Ivar B Posted September 17, 2018 Share #1 Posted September 17, 2018 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) Does anyone have any recent experience with them? I have a Summicron-M 2.0/90mm with them as there was a back-focus issue. It has been nearly 5 months and the lens is still listed as "awaiting repair" and they don`t respond to e-mails when I ask if there is an issue. They may just have a lot to do, but the customer service surely leave a lot to be desired. https://www.cameraworks-uk.com/ Edited September 17, 2018 by Ivar B Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 17, 2018 Posted September 17, 2018 Hi Ivar B, Take a look here Lens service - Cameraworks.uk. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
colint544 Posted September 17, 2018 Share #2 Posted September 17, 2018 I sent my Leica M5 to Cameraworks at the start of this year. The battery contact had snapped off, rendering the meter useless. It was fellow forum member wattsy (thank you again, wattsy) who recommended Cameraworks to me. I had never heard of them. After I posted the camera, I got an email saying they had received it. I'd seen a note on their website, explaining that they were a very small company, run by just two people, and that they could work faster if they didn't have to respond to constant emails and phone calls. So I just left it. And heard nothing more. Three months or so later, I decided to politely enquire, by email, as to how things were going. It was a couple of days before Alan Starkie responded. He said he had my camera on the bench in front of him, and was pondering how exactly to effect the repair. He went into a lot of detail, and ended up being incredibly helpful. His emails were, in fact, delightful - informative, and illuminating - his passion for engineering, and for cameras, really shone through. I had my M5 back a couple of weeks later. Good as new. In addition to adapting a Leica SL battery compartment to fit (most Leica M5 parts are now unavailable), he had fully serviced it, tested all shutter speeds, replaced the silvered strip along the bottom of the big rangefinder window, and re-glued a loose frame mask. He even replaced the missing bump stops on the back door, and included a new Wein cell battery. I'm still over the moon with my M5, and with the way it was treated by Cameraworks. I'd recommend them without hesitation, based on my experience. Hope they get your lens sorted properly. https://www.instagram.com/colintempleton/ 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedaes Posted September 17, 2018 Share #3 Posted September 17, 2018 (edited) Their work is excellent but they are just father and son. They have become popular and are probably overwhelmed with work. Also, they seem to like 're-paints' more than routine stuff like lenses. That said, they did an excellent jod on a lens for me. They have a active Facebook page, so you could try that for latest information, where they posted on 1st September a 3 month turnaround. I would comment on that post with your experience and you will get some action. Edited September 17, 2018 by pedaes 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted September 17, 2018 Share #4 Posted September 17, 2018 Does anyone have any recent experience with them? I have a Summicron-M 2.0/90mm with them as there was a back-focus issue. It has been nearly 5 months and the lens is still listed as "awaiting repair" and they don`t respond to e-mails when I ask if there is an issue. They may just have a lot to do, but the customer service surely leave a lot to be desired. https://www.cameraworks-uk.com/ I too sent them a couple of lenses back in May. When I rang them last week, I was asked what box they had been sent in and was it a Leica Service lens box (which few people send lenses to them in) and it was. The reason they asked was because the box had just reached the desk and the lenses were just about to undergo repair - something which was confirmed by two emails over the weekend(!) explaining a problem they had with one of the lenses and a subsequent successful outcome. So I think that their problem is simple - too much to do. You can call them but by the sound of it they do things on a strict basis of first in first out. They did mention that other repairers had either retired or were semi-retired which has meant that they have see an increase in work which really does not surprise me. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivar B Posted September 17, 2018 Author Share #5 Posted September 17, 2018 So it simply looks like they have too much to do. I can live with that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kilmister Posted September 17, 2018 Share #6 Posted September 17, 2018 Good luck to them. I have noted their details in case of a need. It is really heart-warming to know that places like this still exist. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richardgb Posted September 18, 2018 Share #7 Posted September 18, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Does anyone have any recent experience with them? I have a Summicron-M 2.0/90mm with them as there was a back-focus issue. It has been nearly 5 months and the lens is still listed as "awaiting repair" and they don`t respond to e-mails when I ask if there is an issue. They may just have a lot to do, but the customer service surely leave a lot to be desired. https://www.cameraworks-uk.com/ You may be interested in this thread. As I understand it, when Leica also distributed from the UK they had an in-house repair service. When distribution was stopped in favour of direct deliveries from Germany, so did the repairs. Now it's over to the independent repairers who, it seems, are a) getting thinner on the ground, and reluctant to touch anything digital. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kilmister Posted September 18, 2018 Share #8 Posted September 18, 2018 Thank you, Richard, for your insight. What a shame that local expertise was not only ended, but also devalued by Leica. I can understand the economics, however, it does seem that these experts at https://www.cameraworks-uk.com/ are battling on and good luck to them. If anything goes wonky with my gear they would be my preferred choice. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Marshall Posted September 19, 2018 Share #9 Posted September 19, 2018 I had a IIIf and Summitar serviced by them about a year ago, also had the IIIf recovered at the same time ( fantastic work ). Very fast turn around as well so must have been before they became popular for servicing. I would definitely use them again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveM3 Posted September 24, 2018 Share #10 Posted September 24, 2018 I was quoted in the order of 3 months for a lens repair but it took 6 in the end. I don't bemoan that and I didn't hassle them but I would expect a longer turn-around than perhaps you are willing to accept. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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