Guide
Where to get cameras repaired.
Finding a good technician is harder than it should be. Here's what I've learned after twenty years of sending cameras out and doing most of the work myself.
The situation
Good camera repair technicians are rare. The people who trained in the 1960s and 1970s are retiring. The people who might have replaced them mostly chose other careers. There are fewer working technicians now than there were ten years ago, and fewer still than there were twenty years ago.
In Florida, the situation is better than in some states but not as good as in major cities like New York or Los Angeles. There are a handful of technicians in the state who do good work. There are also people who claim to do camera repair and don't.
I do most of my own repair work. But there are jobs I send out -- Leica rangefinder work that requires specialized tools, shutter curtain replacement, and anything involving the Hasselblad lens shutters. For those, I have technicians I trust.
What to ask a technician
What cameras do you specialize in?
A good technician has specialties. Someone who claims to work on everything equally well is probably not excellent at anything. Ask specifically about your camera.
Do you have service manuals?
Service manuals are essential for precision work. A technician who doesn't have them is working from memory or guessing. This is acceptable for simple jobs but not for complex ones.
What lubricants do you use?
The answer should be specific. Molykote DX for slow-speed governors, Tribolube for shutter rails, light machine oil for pivot points. Vague answers are a red flag.
How do you test shutter speeds?
The answer should be a shutter speed tester, not 'by ear' or 'by feel.' Some technicians can estimate speeds by ear, but verification requires a tester.
What's your turnaround time?
Good technicians are usually busy. A turnaround of four to eight weeks is normal. Two weeks is fast. If someone says they can do it in a few days, ask why.
Do you offer a warranty?
A reputable technician will stand behind their work. A 90-day warranty on a CLA is reasonable. No warranty is a red flag.
Red flags
They quote a price before seeing the camera. A proper diagnosis requires examining the camera.
They can't tell you what lubricants they use. This suggests they're using whatever is available rather than the correct materials.
They don't test shutter speeds with a tester. Estimating by ear is not calibration.
They offer a very fast turnaround on complex work. A Leica CLA done properly takes three to four hours minimum.
They have no experience with your specific camera model. Some cameras require specialized knowledge.
They don't return the camera with a written record of what was done and what speeds were measured.
Finding technicians
The best way to find a good technician is word of mouth. Ask in film photography communities -- the Film Photography Project forum, the Rangefinderforum, the Photrio forum. People who have had good experiences will tell you. People who have had bad experiences will also tell you.
For Leica work specifically, there are a handful of technicians in the United States who are known to do excellent work. DAG Camera Repair in Wisconsin is one. Youxin Ye in Massachusetts is another. Both have long turnaround times because they're good and people know it.
In Florida, I've had good experiences with technicians in Tampa and Miami. I don't publish names here because situations change -- technicians retire, quality changes. Ask in the communities I mentioned above for current recommendations in Florida.
For simple jobs -- light seal replacement, mirror damper replacement, basic cleaning -- consider learning to do it yourself. The guides on this site cover the most common jobs. The tools are not expensive. The skills transfer across many cameras.
Shipping cameras
If you're shipping a camera for repair, pack it properly. Double-box it. Use bubble wrap inside the inner box. The camera should not move at all when you shake the box. Cameras are damaged in shipping more often than people realize.
Insure the package for the replacement value of the camera, not the repair cost. If the camera is lost or damaged in shipping, you want to be able to replace it.
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