Leica CL CLA in 1 day at Choong-Il Camera Repair in Seoul, S. Korea

[plaidshirts]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

My CL developed the dreaded crack on the film spool. I bought a 3d printed replacement from Germany on eBay and asked DAG what he’d charge to replace it. 
The quote was $90 for just the replacement and $450 for a full CLA, which included replacing the spool piece. 

As I was planning a trip to Korea, I did some search and found Choong-Il Camera Repair come up on several Korean language blogs. I contacted Mr Chung via text and he quoted me a full CLA plus replacement for $90-$120, but most importantly, all that would be done in a day!

Day of my trip came and the very next day went to his shop as soon as he opened - Monday morning 10am. He wasn’t there but his assistant was. I explained to him in detail what was needed and showed him the texts between Mr Chung and me. He wrote up a receipt, asked me to take a photo of all the equipment clearly showing the work order and told me it’d be ready by next day afternoon.

Sure enough, I stopped by Tuesday at 4pm and the camera was ready. The broken spool replaced, and the film counter, which had stopped resetting, was fully functional now. 

The total was $110. After hearing all the horror stories about repairs taking forever, this was a breath of fresh air. If you’re ever in the Seoul area check it out. 

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[ktmrider2]

How is the market for used Leica M’s in Seoul?  I am presently in the Philippines and looking for a foreign destination for a week of tourism.  I am thinking Bangkok but Japan and Korea are also in play.  Last time in Korea was 1978 so probably worth a visit.  Camera shopping would be the icing on the cake.

[plaidshirts]

Like everywhere else demand seems strong. I didn’t have time to look in too many shops but I didn’t see anything that looked like a good deal. 

Japan is a bigger market but if eBay prices are any indication, it would be hard to find bargains there too. I’ll be there in a couple weeks so I’ll look if I can. 

Edited November 18, 2024 by plaidshirts