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Service in Australia

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doronski

New Member
Having recently purchased a 503CW and completely thrilled about it, I was far less impressed to find that Australia has no Hasselblad service centre. The cameras have to be sent to New Zealand. So now that I need to have my camera serviced, I am out of action for weeks.

Does anyone have any advice for getting good service in Australia? Comments would be much appreciated.
 
CR Kenneddy are the official Hassleblad service centre. They send ALL work off to New Zealand because they say there are no factory trained Hasselblad repairers in Australia!
 
Doron,

There are many repairers that could do the work. An advantage of some, eg Whilton's in my experience is that they do not charge for a quote, which might not be the case with CR Kennedy's.

If it is warranty work, though, then I presume it is CR Kennedy.

Paul Jose in Randwick, Sydney calls himself a 'factory trained technician. I have not used him, but might as I am getting a little tired of Whiltons.

I have used Whilton's in Sydney and the work is good and they are friendly, but need to be pushed to get the work done on time, especially if you send it to them.

I have heard that Camera Clinic in Melbourne may be worth a try too.

There are other ads on the back page of the 'Photographic Trader' available from any newsagent.

Nick

PS it is annoying that Kennedy's have economically rationalised it to one repair place...or perhaps hobbits make good technicians.
 
The Camera Clinic in Victoria (56 Easy Steet, Collingwood)is excellent. I was recently referred to them by on old pro to have my lenses checked, cleaned and shutters tested and adjusted. I had an excellent experience. Responsive, understanding and very reasonably priced.
Then I took my Linhof and the guy who runs the place was an expert and did a superb job of servicing and adjusting it. I can't speak highly enough of them and would now entrust anything to them. They have a toll free number = 1300 72 10 70.
 
Speaking of Australia, how far does the USD "stretch" there? I am thinking of visiting there after retirement for 6-12 months (I have always wanted to go there), but have no idea of expenses?
 
Today's exchange rate is about 71c - i.e. one Aussie dollar buys about US71c. Consumer equipment is much cheaper in the US even after the exchange rate is accounted for. But, higher end MF and LF gear is similar although the US is a little more favourable on new gear and the US market has a larger range of used gear. Overall holidaying costs favour US tourists. the 70c range is likely to remain (with rises and falls) medium to longer term.
 
Simon, thanks for the tip. I might use Camera Clinic as I live in the country and have to send cameras away. Might as well be Melbourne.

Robert, put another way, $US1 = $AUD1.40. So on paper you are ahead, although I have no idea about relative costs (How much is a loaf of bread there?!).

As Simon says, items where sheer weight of numbers matter as Australia has only 1/14th the population of the USA.

You might check out prices on items like film before coming down to the Premier Hemisphere (sometimes known as the Southern Hemisphere), although you can get film here, of course.

Living expenses like food and shelter can be cheaper or very expensive, depending on your taste. Australia is both a country and a continent, so there is plenty to see/photograph and plenty of range in costs.
 
Bread runs 1.09-1.20 USD at the larger stores. I am trying to get a feel for what I may be getting into ($$$ wise) so I don't get any unpleasant surprises. I was thinking of renting an apartment for my stay, and use it as "home base" for photo excursions.
 
Nick, Camera Clinic is preferred all around Australia. They receive packed shipments from around the country every day and have a loading bay set up for that - a very large operation. The customer services is standout best in the game. Interestingly the guy whon runs it has a policy - if they cause damage the item / component is replaced well before the customer ever knows about it! I've met him and he has a refreshing attitude.

Robert, with regard to comparative costs in Australia - bring lots of film from the US. I buy Fuji film from the US for US$1.49 a roll compared to US$5.25 locally!!! To Aussies food and basics are more expensive that in the US on a comparative income basis, but for a visitor, we are no more expensive (although food in Australia is miles ahead on a quality basis). Rents are complex to compare but you won't find cost any higher all the same. The currency conversion factor will ultimately save you some money generally.
 
Thank you for all of your helpful comments. I got my camera serviced at the Camera Service Centre in Castlereigh St in the Sydney CBD. Thy did a great job.

The problem still remains that even with CRKennedy (the official repairer) that parts must come via NZ an probably other countries as well. This means that repair is a lengthy process. Does anyone have a reliable source for parts?
 
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