Peter Grisaffi

[Pyrogallol]

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It is with great sadness that I have to report that I have just heard, from his son, also Peter, that Leica repair specialist Peter Grisaffi died a few days ago.

I had never met him but had spoken to him many times over the past 15+ years and his knowledge and ability was legendary. He had not been well for the past year or more and had been unable to continue his business as CRR Luton.

 

[nf3996]

I'm very sorry to hear this. Peter did an excellent service and repair on my M2 back around 2009. (He also stripped the chrome and painted the camera black at my request.) The camera has functioned flawlessly ever since and is a fine testament to his skills.

Alan

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[Susie]

Thank you for letting us know.  I visited Peter a few times to either drop items off or collect them, but after his wife died he seemed to lose all interest in the business and spent much of his time either at their holiday home in Cornwall or playing his electronic organ!

Susie

[srivastava]

Very sad indeed. Peter fixed my M3 range finder after the camera had fallen and became unusable. I happen to live near him, so he agreed to do the work . This was in November 2021. He repaired it over a weekend, despite struggling a bit with cataract. I believe this was the last job he ever did. He reassured me that my M3 will last another 60 years now

We remained in touch regularly and I was really really sad to hear the news of his passing away. A true legend, like the M3

[Anbaric]

I was very sorry to hear this. I never met Peter, but I had talked to him on the phone and messaged him several times over the years, and he was always very helpful. He was a legendary technician trained at Wetzlar and Solms and, as anyone who has seen the CRR Luton site knows, was given the job of checking out the Queen's new M6 before it was presented to her. He offered uncommon services like resilvering rangefinder prisms, polishing and coating the Summar, enameling, and a true replacement for baked-on vulcanite that I haven't seen anywhere else. His was also the first site to make available the B.I.O.S. report (part 1, part 2) that gives us a fascinating picture of Leica production at Wetzlar in 1946, and he wrote a still useful guide to what to look out for when buying an R camera. I have one small memento of CRR Luton - long before such things became readily available on ebay, he had replica A36 lens caps made, one of which is on my Elmar.

[willeica]

1 hour ago, Anbaric said:

His was also the first site to make available the B.I.O.S. report (part 1, part 2) that gives us a fascinating picture of Leica production at Wetzlar in 1946, and he wrote a still useful guide to what to look out for when buying an R camera.

Tim Goldsmith has tapes of interviews with Reid and Sigrist staff, from the John Vincent Reid Collection, which indicates that the 'British Intelligence Officers' were, in fact, Reid and Sigrist staff in 'borrowed uniforms'. It took them many years to build a British Leica copy based on the pre-war Leica IIIa. It might be surmised that the good people at Leitz kept the designs for the, then current, IIIc models hidden. While Reid cameras make interesting collectors' items today (I have a couple of them myself) the venture was never a commercial success.

The report is, however, very interesting and Peter was to be congratulated for publishing it. I never used Peter for repairs myself, but I know several people (e.g. Wilson Laidlaw) who speak very highly of his work. May he rest in peace.

William 

[srivastava]

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A photograph of Peter taken in 2021

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[ejd]

I have wondered for some time what became of CRR Luton.

I bought a very dodgy Leicaflex SL2 with an even dodgier 50mm f2 summicron R attached to it at the PCCGB Photographica Fair in London one year.  Despite the notices on the CRR Luton web site announcing that no new repairs could be accepted for several months, I sent an email, and received a most welcoming reply, inviting me to send in the offending camera.  This would have been around 2006 or so. And quite quickly it came back wonderfully repaired and functioning well to this day. 

So yes, I am very sorry that he has died.  He had very valuable skills that are in much too short supply, and behind the stern front of CRR Luton was most kind and helpful.

 

Edited January 20 by ejd

[K Davis]

I agree, sad news, Peter repaired many Leicas, both R and M and my Contarex gear as well.  He gave up repairing after his wife died and I still miss his conversations.

[Ecar]

I saw this thread only this morning. Sad news indeed. Peter was the very first independent technician I turned to when I was bitten by the Leica bug. I never actually met him in person, but we had many conversations over the phone (he didn't like using email at all). He worked on several of my Leitz/Leica lenses.

I once sent him a Summar that had belonged to my father and was in very poor condition, asking him to do whatever it took to make it useable again. It took him a year, but the lens came back almost as if it had just left the assembly line (and recoated). Never seen something like it. This was about two decades ago and I always think of him when I use this particular lens.

When his wife passed away, he was very open about the fact that he wouldn't be able to keep up with his usual work hours, if at all.

RIP, Peter - and thank you again for the great work!

[dkCambridgeshire]

Very sad news. In 2009 Peter helped me by stripping down a Leica I Anastigmat I'd purchased, testing it and taking photos of its interior, and advising (contrary to others' opinions on TLF) that it is a genuine body and lens mount. Unfortunately he also proved that the lens element group is likely not Anastigmat but Elmar.

When Peter rang me to arrange collection after servicing he advised there was something which he needed to discuss when I arrived.

On arrival Peter and his wife spent two hours explaining all he had done and how he'd checked his files/books etc to prove the Anastigmat's authenticity. Nearly everything about the camera is correct for an early Leica I Anastigmat ... but Peter provided evidence that the actual internal lens elements are not original. Peter collimated the lens with a laser and found that he could not achieve infinity focus at the lens mount infinity setting. Infinity focus could only be achieved properly at 3mm less extension which corresponds to the setting for an Elmar lens. Thus Peter proved the lens internals are very likely Elmar and not Anastigmat. Peter did provide photographs of the camera body's stripdown and a small internal repair .

 

There are several possibilities as to why the lens elements module was switched to an Elmar group – and if modified in recent years, I've a good idea who might have arranged same, i.e., a now deceased dealer.  I was very disappointed to hear the news but the vendor was very fair about the matter and gave me a full refund in accordance with our original sale agreement. 

The deal I'd negotiated at the time of purchase was that if the camera proved not to be an Anastigmat, the vendor would refund in full. Because the lens elements group is  very likely Elmar and not Anastigmat, and Peter had documented this fact, I obtained the refund – but in retrospect I now wish I'd kept it!  

I now wonder if other Leica I Anastigmat cameras have been fitted with Elmar lenses?  

RIP Peter

BW, dunk  

Edited February 1 by dkCambridgeshire

[dkCambridgeshire]

On 2/1/2024 at 1:32 PM, dkCambridgeshire said:

Very sad news. In 2009 Peter helped me by stripping down a Leica I Anastigmat I'd purchased, testing it and taking photos of its interior, and advising (contrary to others' opinions on TLF) that it is a genuine body and lens mount. Unfortunately he also proved that the lens element group is likely not Anastigmat but Elmar.

When Peter rang me to arrange collection after servicing he advised there was something which he needed to discuss when I arrived.

On arrival Peter and his wife spent two hours explaining all he had done and how he'd checked his files/books etc to prove the Anastigmat's authenticity. Nearly everything about the camera is correct for an early Leica I Anastigmat ... but Peter provided evidence that the actual internal lens elements are not original. Peter collimated the lens with a laser and found that he could not achieve infinity focus at the lens mount infinity setting. Infinity focus could only be achieved properly at 3mm less extension which corresponds to the setting for an Elmar lens. Thus Peter proved the lens internals are very likely Elmar and not Anastigmat. Peter did provide photographs of the camera body's stripdown and a small internal repair .

 

There are several possibilities as to why the lens elements module was switched to an Elmar group – and if modified in recent years, I've a good idea who might have arranged same, i.e., a now deceased dealer.  I was very disappointed to hear the news but the vendor was very fair about the matter and gave me a full refund in accordance with our original sale agreement. 

The deal I'd negotiated at the time of purchase was that if the camera proved not to be an Anastigmat, the vendor would refund in full. Because the lens elements group is  very likely Elmar and not Anastigmat, and Peter had documented this fact, I obtained the refund – but in retrospect I now wish I'd kept it!  

I now wonder if other Leica I Anastigmat cameras have been fitted with Elmar lenses?  

RIP Peter

BW, dunk  

Peter Grisaffi's Invoice / Receipt documenting in "PLEASE NOTE", his findings ref the Anastigmat lens mount's infinity focus anomaly. I'd previously mentioned to Peter that others had cast doubts as to whether the lens mount was Anastigmat. Peter's tests showed the mount was/is genuine Anastigmat – but the lens 'unit' fitted is likely Elmar. . The original 50mm f3.5 Anastigmat comprises 5 elements in 3 groups. The 50mm Elmar comprises 4 elements in 3 groups.   

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  Edited February 3 by dkCambridgeshire

[dkCambridgeshire]

When I first phoned Peter Grisaffi c. late 2008 to enquire if he could check and service the Leica I Anastigmat he seemed very sceptical as to whether the camera was genuine – as if he'd 'heard it all before' from others claiming to have Leica I Anastigmats. Peter advised that he was far too busy to inspect the camera and suggested approaching other experienced technicians. I explained that I knew of other collectors and one dealer who'd approached and used other technicians for their Leica I servicing / repairs – but that on return had discovered their camera bodies 'original top plate "furniture" ' had been replaced with later manufactured components – which dissuaded me from approaching them. Peter was aware of such 'happenings' and thus agreed to service my camera. He advised, "Phone me in February when i might be able to look at it!" . I subsequently delivered the camera to Peter on Saturday 28 February. On arrival Peter inspected the camera, advised it appeared to be genuine, but that as it was valuable, he'd appreciate me collecting it as soon as the inspection / service was completed. I agreed to his proposal, thanked him, and departed. Surprisingly, Peter phoned me on Monday 2 March advising he'd completed the service, testing, and investigation, and that in his opinion the camera was / is a genuine Anastigmat – but there was one anomaly he wanted to discuss with me. I agreed to collect the camera the next day, i.e., Tuesday 3 March – when I drove to his house (also his workshop) accompanied by another TLF member. I'll never forget Peter's thoroughness in explaining to me all he knew about Leica Anastigmat cameras and why he decided to check the lens collimation. He and his wife actually worked on the camera servicing / investigation over the remainder of the weekend. His wife new much about Leica Anastigmat history and investigated the SN online. As per #11 above, I was disappointed to discover the Anastigmat lens mount very likely housed an Elmar lens module / unit. I learnt so much from my 2 hour visit to Peter and his wife. Their valuable time and hospitality far exceeded the cost of the service. On Wednesday 4 March I arranged delivery of a bouquet of flowers to his wife for all their efforts. Unlikely that any other Leica technicians would devote a whole Sunday to servicing / repairing a camera. 

BW, dunk