Product Description

With great detail this book outlines all of the techniques needed to repair and restore Leica cameras, lenses and accessories including light meters, winders/motors, viewfinders, and flash units. Each model of equipment is discussed individually with step-by-step illustrated instructions. Readers will not only learn how to disassemble and repair equipment, but also how to troubleshoot and make cosmetic restorations. A glossary of technical terms and an abstract containing the fundamentals of camera repair are included.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #212946 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Customer Reviews

Seriously defective
I now own 3 of Mr. Tomosy's books and they are only modestly useful. This one misses by about a mile.

To some people this book will seem over their heads, a bit too technical and hard to comprehend. Aimed perhaps at camera repair professionals.

Actually, it doesn't suit either the person who wants to make a small repair or someone who wants to make a more technical repair. There's not a word there on how to replace the shutter or any number of things that many reasonably competent DIY do every day. It's not something I would do on just any camera. My M series are treated with care and professionally serviced. There are repairs that are beyond either my ability or willingness to spend the time and those go out.

But it helps to have good clear instruction. Shocking as it seems, just taking something apart and putting it together again can allow a simple repair. As one reviewer notes, there is better information out there for specialist groups/forums. After buying this I received a detailed service manual for my IIIf screwmount Leicas. In the same way, I have acquired fairly complete service manuals or instructions from those willing to share on
Soviet made imitations of Leicas (which are good for practice and confidence building).

Cameras are a bit like a mix of car mechanics and working on watches. But to use the car analogy, the Chiltonor Haynes type manuals sometimes fall a bit shy in the detailed information you need by covering too many years, but they're adequate. On the other hand, there are the full blown shop manuals for a specific model vehicle. Also useful (drive a Detroit truck occasionally and you'll know why).

This Repair handbook doesn't really come close to the skimpiest Chilton type book. It may be asking too much to cover both M series and Screwmount in one book, but the title is a misnomer. It is not really a repair handbook.

disapointed
What a disapointment!
the book is not at all sufficient to operate small repair on leicas. it assumes too much knowledge and lacks step by step explanations and diagrams. I have found much more usefull dismantle description and repair instructions for free on the web. moreover, the subject treated are not systematic at all. restoration is treated on one camera, speed tuning on another. most of the pictures are useless as they descibe dismantle stages without showing the parts been discribed in the text for better clarity.
This book is the output of someone who apparently is a good repairman but completely lacks any comunication skills.

Acceptable introduction, not advance in the literature
Leicaphiles with a desire to work on SM and M mount Leicas have several books to choose from. Because the U.S. military purchased them in quantity and because military manuals are, when not classified, in the public domain there is the military manual: there are National Camera and Valera books which still circulate and have been reprinted by Ed Romney and others: and factory Leica repair documentation exists in some quantity even if not officially available "outside the trade". Romney and Lippincott have also written on Leica extensively as did Izaak Maizenberg in his Russian camera book, inasmuch as several Russian cameras were copies of Leicas.

This covers the same stuff, and does a reasonable job, although some things such as curtain replacement aren't as covered as would be appropriate.

Although Leicas are among the better cameras to work on, they are valuable enough that they are best left alone by beginners. That sort of limits the legitimate market for a book such as this, so that although I think Tomosy has done a reasonable job, this is an area that really requires an exceptional effort to build on the available literature. I do encourage him to write more camera repair books but I hope he will concentrate more on areas where beginners and casual hobbyists can concentrate their efforts without incurring big bills for each 'oops'. Perhaps a book on mechanical 35mm Pentaxes or the electronic Bronicas that digital has made hobbyist-attractive (for electronic fans) on eBay might be in the future.