buy more local, and buy more wisely?
This is not just a problem for still film photography. One of the top service techs for cine film cameras and lenses has just retired ... Bernie O'Dougherty of Super 16 Inc.
Bernie retired? I guess it was bound to happen. He was the Eclair guru. He helped me out a couple of times with my FSU cinema cameras. I hadn’t really thought about the film movie camera service situation. Still a few more years until all the old techs retire I suspect, since film was the primary image capture technology until about a decade ago unlike still photography. I know a great place here in LA, Cinema Engineering, but who knows how long he will be doing service work. He restores everything from antique Debrie to Showscan gear.
I think what has happened are several factors. (1) Not being able to eat out or take airline trips etc. freed up a lot of cash for many people (2) working from home freed up time for photography (3) many of those stimulus checks have gone to relatively frivolous things like cameras (I spent mine on a Darlot Petzval from Belgium.) My state never "locked down" or anything but my company let me take unpaid time off early on, which I did. I spent a month with my 4x5 taking photos in Dakota small towns.
I would love to learn camera repair and do some of that as a retirement job, but there is no one within three hours of me to learn from. It would be great if there was a repair shop in my town--I'd work there part time. I do have a small number (relatively small by this group's standards) of cameras 1904-1950 but any more I most use large format and have been using 19th C. lenses doing tin type at that. These cameras are easy to repair and the lenses have no shutter. I was thinking of sending my Leica IIIc in to YYE and have a Vitessa that needs the RF fixed, but think I'll hold off for awhile.
Kent in SD
I would love to learn camera repair and do some of that as a retirement job, but there is no one within three hours of me to learn from. It would be great if there was a repair shop in my town--I'd work there part time. I do have a small number (relatively small by this group's standards
) of cameras 1904-1950 but any more I most use large format and have been using 19th C. lenses doing tin type at that. These cameras are easy to repair and the lenses have no shutter. I was thinking of sending my Leica IIIc in to YYE and have a Vitessa that needs the RF fixed, but think I'll hold off for awhile.Kent in SD
...another data point, October 2021. Sent a Leica M3 to YYE recently. Four months, turnaround. I didn't flinch at that news. Not surprised. And I'll be happy if I have the camera back at the 4 month mark. Longer would not surprise me.
Cameras have nothing on guns, though. Gunsmiths are even more long lead. And even tougher to find a competent 'smith.
Picture of flea market $4 Leica M3, well, for fun....
Ray
Cameras have nothing on guns, though. Gunsmiths are even more long lead. And even tougher to find a competent 'smith.
Picture of flea market $4 Leica M3, well, for fun....
Ray
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Does YYE still have 'rush' service? When I had my M4 serviced by Youxin a few years ago, all you had to do was write 'rush' on the box and he'd give the camera priority. He turned around my M4 CLA in 3 weeks. It's possible he no longer offers that service.
Believe his website says RUSH work is suspended. And that poor M3 will need overhaul...beyond CLA, to be sure.
Ray
Does eli griggs know about this one?
Aha! Your question had me scratching my head for a moment. Indeed, Eli's head would pop if he knew that a M3 showed up at a flea market for four bucks. But that $4 will turn into $504 invested after I pay Mr Ye for a overhaul. So, the joke may be on me!
Methinks the building trades are indicative of what is happening in the photography repair...
- Not enough folks willing to invest the time in being properly trained
- Not enough training opportunities as veteran craftsmen retire
And it is amazing how stupid these workers can be, in performing tasks. Our daughter and her husband purchased a newly built home with two bathrooms. The developer had sourced two styles of bathroom cabinets...2 of style A and 1 of style B. The construction fools installed 1 style A + 1 style B into Bathroom1, and installed the second style A into Bathroom2...mismatched cabinets in Bathroom1, hello?!
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Youxin's prices have jumped!
Not surprising really.
Not surprising really.
His M body CLA prices don't look much different than they were when I had my camera serviced by him 3 years ago - they've gone up $50. His prices still seem pretty reasonable.
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