Leica Screw Mount Cameras
Full Service: £145.00
Dismantle to clean and service and re-lubricate shutter rollers and drum, slow speed escapement, film transport mechanism. Calibrate shutter speeds to standard. Clean and service self-timer if fitted. Check/adjust flash sync. Clean viewfinder and rangefinder optics and calibrate rangefinder. Standard service parts are included. Most faults are corrected by having your camera serviced, such as shutter and transport faults, poor VF/RF performance and many other issues. Many repairers make a distinction between a service/CLA and a repair. If we can effect a repair during the course of a service, we will do so and not charge extra. In most cases, a full service will restore full functionality to your camera but there may be circumstances that can result in additional charges due to the additional labour and/or the cost of spare parts that would not usually be required during a service.
In many such cases you will be well aware of these issues (shutter blinds with holes etc) and will tell us about it at the time of booking your repair. If we discover any of these issues while working on your camera, we will contact you before carrying out the extra work. If you are aware of any of these issues or even choose them as an upgrade, please tell us about it when booking the repair so that we can just get on without having to contact you.
Examples of such a situation may be where we find something like a slow speed escapement mechanism, self-timer unit or other major component that is broken/worn beyond repair. In such cases we will have to source replacement part/s or in some cases manufacture or restore a part. This isn't a common situation but if it happens we will endeavour to keep these costs to a minimum.
Other examples of additional costs:
Gold Beamsplitter £25
In many cases your beamsplitter will be in perfectly serviceable condition but if after servicing the rangefinder optics, the secondary or RF patch is considered below standard then it may be necessary to install a new unit. Our new beamsplitters are gold coated. This is an improvement over the original silver or aluminium coated units, as gold does not tarnish or oxidise plus contrast is enhanced due to the transmission characteristics of the primary image and the warmer reflectance of the secondary image. As a result, the contrast of the RF patch is much improved compared to the original units.
Shutter Blinds - £35 per blind.
We always try to retain original blinds but reasons for replacement can be light leaks, stiffness of fabric or any previous repair such as liquid tape application that interferes with the shutter operation. Things like broken tapes can quite often be fixed while the camera is being serviced at no extra charge.
Vulcanite replacement - £48
We find that the vulcanite on screw mount cameras generally gives less trouble than that on the later 'M' cameras. If the vulcanite is loose or flaking, we advise replacement with our 4008 pattern alternative which is very close to the original and the cost of doing this is quite modest. We will remove the old vulcanite and all traces old adhesive and/or underlying corrosion before applying the new skin.
Re-silvering of the RF prism £45
Just behind the rangefinder window (left window when viewed from the front) is a small prism that directs the image over to the beamsplitter which is located behind the right window. One face of the prism is fully silvered and acts as a mirror. Occasionally the mirror backing will deteriorate and allow the silvered surface to become exposed to air causing deterioration. A few tiny spots of tarnish is to be expected on most cameras but extensive tarnishing can impact the quality of the rangefinder secondary image by dimming the secondary image brightness. You can check your own camera by shining a torch through the window on the right and observing the reflection in the left window. In order to fix this, we have to completely dismantle the rangefinder unit, remove the prism, and re-silver the prism before sealing it with backing paint.
Cosmetic improvements etc
We are sometimes asked if we can replace or improve the look of cosmetically damaged parts, wind/rewind knobs, levers etc. We are happy to try our best during a service and will happily touch-up cosmetics if asked, or to improve the look of dents or dings at no extra charge but if parts need replacing, modifying, plating or painting etc, then a small extra charge will be applied to cover for labour or parts. We would of course discuss this with you before proceeding.
Red shutter blinds £90 per set.
We have developed replacement red shutter blinds replacements for the wartime series IIIc. After studying the original material we formulated a dye that matches the colour and texture of the original and coated on one side.
Leica IIIg Prism Rebuild
The Leica IIIg contains a prism, smaller but similar to the Leica M3 prism. The purpose of this is to integrate the framelines into the viewfinder. If the prism fails, it will have to be rebuilt and possibly resilvered in the same way we do the 'M' camera prisms.