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Midwest Camera Repair has permanently closed on Jan 25

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I was really sorry to hear that. I never even knew they existed until this last summer when I dropped a Speedlite and broke the bulb. Even though it was only a few years old, Canon was no longer offering any repairs. Doing a search, I found Midwest and they were about 75 minutes away from me, so I made the trip over there.

They fixed it in about a week for a reasonable price. I was very impressed and happy to have found a great repair shop not all that far away.
 
akbc said:
Just saw this news article on Midwest Camera Repair has permanently closed on Jan 25.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/lo...ned camera repair,forced a shutdown this year.
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Yes this is bad news. I've only used them one time but they did a great job cleaning a lens inside for me! I've recommended them on forums ever since and have had people thank me after getting work done.

It's rare I need work done but they were my go to place. it's slowly becoming a corporate world. If you need work done you'll only be able to go to canon or nikin etc. Once equipment is out of service-life, it will be a throw away!!!

John
 
JohnSil said:
akbc said:
Just saw this news article on Midwest Camera Repair has permanently closed on Jan 25.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/lo...ned camera repair,forced a shutdown this year.
Click to expand...
Yes this is bad news. I've only used them one time but they did a great job cleaning a lens inside for me! I've recommended them on forums ever since and have had people thank me after getting work done.

It's rare I need work done but they were my go to place. it's slowly becoming a corporate world. If you need work done you'll only be able to go to canon or nikin etc. Once equipment is out of service-life, it will be a throw away!!!

John
Click to expand...
maybe some one will buy them out?
 
bridge77 said:
JohnSil said:
akbc said:
Just saw this news article on Midwest Camera Repair has permanently closed on Jan 25.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/lo...ned camera repair,forced a shutdown this year.
Click to expand...
Yes this is bad news. I've only used them one time but they did a great job cleaning a lens inside for me! I've recommended them on forums ever since and have had people thank me after getting work done.

It's rare I need work done but they were my go to place. it's slowly becoming a corporate world. If you need work done you'll only be able to go to canon or nikin etc. Once equipment is out of service-life, it will be a throw away!!!

John
Click to expand...
maybe some one will buy them out?
Click to expand...
That would be nice. Maybe some of the employees could work a good deal.

Operating scaled back would creat a backlog but at least repairs could be made!

They had a great bone yard with a lot of expensive lenses to cannibalize for parts. That's what made them so good!

John
 
I expect that moving forward, the only business for camera repair shops are older film cameras in need of CLR. This is not a storefront service.

However, I took a stroll down my main street, and lo and behold, just south of Wellesley, there was a full service camera shop for everything: Film services, and digital photo printing using Canon Selphys. The guy told me that each Selphy was good for about 1000 prints... His business appeared to be flourishing.

The story is very different in consumer audio. People are prepared to spend serious money to have a complete parts swap. (BTW - Allen Bradley carbon resistors shouldn't be replaced with modern types (carbon composite, metal-film)). -- Except for the RIAA EQ, where many more values of capacitance are available, so 150 pF is substituted with 158 pF, 560 pF with 562... This more closely matches the intended values, simply because with more choices, a more precise RIAA circuit can be built. Surprisingly, the values of resistance in the tank circuit that is RIAA EQ., don't need to be replaced.

Most Japanese electronics made before 1980 need to be overhauled. Oddly, these inferior products seem to be coveted. If you want to examine and study excellence in design and fabrication, have a look at HH Scott. Top grade materials throughout, and a surprisingly large number of film capacitors. However, the paper foil capacitors are replaced as a matter of course.

A classic American horror story? Sherwood. Their tube gear should be trashed.
 
It will be nice if the skilled employees who are not retiring to takeover. It maybe a little off topic, there is an automotive front end/suspension/brake alignment repair shop in Kirkland WA that was family run since 1970s that do excellent work and and very good price, the second generation owner retired but his son did not want to takeover the business. The owner literally gave the shop to his two long time loyal employees, they carry on to run the shop just like it has been. I have known the owner for a long time and he was a great guy and so are the two long time mechanics. I was so worried when he said he was going to retire and wondering if the shop will close. The funny thing is even though he retired and gave the shop to the two employees, he still go back to help out in the summer for a month or two so the two mechanics can take time off.
 
Last edited:
akbc said:
It will be nice if the skilled employees who are not retiring to takeover. It maybe a little off topic, there is an automotive front end/suspension/brake alignment repair shop in Kirkland WA that was family run since 1970s that do excellent work and and very good price, the second generation owner retired but his son did not want to takeover the business. The owner literally gave the shop to his two long time loyal employees, they carry on to run the shop just like it has been. I have known the owner for a long time and he was a great guy and so are the two long time mechanics. I was so worried when he said he was going to retire and wondering if the shop will close. The funny thing is even though he retired and gave the shop to the two employees, he still go back to help out in the summer for a month or two so the two mechanics can take time off.
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That's a sweet deal for both the ex-owner and the employees. Fortunately it will keep going but unlike camera shops, when they close, they're gone forever NOT to be replaced by another shop somewhere else! Older cameras will soon be throw-aways!!!

Here in Cali there are 1000's of Chinese restaurants. The parents came from China and the only thing they knew how to do was cook, so they opened restaurants. As thery get too old to run them, the kids have all been to college and have no desire to run a restaurant. So the restaurants close at the rate of dozens per day being replaced by Panda Express!

John
 
Used them once a long time ago and had so so experience. Used Nikon after that and way happier.
 
Repairing cameras becoming impossible as chips no longer available from China due to US trade sanctions. Difficult for technicians to access camera software to reboot camera. Lenses with Auto-Focusing take hours to disassemble. Firmware upgrades contain bugs?
 
craigwell47 said:
Repairing cameras becoming impossible as chips no longer available from China due to US trade sanctions. Difficult for technicians to access camera software to reboot camera. Lenses with Auto-Focusing take hours to disassemble. Firmware upgrades contain bugs?
Click to expand...
Not to mention parts are oftentimes not available due lack of supply of refusal to see to official repair shops
 
Any recommendations of a camera/lens repair shop like Midwest?
 
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