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M2 repair question


sfage

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I have a 1961 M2. The time appears to be off by at least 2 stops.

 

Example: I am shooting asa 200. I set my meter for 160 (it's a new meter). It asks for 125, I shoot at 60.

 

Fillm 'still' very, very dark.

 

It seems odd to me. I would expect it to go in the opposite direction (sluggish, therefore asa 200 ask 125 I give 250).

 

Can someone tell me what an "approximate" price for a CLA will be?

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I've had shutter speeds get fast on a couple of old Leicas. The tech commented the lube dried out rather than "became gummy" - where gummy would slow it down, but perhaps "dry" loses the damping effect on bearings.

I recall about $295 for full M service.

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I've had shutter speeds get fast on a couple of old Leicas. The tech commented the lube dried out rather than "became gummy" - where gummy would slow it down, but perhaps "dry" loses the damping effect on bearings.

I recall about $295 for full M service.

 

Same here, on an M3, after about 20 years!

 

Gerry

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If you live in the US Youxin Ye does excellent work, he has CLA'd two bodies for me and one was an M2 that came back much improved. He charges around $140.

 

I second the service from Youxin. I've had him do an M2 and M3 and the work was Excellent. Best part is the turnaround time is about 1 week. You read this correctly "1 WEEK !!!!!!!!!!"

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1 week you say?

 

That's pretty darned good.

 

I called the New Jersey guys and they said seven.

 

"That's out."

Yep 1 week.

I see his site says 2 weeks, but both times I sent it to him it was within a week.

Also, he keeps you updated by email so the camera is not in a black hole.

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You may want to read this. Overly histrionic, but an alternative viewpoint nonetheless. As always, make your own mind up.

 

That said, I must admit I struggle to understand how one repairer manages a one week turnaround when every other is multiples of same...

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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You may want to read this. Overly histrionic, but an alternative viewpoint nonetheless. As always, make your own mind up.

 

That said, I must admit I struggle to understand how one repairer manages a one week turnaround when every other is multiples of same...

Yes Youxin has had the misfortune of learning his trade in the age of the internet. Of course none of the other vaunted Leica techs have ever made a mistake their whole lives... ;) He got some bad advice a few years ago on lubricating oils and did make a mess of a batch of camera repairs. I understand he made good faith attempts at repairing all the damage but the incident lives on courtesy of the internet.

 

Youxin lives about a 25 minute drive from me so when I bought an M2 recently I sent it to him for a check-up and picked it up when he was done. He's a very interesting bloke, charming and passionate about Leicas and he has an amazing collection of them. He was a consultant to the Leica Insight Exhibition at Beijing’s World Art Museum last year and authored the exhibit catalog. He's been repairing Leicas for 10 years and my experience with his work is a sample of two; a Barnack IIIC and the M2. His work for me was excellent and I have no hesitation recommending him for work on older Leica bodies.

 

How does he manage the quick turnaround? Well he gets on average 5-6 pieces per day to service, he works all the time and he's compulsive about keeping his customers informed of status by email. He tells me that he never gets to bed before midnight. Long hours; as the owner of a (very) small business I do understand.

 

Having said all that the OP is in Canada and you have Gerry Smith at Kindermann there. Why hassle with Canadian customs on the return trip? Kindermann will cost more than Youxin but the lack of shipping and customs aggravation in the transaction is probably worth it.

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Guest sterlinstarlin

Youxin Ye did an excellent job on one of my M2s. Quick turnaround and didn't require payment until I had my camera back. I'd send anything I'd want to shoot with in a timely manner to him in a heartbeat.

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I have used both mr Ye and Gerry smith. Gerry smith is awesome with both lenses and all m bodies; he is my favourite tech. Youxin does very quick work and I wouldn't hesitate to use him for minor tune ups on all-mechanical bodies.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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