Camera Repairs

Is there anything more annoying in life than an intermittent fault? You know the sort of thing, like the car that only starts when it feels like it but behaves perfectly every time it's taken anywhere near a garage.

On the wedding last weekend one of my flashes decided to work to rule. I'm sure anyone who takes pictures will realise that the timing of an image is a vital aspect when capturing real moments in time. The last thing a photographer needs is that nagging thought of, is the camera going to fire when I push the button. Of course I try and plan for every eventuality and is one of the reasons I carry so much equipment on a wedding. My car is heavily loaded with up to 5 cameras and three separate flashes, not including spare tripods and studio lighting etc. The majority of the equipment never sees the light of day and stays securely in the boot but the thought of it being there just makes the nerves settle that much easier.

So having successfully substituted the faulty kit and finished the job it was time to inspect the camera and flash for anything obvious. It became apparent that a trip to the repair shop was in order. A trip into Central London (Oh Joy) to Fixation and quick chat with the repair team sees me leaving my camera/flash with them to investigate and report. Fixation are authorised Nikon and Canon (apparently some people use Canon) repairers and also have a thriving hire and sales section. It's interesting to spend half an hour or so just looking at the various equipment they have on display. I must admit I was very tempted by the roller style camera bags, perfect for those long haul flights and a really cool solar panel for running a laptop ... hmmmm.

A couple of days later a phonecall tells me the camera is ready, the culprit being the hotshoe, I had guessed this to be the case and was pleased when my theory was confirmed. I had feared a chase the fault exercise, where everything that can be replaced is replaced in an effort to find a fault (I used to work in the motor trade). I've tested it several times and all seems in order. The true test will be this weekend at a Bar mitzvar i'm shooting, The backups are all on charge just in case.

So all in all I'm very pleased with the service ... just wish they weren't in the city.