Jonny Helm | Fixation

Fixation Team | Canon Technicians (Part 2) image

Jonny Helm Feature August 7, 2017February 7, 2024 1 Comment

Fixation Team | Canon Technicians (Part 1)

Our Canon technicians are a talented bunch of rascals, hidden away in our Kennington workshop, feverishly fixing any body, lens or speedlite that comes their way. In this first part of a series we meet some of the guys responsible for keeping your Canon gear in top working order.

Mick

For the low-down on Mick’s history at Fixation we need to go back a few short years to 1982 when Mick was a teenager working for KJP. It was here he met Mike Allen and when Mike decided to start his own repair company, he took little Mick along too. It certainly hasn’t been a short-term career as Mick has been with Fixation ever since and now manages the Canon, Profoto, Aquatech and Fuji repairs. Mick is known, in no small way, for his sense of humour. He has no shortage of low-brow jokes and tall tales, although not always appreciated by his long-suffering colleagues. Mick enjoys motorbikes, but his big passion is for Scuba-diving. He organises his own club and instructs too, certainly no small feat. Keeping things short, we’d finish by saying that what Mick lacks in height, he makes up for in personality. Hopefully this comment won’t go over his head, but most things do.

Giuseppe

Giuseppe “Jo” Cirello’s career started in his hometown of Naples in 1991, where his jobs included the repair of audio equipment and installing Fujifilm Minilabs. In 1993 he joined Camera Service Italia, Canon’s authorised CPS repair agent in Naples and during his time there advanced to Technical Manager and was responsible for repair output and customer service.

The economic downturn left him looking for pastures new and he and his family uprooted to London and a new start at Fixation in February 2013. Jo continues to repair Canon pro kit and is also our chief repairer of Profoto kit.

David

When David originally joined Fixation in March 1998, it was as temporary help for the Admin team, of which his sister was a part at the time. But when an opportunity to train as a technician arose, David made the move to the workshop and received training from both Barry and Mick. During the period that Fixation was official repairer of Kodak’s DCS pro range, David was the primary technician involved, but now he specialises in the Canon 1D models. David considers himself a “real” Game of Thrones fan, by which he means he was an avid reader of the books long before the television series came along. A big sports fan, he enjoys playing pool and snooker, but his big love is for Liverpool FC and unsurprisingly he counts Bill Shankley among is heroes. At home he is often called upon to act as referee – by breaking up fights between Felix and Kitty, his two warring cats!

Stuart

Back in June 1995 Stuart was a directionless teenager not sure where he wanted life to take him. Then he came across a small ad in the Sit Vac section of his local paper inviting applications to join Fixation as a trainee technician. With a bit of a push from his dad he decided to apply and although he turned up for the interview late, very nervous and having to perform a soldering test that was completely new to him, the team obviously saw the talent in him and he’s been with us ever since. A fan of Brentford FC and a keen pool player, don’t be fooled by the gruff exterior – now the father of small girls, he has developed a penchant for the likes of Harry Potter and Disney’s Frozen on Ice and his favourite experience was swimming with dolphins in Mexico, so clearly he has a very soft centre!

Alfie

Gaming fan Alfie joined our Canon workshop in October 2016 as Assistant Spares Co-ordinator and trainee technician. As part of a full training programme expected to last 3 years, Alfie currently repairs mainly EF-S lenses; but with 4 years’ experience as an apprentice electrician under his belt, he is also the perfect fit to safely take on some of our higher voltage Profoto repairs and has undertaken additional training in Sweden for this purpose. A regular traveller and particular fan of the US, Alfie is also a keen sportsman with rugby and judo recently giving way to rock climbing as his favourite pursuit. He also has a sensitive side – he enjoys carving wood and has produced objects ranging from spoon to tables and he counts Bailey, his labradoodle, among his best friends.

We’ll be featuring the remainder of the Canon team soon, but in the meantime, you can read all about our Nikon technicians here.

Fixation Team | Nikon Technicians (Part 2) image

Jonny Helm Feature August 2, 2017February 7, 2024 0 Comments

Fixation Team | Nikon Technicians (Part 1)

Our Nikon technicians are a dedicated team of specialists and can turn their hands to almost any repairs on bodies, lenses and speedlights.

Yusuf

Yusuf’s interest in computers and electronics began at an early age and he unofficially ran his school’s IT department. He completed his degree in Computer Aided Design in 1996 and became a Field Engineer, later QA engineer, for Bromcom computers. In 1999 he joined Motorola GSM Systems as a De-bug Engineer and in 2001 joined Alcatel Submarine Networks, working on their under-water fibre-optics. He joined Fixation in 2002 and until 2016 performed our IT support as well as carrying out repairs. These days he repairs Nikon film scanners and Quantum products, as well as Nikon’s mid-range and semi-pro bodies and lenses. In keeps his hand in with computers by volunteering as IT Consultant at his local library. Yusuf has a reputation within Fixation for enjoying his food, although his diet is going well. He’s a fan of Stephen Hawking, whose theories he finds fascinating and his guilty pleasure is any film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Noz

Chocoholic Noz joined Fixation as a trainee in March 2002 and the first camera he ever repaired was a Nikon FM2. Two years later he had progressed to repairing Pro digital products like the D1 and D2 series and he remains the go-to technician for Nikon’s flagship cameras like the D4 and D5. He rivals Melanie as a contender for Fixation’s loudest sneezer (please guys, it’s NOT a competition!) and as well watching his beloved Arsenal, he enjoys F1, running and cycling. In fact, he has completed the annual London to Brighton 55 mile bike ride three times with a pretty impressive PB of 2 hours 43 minutes. It’s certainly one way to burn off all that chocolate.

Chris

Chelsea fan Chris was originally employed by Melanie in 2002 when she supervised the Customer Support team at Nikon UK. But having always had an interest in how things work, when an opportunity came up to join Nikon’s workshop as a trainee in 2005, Chris swapped the telephone for screwdrivers and soldering irons and hasn’t looked back. He joined Fixation in May 2012 and continues to repair Nikon pro and semi-pro cameras and lenses. Chris has a strong interest in history, particularly the engineering feats of the industrial revolution. But if you want to chill with Chris, don’t suggest a night in watching Game of Thrones – he’s very resolutely not a fan!

Joy

When Joy left college in 1982 she knew that pen-pushing was not for her and was determined to find a manual or technical career that suited her. A visit to The Job Centre introduced her to the Government’s Youth Opportunities Program, specifically a chance to train as a technician at Luton camera Repairs where she remained for years repairing multiple major brands.

She joined Fixation in November 2011 and specialises in the repair of Nikon lenses. As well as being dextrous, she’s green-fingered, plays tennis and keeps chickens. She currently has two named Ginger and Sooty, both apparently eggcellent layers!

Jonny Helm Tips & Tricks August 2, 2017October 6, 2023 5 Comments

Tips & Tricks | Keep a close eye on your Nikkor lenses

Here’s a useful tip for Nikon users: You see this screw? This 2mm screw that can be found tucked on the side of the bayonet on all Nikkor lenses? Well, if it falls off it can cause a lot of expensive damage!

It’s designed to stop the lens from over-turning when it’s being attached to the camera, and occasionally these screws have a tendency to work loose and fall out.

A Nikkor 50mm ƒ/1.4G with the screw missing

Its actual role is to physically stop the lens from being rotated too far when being mounted. If this happens, you’ll invariably feel a horrible grinding and the aperture coupling lever will become distorted. And of course, when you realise your mistake, the lever will get bent a second time as you attempt to remove the lens. A bent lever have an adverse effect on the camera’s ability to stop the lens down correctly at the time of exposure and can also cause any other lenses to jam as you attempt to attach them.

A D7100 with a bent lever. In normal conditions, the end of the lever would be straight

Correct lens mounting

Aside from checking your lenses regularly to see if the screw is still present, another way to avoid damaging the control lever is to actually mount the lenses in the correct manner: there is no need to depress the lens release button when mounting a lens; it only needs to be depressed when removing a lens. Even if the stop screw has fallen off your lens, it is impossible to over turn the lens as it will lock into place via the release button pin. You’ll hear a click when the lens has mounted. However, the number of damaged cameras we see arriving at our workshop suggest that there are many Nikon users out there who insist on incorrectly depressing the button when mounting a lens. Just don’t!

The correct way to mount a NIkkor lens WITHOUT depressing the release lever

You’re asking for trouble if you mount your lenses this way!

Repairing a bent lever

In some cases our technicians can gently bend the lever back into shape, but they’re made of an alloy and will weaken considerably if they’re pulled around too much. In the majority of cases, the lever mechanism will need replacing and it’s quite an involved job. It’s mounted to the side of the mirror box and the camera has to be stripped down. And even though the lever is a small part, it is attached to a much larger mechanism that needs to be replaced in its entirety.

The replacement lever mechanism from a D800

It can cost upwards of £250 to replace the parts, so take a couple of minutes every month to check your lenses and keep your finger off that button!

Jonny Helm Feature July 25, 2017October 6, 2023 0 Comments

Nikon 100th Anniversary | Interview

Unless you’ve been avoiding the photographic press for the last few months, it probably hasn’t escaped your notice that Nikon are celebrating their 100th anniversary on July 25th.

A Miniature Nikon F Camera has been produced to commemorate the 100th anniversary

Our relationship with Nikon goes way back; back to 1988 in fact, when former Nikon UK Service Manager Mike Allen started Fixation and we became an official Nikon Service Centre, looking after many of the professional photographers Mike had known from his years in the industry.

Around the same time, Jeremy Gilbert was also starting off beginning his career at Nikon, starting off in sales before moving into product management and then marketing. Today he is the Northern Europe Marketing Director for Nikon Imaging. We caught up with Jeremy to talk about Nikon and his thoughts on the industry today.

Hi Jeremy, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Thanks Tim, always a challenging question for an introvert!

As you know I’ve spent a lifetime in the photographic industry, literally starting off as a Saturday boy at Photomarkets to supplement my grant whilst at college. Following this I had a brief spell at Fox Talbot in The Strand and my final stint within retail was at City Camera Exchange managing their Bishopsgate branch before moving to Croydon. It was there that I was inspired to seek employment with a manufacturer. Nikon was already my camera brand of choice, so I wrote to their Sales Manager. My first day at Nikon was 1^st September 1986 and the rest as they say is history.

Jeremy Gilbert receiving a Which? award in 2015

So when you started at Nikon, it was before digital cameras had become mainstream and the F4 was the flagship film camera. How do you think the takeover of digital has shaped photography?

When I first started the F3 was actually still the flagship Pro Camera and Nikon was about to release its first consumer Autofocus camera the F-501, so you could say I joined pre AF as well as pre digital. Digital cameras weren’t even a dream at that time, although perhaps the first indication of what the future could be were evident in a product we launched in 1988 the QV-1000c, a monochrome electronic still video camera. By today’s standards the quality of its 380,000-pixel monochrome CCD recording onto a video floppy disc was less than perfect, but it did open people’s minds to a potential future without the cost and time limitations of film. It wasn’t until seven years later we launched the £10,000+ 1.3MP Nikon E2 into the pro market, but personally I think it was the launch of the COOLPIX 900 in 1998 that convinced me it was game over for film (although I distinctly remember we all thought the transition would take much longer than it did).

The last roll of film I used was in 1999. To be frank, once the D1 was launched there wasn’t any need; the digital takeover was assured, if not complete. How’s this shaped photography? is a hard question; it certainly made photography more accessible to a much wider audience and I think it’s fair to say improved the workflow process for the majority, but what we mustn’t forget is that ‘good photography’ isn’t just about the equipment, it’s about the photographers skills behind the camera. If you consider the really iconic images taken over the last 50 years the majority were probably taken on vastly inferior equipment than we have today – what digital has done has inspired a new breed of photographers to enter the industry, helping them to push the boundaries of the art form.

We now live in an age when a single digital image can circulate the world in just a few seconds, having an immediate impact on people’s opinions and emotions – it’s been a privilege to have played a small part in that transition.

Nikon’s D1, released in 1999 was a game-changer for professional photographers

I understand you’re a keen photographer yourself; we’ve actually got one of your prints on the wall in our showroom! You must feel like a kid in a candy shop, being surrounded every day by all this amazing equipment?

Yes I do enjoy my photography and yes being able to use whatever I want is amazing, but like everyone else I do tend to stick with my favourite products which right now is the Df with either standard 50mm or the new 300mm ƒ/4, I have to say the little 300mm is probably my favourite lens of all time; simply amazing and if you haven’t used one you must give it a go as it will change your opinion forever.

Do you still shoot film at all?

No not at all…. Although I won’t say never again as, I do miss the thrill of the darkroom from time to time – I’ve actually got an unopened roll of Kodak 120 colour film from late 1930’s that I promised myself I’ll use one day, perhaps it’s time to open it?

Nikon were the first to include video capability on a DSLR with the D90 and it’s now a commonplace feature. Looking back, did you have any inkling that it would be a game changer for videographers?

We definitely knew it would be the start of something big – technologies are continually merging to offer the consumer great functionality and performance and this was one of those occasions.

There seem to be more people with cameras these days, but less people shooting professionally. Do you think digital is the reason for this?

No I don’t think this is because of digital photography per se, it’s more to do with the way we consume images and the price people are willing to pay to use an image online – sadly the price of photographs has been driven down in the market, making it harder for some to make the living they once did. Having said that, the cream will always rise to the top and we shouldn’t forget there are still a huge number of very successful photographers.

Mirrorless cameras are becoming more and more popular, and you seem to do well with the Nikon 1 system. Do you think there’s room for professional cameras to explore this route, as Sony have done with the A7 & A9 systems?

It’s always good to see new technologies enter the market; competition is what drives us to maximise our product offering.

Is there room in the market for professional mirrorless? – Yes, but as proven in the past we need to ensure that new technologies really do improve the performance, workflow and reliability for the professional. It can be some time before this becomes apparent, in the meantime as recently reported by senior Nikon executives we will concentrate our resources on medium to high-end cameras and lenses but sorry, I can’t comment on future products.

Thinking back to all the product releases you’ve been involved in, are there any products that stand out?

This award would go to two cameras the D1 and the D3.

The D1 because it was really the first true digital DSLR (not a bolt on solution); it changed the pro market forever.

The D3 because Nikon managed to break totally new grounds with low light performance. High ISO performance was significantly better than anything else on the market, it was a dream camera to work with.

If you could only use one Nikon product, which would it be and why?

Definitely the Df – it’s a product you buy with your heart, and on occasion is a challenge to use, but because of this it makes you think and take a little bit more time taking pictures, for me this helps me take a more considered photograph (I’ve never been a fan of the machine gun approach to picture taking). The cameras processing is very sympathetic creating a very natural looking file and at launch it was at the top of the DXO ratings for low light performance.

It might not be everyone’s choice, but it is mine.

Jeremy’s choice of camera, the Df is a respectful nod to old film cameras such as the FE & FM

Obviously you can’t give too much away, but can we look forward to some exciting announcements this year?

Probably the question I get asked the most, and one everyone knows I can’t answer, but consider this… Nikon is a camera manufacturer with a hundred years of experience in optics, it’s therefore fairly safe to say we will be announcing new products at some point in the near future – be patient we won’t disappoint.

To commemorate the anniversary, Nikon have produced strictly limited editions of the flagship D5 & D500 along with special versions of the popular ƒ/2.8 zooms.

A limited edition pin badge set, featuring key products from the last 100 years has also been released

To learn more about Nikon and their anniversary products, see the official website here

Jeremy was talking to Tim Stavrinou

Jonny Helm Tips & Tricks July 24, 2017October 6, 2023 0 Comments

Tips & Tricks | Backing up your camera settings

What’s the advantage of backing up your camera settings? Modern cameras offer more customisation than ever, and if you spend a lot of time using yours, you’ll likely fiddle with things to get them the way you want them.

Whether it’s to do with picture modes, white-balance settings, Fn keys, exposure compensation or whatever else, you’ll likely find ways to get your camera working exactly how you want it to for a streamlined shoot. However, if you reset your camera without saving these settings in some way, you may boot it up to find everything permanently restored to defaults. If you’ve spent months or even years working with your camera and can’t necessarily remember everything you set up, this could be a major pain!

Fortunately, many camera manufacturers include in their products the option to save and load settings. With a few taps through the menu, you can access the option to save settings to an SD card, or load them from one. This is a great thing to do with an old card that you don’t use too much anymore – indeed if your camera has multiple card slots, you can quickly accomplish this without even taking a break from your shoot!

Backing up camera settings has never been easier, and takes just a few minutes. While it’s always going to vary from model to model, we’ll run through where you’ll likely find the option for each major manufacturer.

Save camera settings for Nikon

With most Nikon DSLRs, the option is found under the Setup menu. Simply select the option and then choose to either Save or Load your settings.

Save camera settings for Canon

With most Canon DSLRs, the option is also found under the Setup menu. Simply select the option and then choose to either Save or Load your settings.

Save camera settings for Sony

Once your camera is set up the way you want it, hit the Menu button. On the camera tab, select “Memory”. From here you can press the left and right buttons to select the location to save your settings. You can select 1, 2, or 3 for your camera’s internal memory, but if you really want to be safe, select M1, M2, M3, or M4 to save on your memory card.

Bear in mind that this will only save settings for the mode you’re in – Program, Manual, Aperture Priority etc. If you habitually shoot in multiple modes, you’ll want to save profiles for each one.

Save camera settings for Fujifilm

Modern Fujifilm cameras let you create up to seven different shooting profiles of saved settings. Press the MENU OK button, and navigate to IMAGE QUALITY SETTING. Select EDIT/SAVE CUSTOM SETTING and press MENU OK – this will bring up the seven custom settings.

The next step varies depending on your model of camera, but you should be able to select one of these profiles and hit SAVE CURRENT SETTINGS to record your camera’s current status.

However, this will only save the profile internally. If you want a backup of your camera settings, the best thing to do is download the Fujifilm X Acquire software for Windows or Mac. Download and install the software, then plug in your camera via USB.

Click the Fujifilm X Acquire icon in the menu bar (Mac) or taskbar (Windows), and you should see options to BACKUP CAMERA SETTINGS or RESTORE CAMERA SETTINGS.

Save camera settings for Panasonic

Panasonic cameras have a useful function that lets you use the Bluetooth connection to save your camera settings to a smartphone.

Connect the camera to your smartphone via Bluetooth. Tap Home, and then the wrench icon to get to Camera Settings Copy. Tap Save Setting – you may get a confirmation box at this point. Tap the Yes icon, and you’ll be good to go.

This mode also lets you transfer settings from one camera to another, which can be especially useful if you’re on a video shoot with multiple cameras and want to ensure things remain consistent.

Save camera settings for Olympus

Olympus cameras do not currently offer an easy, straightforward way to externally save your camera settings. There is a CUSTOM RESET function that lets you save profiles in-camera, which can be found in the first tab of the menu (camera icon).

In this section, you’ll see RESET 1 and RESET 2 options – these are custom reset profiles, which allow you to save specific settings and call them up at a moment’s notice.

IF your camera unexpectedly dies, a trip to a repair shop can be a lifesaver. At Fixation’s centres in London and Manchester we will always endeavour to diagnose the problem and fix it quickly to get your camera working again.

However, some issues with digital cameras will necessitate a full factory reset. If that happens, it pays to have your preferred settings backed up, whether to a memory card, a smartphone or the cloud. Taking the time to understand how to externally save and load your camera settings could pay dividends in the long run, and save you a major headache!

Alternatively, if your camera proves to be truly beyond repair, then it may be time to get a new one. Having your settings saved and ready to be restored can be a great way to hit the ground running with your new machine. While this will be easiest if you buy an identical body, settings can also potentially be imported between different models from the same manufacturer. Either way, it’s best to always be safe and back up your preferred settings regularly, ensuring that the latest versions of your settings are saved.

NB. If you update your camera’s firmware, you generally can’t restore your settings, as new features may have been added to your camera, so useful as it is, it’s not unfortunately foolproof!

Also, bear in mind that any firmware update will generally reset your customisation options.

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