Today is a sad day

[Denys]

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Hello again James

 

Great to hear the progress - good luck!   I had seen a few comments about how long some jobs were taking..perhaps some/a lot of that is down to getting spares? I don't know. Certainly when I discussed work with Malcom I got the impression there would be no long delays. Long story short(ish) re my M4-P..     ..I loved it. I dropped it by accident. The damage done to the camera was significant and co-incided with my move from film to digital. I didn't fancy a crop with my 35mm lens with an M8 so moved to Nikon DSLR (I had used Nikon film SLRs). The broken M4-P was stuck in a drawer until recently when my 35mm lens found a new home with an M9-P. That re-ignited my joy using rangefinders.  One day I wondered whether I should get the film body repaired - but honestly didn't believe I would use enough film to justify a costly repair. I contacted Malcom who suggested I send the body to him. I did that and quickly recieved word that bringing back the camera back to life may indeed not be a financially sensible decision. I had a chat with him on the telephone and we agreed that he would buy the body for a fair price. Better still, whilst I imagined it would be used as a source of spares to keep other Ms 'alive', Malcom said he "hated scrapping bodies' so he may repair it. That would be great! As I said in my previous post, it was a joy to converse with him - I get the impression he loves talking Leica and giving advice..you could do worse than give him a call if you have any queries. As I said - good luck!

[earleygallery]

Hi Denys, it sounds like you made the right choice, to see your carmera as a repair/spares job. You can buy a nice M for about £400 plus. 

 

I'd call Malcolm but I'd be wasting his time and I wouldn't feel comfortable picking his brains with no intention of using  his services. I know that another forum member has sent a camera to Malcolm for what sounds like a quick/simple adjustment but that was 5 years ago….and no it's not been done yet. 

 

I think he should be brave enough to turn work away if he knows he's that busy, but as I said, I also know his work is top notch so I can understand people preferring him to work on their gear. 

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[Denys]

Hiya. Saw your other thread..interesting. I know what you mean about cameras bought new - especially if they have sentimental value - compared with used ones. You are right about the M4-P..the only nagging thought was that, if repaired, it would probably still be working long after my M9-P had given up the ghost! Indeed, the same is true for my late father's iiib from1939 that's still fine! I appreciate how you feel about picking someone's brains without throwing money in their direction. That said, and I can't speak for Malcom here, I honestly believe he perceives one of his services - and a free one at that - is giving the benefit of his comprehensive (probably unique) experience with Leicas. I had two long chats with him, ranging from 'how on earth did you do that damage to the rewind crank shaft' to 'how wonderful a lens the 1939  Summitar is'. I am sure he would have been quite happy to return my camera without carrying out any work - though I would have insisted I pay for inspection and postage. The deal we did, I'm sure was more about keeping another M alive than making a great profit. 

Up to you - but given the service I had, I don't think you would regret picking the 'phone up. As a final thought: perhaps the reason some repairs take some time is down to the fact Malcom spends so much time chatting about what's clearly a subject close to his heart! Good luck again!

[Ambro51]

People "don't understand" sometimes. Yes of course a replacement can always be found....but it's not the same. The sentimental value of a thing you've owned and used for decades will add value. My very first 35mm camera was a Rollei B35. A little subcompact built with the frailty of a sparrow. I did trade it off decades ago and a replacement was my very first eBay purchase. But....it was not the same.