'Lost' camera repairers

PeterSpencer

PeterSpencer

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I just took a call from Newton Ellis in Liverpool, about an unclaimed repair which I don't remember taking to them. The company is closing its shop and the business, except that they are continuing to work on projects they consider worthy from home. They can still be contacted through their website, I am led to believe. The unclaimed repair was an Exacta body which was scrap anyway apparently.

So recently we have lost, in addition to Newton Ellis, Black on White, Hitech in Newcastle under Lyne, and, of course, Miles Whitehead.

I'm sure this isn't a complete disaster but leaves us with fewer repair options, perhaps.

I have to say that a recent repair by Black on White revived a Kodak Ektar large format lens from the dead, for which I am very grateful.
 
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It is a worrying trend, I have recently sent my F6 to 1st Aid Repairs in Tunbridge Wells on Miles's recommendation, I'll feed back on my experience when it's back in my hands and has been tested.
 
Have Black on White gone? Their web site still appears to be active.
 
Dave Ilot, who traded as Aztech Services, in Dorset - a one man band, I'm pretty sure. He was a good Nikon mechanic.

Camera repairers are a bit like vets - a few are grounded but many would like to cut your arm off to cure your cat. Luckily, there's a sensible middle ground ... if you can find it.

Any quote I had from Newton Ellis was on the expensive side. Hopefully, if they're downsizing ...
 
I've just had my A7RV repaired by the chap at Premier Electronic Services in Chesterfield. The shop doesn't inspire confidence, looks like a poky little junk shop, but had the camera back around 4 days later, with a £250 repair bill, which I thought was very reasonable.
 
RaglanSurf said:
It is a worrying trend, I have recently sent my F6 to 1st Aid Repairs in Tunbridge Wells on Miles's recommendation, I'll feed back on my experience when it's back in my hands and has been tested.
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Miles couldn't fix my f4 so suggested
Aztech Services
Dorset
BH23 8AA
BUT they quoted me a silly price of £180 to fix it anyway think they have closed as link not responding http://www.aztechservices.com/
 
Try Sopers in Plymouth.
 
There's also Londinium Cameras (in Devon, too, go figure!)...
 
ChrisR said:
I think that chap was featured on the Repair Shop once... based in Birmingham IIRC.
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I had two Robot shutters serviced by PPP at a very reasonable price. Ironically The Repair Shop episode which I saw with Piero in it was a Robot camera restauration. A bit contrived as you would expect from TV, I think because the original camera had a 30mm (Tessar?) lens which was absolutely knackered. So, as I recall, Piero popped on a new lens as if it came from nowhere. I've been looking for one of these for ages!
 
Sadly a lot of the older style business are dying out. Camera repairers, watchmakers, the small local garages and loads of others come to mind.
There seems to be little chance of getting a job as an apprentice these days, they are about but nothing like the scale they were years ago. Items now are often considered "disposable", if they cant change a module they bin it, gone are the days of a little old chap taking it apart and repairing the bit thats actually broken.
Mind things are not made to be repaired, I spent a lot of time in the 1960s taking cars apart, and occasionally getting them back together, I'd need Stephen Hawking now.
Unless the country invests in these older style trades they'll be gone forever soon.
 
Glad I clicked on this thread, PPP is a couple of miles away from me.
Got some old colour films which I don't fancy developing myself.
Wonder if they need a 62 year old apprentice!
 
Must admit that on the couple of occasions that I have been in touch with PPP, with regards to shutter problems he has referred me to his extremely expensive mates in London, which I was not impressed by. But maybe that's just me.
 
I used Camserve (UK) last year for a Seagull 203 folder CLA and was happy with the results.
 
There were also 2 other repairers in Sussex and Surrey and they both seemed to just vanish as well. The one in Surrey was in Redhill and he specialised in Olympus OM series and fully repaired an almost scrap Zuiko 21/3.5 for me. The one in Sussex used to be involved with MXV Photographic and when they went to the wall around 2003/2004 moved somewhere up near to Crowborough in East Sussex and specialised in converting digital cameras to IR only. I think their trading name was Protech.
 
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Well, there's this one. As recommended to me by Analogue Wonderland. All I can say is you pays your money, you takes your choice.

www.camerasbymax.co.uk

Cameras By Max | Eco-friendly and queer owned 35mm film camera shop

35mm Film Camera Shop and Repair Service | Eco-friendly and Queer Owned | Based in Cardiff, UK. We refurbish and repair top quality 35mm film cameras and accessories. All of our 35mm film cameras are fully tested, and fully working. Our 35mm film cameras come with a roll of 35mm film, a cheat...
www.camerasbymax.co.uk www.camerasbymax.co.uk
 
Plain Nev said:
Well, there's this one. As recommended to me by Analogue Wonderland. All I can say is you pays your money, you takes your choice.

www.camerasbymax.co.uk

Cameras By Max | Eco-friendly and queer owned 35mm film camera shop

35mm Film Camera Shop and Repair Service | Eco-friendly and Queer Owned | Based in Cardiff, UK. We refurbish and repair top quality 35mm film cameras and accessories. All of our 35mm film cameras are fully tested, and fully working. Our 35mm film cameras come with a roll of 35mm film, a cheat...
www.camerasbymax.co.uk www.camerasbymax.co.uk
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What does this mean? Are you saying they are not good?
 
RaglanSurf said:
What does this mean? Are you saying they are not good?
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I have no idea. But when the first thing you see is a bio of the owner listing his preferred pronouns you must draw your own conclusions.
 
TBH I’m not sure I’m that bothered whether they have preferred pronouns, I’m more concerned whether they can do a job.
I will admit that I find the current debate on gender identity a little confusing but don’t let it interfere with my choice of tradesperson. If Analogue Wonderland have seen fit to recommend them then I’m guessing it’s likely they have enough positive feedback about Cameras by Max to feel comfortable pointing customers in their direction.
If anyone has direct experience of them it would be great if they could share it here.
 
Of course. Although personally I would much prefer not to have to navigate that particular minefield.
 
GreenNinja67 said:
Didn't there used to be a repairer in Cranleigh, Surrey?

I forget his name.

@flashp will remember.
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Clive Fulcher, PRW camera repairs. He went to work for a bigger company, still in Cranleigh, after selling his business. Sorry, I don't seem to be getting any notifications.
 
My Kodak stereo camera is playing up a bit so I contacted a couple of repairers who declined to work on it and then I got a positive response so I sent the camera of for an estimate and got a quote a couple of days ago for £450 plus VAT! Despite the repairer's apparent enthusiasm it looks like maybe they don't want to carry out the work or maybe it is really tricky, say a ten hour repair at £45/hour, which wouldn't be unreasonable given the level of skill required.

Bear in mind the camera is 70 years old.

Anyhow, I have declined their offer so I'm getting the camera back and see if I can pass it on with an honest description of the faults; occasional overlapping frames and a discrepancy in the shutter speeds of the two lenses, so it is actually useable up to a point.

I've seen a replacement for £70 plus postage but I think I would prefer to move on so I bought a Spuntnik 120 stereo camera which takes side by side stereo pairs, a lot more convenient than the Kodak which takes the pictures in staggered frames, 1+3, 2+4 etc. This is a bit fiddly when processing for printing.

Of course I still have my Pentax beam splitter to fall back on and I can use a focussing stage to take pictures of static objects.

I haven't named the repairer who quoted me as I can understand the possible reasons for the high repair fee.
 
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PeterSpencer said:
So recently we have lost, in addition to Newton Ellis, Black on White, Hitech in Newcastle under Lyne, and, of course, Miles Whitehead.
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Myles has serviced a few lenses for me and although he's now semi retired he's still taking on some work, he serviced a lens for me recently. It's therefore worthwhile emailing him.
 
Newton Ellis are/were able to repair almost anything. I started using them when H. A. Garrett (Sutton) closed down, in the late 1990s from memory. Since 2004 they have done over 700 repairs for me, mainly classic equipment, Leica, Rolleiflex, Zeiss, Hasselblad, Nikon etc. but including a few really obscure items such a Globuscope which needed parts making for it. I’ve started using alternative repairers for Leica & Hasselblad but there now doesn’t seem to be one specialist repairer for all types of classic cameras.

Peter
 
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There is one based in Leicester called Ed Trodska or something similar I can never get his name spelling correct. He will not touch anything electronic and I am led to believe he is a dab hand with Contax rangefinder cameras. I have not used his services, but spoken to him a few times, but like a lot of the traditional repairers the spectre of retirement is on the horizon. I have has telephone number on a memory stick somewhere so will look it up shortly
 
Rodinal said:
There is one based in Leicester called Ed Trodska or something similar I can never get his name spelling correct. He will not touch anything electronic and I am led to believe he is a dab hand with Contax rangefinder cameras. I have not used his services, but spoken to him a few times, but like a lot of the traditional repairers the spectre of retirement is on the horizon. I have has telephone number on a memory stick somewhere so will look it up shortly
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I found it easier than I thought :-

Ed Trzoska of Euro Photographic Services, 150 Harrowgate Drive, Leicester, LE4 3GP, England. 0116 267 4247 Website just google Euro Photographic services
 
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