advice on camera repairs / cleaning sought ^^

[kotatsuneko]

my lovely old dad in law gave me his canon eos 1000 "rebel" along with some lenses, tripod etc a while back, and i'm enjoying it immensely (tho still not sure which digi cam to get, would love a digi eos, but even with black market prices, its too much money)

thing is, on the standard lens, there is a crack which may widen in time, and theres some dirt in the camera so as i want it to work for a good amount of time in the future would love to have it serviced and the crack sorted out - its in a ring, which can be removed

as i'm up in sapporo, i guess my options are limited, so any idea where i could take the thing to have it sorted? would it cost a lot of money? any idea where i could take my old sharp md also?

i dont really want to ask the wife as shes very busy lately, and doesnt like me spending too much money.. fair enough as we dont have much ^^

but this camera is sweet, i found an online manual in english for it, and dammit discovered the auto option! the lens moves! sweet! my face lit up like i'd just finished kid icarus or something

any ideas you lot?

[Steve Bildermann]

[jingai]

If you can't get the lens repaired, the good news is that people take their photography seriously in Japan, so there are no shortage of used SLR lenses to be had! There should also be some serious camera repair shops around, as well. I found Japan to be hobbyist heaven for cameras, compared with the States where good camera shops are mostly gone.

[Marked Trail]

If you can't get the lens repaired, the good news is that people take their photography seriously in Japan, so there are no shortage of used SLR lenses to be had! There should also be some serious camera repair shops around, as well.

Repairs can be handled at most ANY camera shop since they will just send it to the Factory Authorized Repair Center for you. Somehow this great service ends up ALWAYS costing 10,000yen. Therefore going to route of the used SLR lenses is generally better. If you can find an old fart in a one-man camera shop (there are thousands in Tokyo), they often will tinker with mechnical problems for 1,000yen or less. Use your Social Engineering and Gaijin Power.

[kotatsuneko]

guys, wow so sweet of you! thank you!!

i'm still amazed at just how seriously people take photography, its not unusual to see people with 2 expensive slr cams.. i dont know if they carry one film and one digi but .. wow!

i love seeing guys carrying stepladders to take shots too ^^

mr B... that's so nice ! cheers! as i'm clueless, had no idea about the service centres, that indeed is a very good reason to stick to that brand.. as much as i am looking forward to going digital, i just really love that slr, its my first one, and theres just something about it.. my dad in law is a real photo freak, and always takes really bad photos, with like half a head missing etc, or of the next person, he's rather infamous for it ^^ but hes such a nice warm person, i love him to bits.. every time i see him he seems to dig out something from his cupboard for me, which i always try to refuse but he always forces on me.. in return i always get a copy of my pics and send them to him which he seems to enjoy..

i'll definately be going to that centre when the wife gets back from tokyo! really, thank you for the time /hassle .. i want that camera to survive and give to our kid/s in the future..