Zack's Camera Repair

[GRHazelton]

I have a Werra camera which needs a little attention. What experiences have you folks had with Zack's? The response they sent seems to have originated with a human, and the possible price was competitive.

 

[GRHazelton]

I have a Werra camera which needs a little attention. What experiences have you folks had with Zack's? The response they sent seems to have originated with a human, and the possible price was competitive.

 

[pmargolis]

I have a Werra camera which needs a little attention. What experiences have you folks had with Zack's? The response they sent seems to have originated with a human, and the possible price was competitive.

I had Zack's repair the focusing mechanism of a Fuji 645 rangefinder camera for me 7 or 8 years ago. Nobody else would touch the camera, but Zack's repaired it for a reasonable cost, and it is still going strong. I can certainly recommend them.
Good luck, Paul

 

[removed account4]

he rebuilt a rolleicord for me, it worked like it was 1933 all over again !

 

[ronwhit]

I've had Mike Zacks service several of my 35 MM cameras over the years, and have purchased a couple used from him. I've never been disappointed in his service.

 

[papagene]

I've used Zacks a few times and have been very happy with his work.

 

[bdial]

I am another happy Zack's customer.

 

[benveniste]

Add another happy customer to the list. They did a very nice job bringing my 35mm f/2.8 PC back to life.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Threads merged.

 

[CMoore]

I have used him for a few different 35mm bodies. I also talked to him (is his name Mike) on the phone for about 10 minutes. I got a good feeling from him. He seems to have a good knowledge of camera repair.
Actually, with that One Phone call and a few Emails, i have found him to communicate 100% better than 90% of the camera techs i have used over the years.

 

[removed account4]

if i had sent my mama six to zacks instead of certoe six id still have it..
one of my biggest regrets !

 

[Sirius Glass]

This sounds like a good resource to when one needs an uncommon camera worked on.

 

[StanMac]

Zack's has repaired several vintage 35mm cameras and a completely frozen (focus, rangefinder, shutter) Ansco Speedex Special R to like new working condition for me. I'd let them repair my pacemaker, if I had one needing repair.

Stan

 

[bvy]

He CLA'd my Ilex #5 about a year ago. I should have checked the shutter speeds when it came back, because the fastest ones are off by a half to a full stop now. So either they weren't quite right when I got it back, or they "drifted." But I've been shooting with strobes, so it hasn't been an issue till now. Overall, the service was prompt and professional.

 

[guangong]

Zachs was able to repair my bazaarly engineered Medalist and several other odd ball cameras at a very reasonable price. He is really able to do the impossible!

 

[CMoore]

He CLA'd my Ilex #5 about a year ago. I should have checked the shutter speeds when it came back, because the fastest ones are off by a half to a full stop now. So either they weren't quite right when I got it back, or they "drifted." But I've been shooting with strobes, so it hasn't been an issue till now. Overall, the service was prompt and professional.

What do you do to know they are off by 1/2 stop.?
Thank You

 

[removed account4]

just dropped off something the other day ..
i go in person

 

[Steve Goldstein]

He CLA'd my Ilex #5 about a year ago. I should have checked the shutter speeds when it came back, because the fastest ones are off by a half to a full stop now. So either they weren't quite right when I got it back, or they "drifted." But I've been shooting with strobes, so it hasn't been an issue till now. Overall, the service was prompt and professional.

A few years ago Frank Marshman told me that it was basically impossible to get all the speeds on an Ilex 5 to be accurate. You could have the fast range or the slow range, but not both. Frank has a lot of experience with these shutters and bought out the parts stock when the factory sold them off, so I trust his knowledge. So it's possible that's what you've got.

 

[bvy]

What do you do to know they are off by 1/2 stop.?
Thank You

I noticed it was consistently overexposing while working in ambient light. I confirmed it with a shutter speed tester.

A few years ago Frank Marshman told me that it was basically impossible to get all the speeds on an Ilex 5 to be accurate. You could have the fast range or the slow range, but not both. Frank has a lot of experience with these shutters and bought out the parts stock when the factory sold them off, so I trust his knowledge. So it's possible that's what you've got.

I believe there's probably some truth to that. But they're all very old at this point -- are none of them out there accurate? At any rate, if that's the case, I would hope whoever was servicing it would make the customer aware of what they could or couldn't do to get the speeds right.