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Lens service - Cameraworks.uk


Ivar B

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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/
 

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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/

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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 by pedaes
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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.

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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 B) reluctant to touch anything digital.

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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.

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