Where to get vintage lenses and classic cameras repaired in Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is a great place for camera enthusiasts. Like many other east Asian megacities, Hong Kong has a wide offer of shops dedicated to video- and photography, old cameras, vintage lenses and analogue film.
Yet, there is very little information available online as to where to get your gear fixed in Hong Kong. So I thought I share my knowledge here, as I assume some of you might think it is useful:
Camera repair shops in Hong Kong
I recently went to Hong Kong and had two pieces of gear I wanted to get fixed: a Leica M6 that needed a cleaning, lubrication and adjustment (CLA) overhaul and a Carl Zeiss Contarex Sonnar 85mm f2 lens that I purchased second hand for a very low price because the focusing mechanism was completely jammed.
Panda Camera Repair Service
First stop was the Panda Camera Repair Service in Stanley Street 22 in Central, on Hong Kong Island. This place is close to the Central Metro station in a building called “Double Building”.
Panda Camera, as it is also known, is situated on the 14th floor and run by a very friendly and knowledgeable men. He is very attentive. He did cleaned, lubricated and adjusted a Leica M6 for me. He was even so nice and fixed the original box for me. With new batteries this cost me US$90. I could pick up the camera after 5 days.
I actually also wanted to get a Contarex 85mm f2 Sonnar lens fixed in this shop. The aperture settings were stuck. After a close inspection he told be that he would rather not repair it, which was a bit disappointing but an honest appraisal. I was very happy with the work on the Leica M6 thought and I highly recommend this place to get our gear serviced.
Little tip from my side: in the same street you also find this shop which sells film and a few vintage lenses:
Professional Camera Repair Centre
Since I had no luck with the 85mm Sonnar at Panda camera I went to the next place which is aptly called the “PROFESSIONAL CAMERA REPAIR CENTRE”. This place is run by the super knowledgeable Lo Kwok Wah.
Now this is again a super friendly and knowledgeable person. He gave the glass a quick external clean and inspected the lens. After a few seconds he said: “no problem, come back in 5 days”. I paid US$80 and could not believe what great work he had done. The focusing was buttery smooth and the optics super clean. I was over the moon. I stayed a bit in his shop and I was able to look at his gear. Some Rolleiflexes, Leicas, older Canons and a lot of medium format stuff was ready to being picked up. He said he loved Contarex lenses, especially for their colours. This made my day! I highly recommend his services. He is located in the 16th floor in Hart Avenue 1-3:
There actually is another interesting store located in the same building on the 11th floor. it’s called M&K Kamera Trading and sells loads of vintage Leica stuff. It is small but well worth a visit as they have some rare stuff and will let you do some window licking:
