My beloved Nikon FE, had it since the early 1980s, got a small dent in the prism housing. It was driving me crazy since the rest of the camera was amazingly clean. This bothered me so much that I didn't want to use the camera even though I returned to film photography last year. I considered removing the top plate so I could tap out the dent, but removal and replacement of the plate looked rather involved. Lucky for me I came across Karl at Bay Area Camera Repair. He removed the top plate, tapped out the dent and put the camera back together without adding a single scratch anywhere. He even performed some additional minor "repairs" and that was a great surprise. The camera looks GREAT and the only evidence that remains of the dent is a surface blemish (there's no way Karl could have addressed that and I didn't expect him to) due to the original impact. We also discussed cameras for a bit and he gave me some great insider tips on a variety of needs I had. The first two images display the dent before the repair and the last images is after Karl's magic touch. Dent g This experience was better than I had hoped for and I was left with the impression that Karl really cares about the cameras he works on. I have about 20 film cameras at this point and plan to have Karl work on them as needed. Karl, thank you so much for the fantastic work and understanding how much my camera and this repair meant to me!!!! Update January 6, 2023: since posting my original review I've had Karl CLA a film body and three lenses between two different visits. Once again, great quality and service. A friend used him for the first time recently and he was happy with the service and outcome. I plan to drop off more of my film bodies and lenses for CLA. Thanks again Karl! read more

It has been almost two months since I contacted Karl to fix my jammed Hasselblad body. I left a message on Seawood Camera website, and Karl responded 3 days later with his personal email. We exchanged a couple of email and he gave a ballpark range and told me to bring the camera in Tuesday through Saturday to the camera store so he could inspect it. I said I would drop by either Tuesday or Wednesday and asked for best time to the day to do so. After I did not get a reply from Karl for a few day, I took a trip across the bridge to the store late morning Tuesday. Karl was not there. One of staff in the store told me that Karl called in late but not sure he would come in at all. I waited for about an hour standing in front of the camera store to see since it was not exactly a short trip plus the toll. I emailed Karl about missing him at the store then I head home. People can have emergency so I was disappointed but not upset. However, I was expecting he would email me back to set up a time that I could catch him at the camera store. Karl never contacted me back to this day. I like to patron local area business and not have to put my camera in the mail, but I questioned my trust in Karl's customer care. So, after a week of no reply from Karl, I sent my camera out to So Cal to repair. read more

As a semi-professional photographer and a mom, my 'pocket cameras' go through a lot and they have to deliver high-quality results. I had THREE cameras that had succumbed to various pitfalls like juice, sand, and uhm, fairly massive collisions with the ground. These are higher end snap and shoot canon cameras which I was sure had passed on into technology heaven. Although they were likely scrap metal I kept them for years hoping that I could eventually afford to send them in to the manufacturer for potential service. I put it off because you need to pay to send it in just to get a decision on whether it was fixable and then a quote from Canon. So, I decided to get advice from a local store first. Karl (works independently out of Seawood photo) was kind, knowledgeable and generous with his time to diagnose the problems and perform nothing less than a miracle to return them to life. He even cleaned them and charged the batteries for me. I now have 'like new' cameras for an affordable price and couldn't recommend Karl's talent and services more. -New loyal customer read more

Bay Area Camera Repair - Canon S80 - Electronics Repair Near Me - San Rafael, California

I don't usually write reviews but when I do, it's for a person or business that has consistently gone above and beyond.In this case, they're one and the same. Karl's the BEST. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge and has never been unable to repair what I've brought in to him over the years. Just one example...My Nikkor 85mm f1.4 ais was a dusty mess inside. When Karl returned it to me I swear (and to this day!) that I had to do a double take to ensure the elements were still in the lens-it was (and is) that crystal clear! Karl is smart, generous and completely on top of his camera repair game. And a cool guy to boot. And he's located in one of the coolest camera stores ever, Seawood Photo. Can't thank or recommend him enough. read more

Karl repaired the focus on my Fuji GW 670ii (a late 80's medium format film camera). I was worried it would either be unfixable, or the cost of repair would be a significant percentage of the cost of the camera. However, the price was incredibly reasonable. I would not hesitate to bring my cameras to Karl for servicing. read more

Karl is really good at what he does and he provides his repair services at a very reasonable price. I sent someone to him and after he looked at the camera Karl told him that the camera was working fine and he just cleaned the viewfinder and returned it at no charge. It's good to know people like Karl still exist. read more

TOP shelf camera repair, meticulous work at affordable prices! No I don't work them, but I have used their service over 5 times now doing all my pro equipment maintenance. My son is also a semi-pro photographer who is also wow'd by Karl's work. If only these standards are found everywhere else these days. In fact: I now send ALL my camera business Karl's way... period. Thats loyalty. read more

Karl is a wonderful resource in our community. I've come to him again and again with all kinds of odd little jobs and he has always fixed whatever I had quickly, correctly and is always pleasure to deal with. Can't recommend highly enough. read more

I had recently bought a lens off of Ebay and there was some fungus on various parts of the lens elements(knew this beforehand). I contacted several camera repair places and none of them would do fungus cleanings. Found Bay Area Camera Repair and called to see if they could do anything. Carl called back and noted that he could would need to take a look at it. I brought in the lens and after dropping it off, I got a call back from Carl noting that he could take care of it in a week, noted the caveats regarding my lens( fungus damage was present, he could clean, but there is most likely etching, etc). We agreed on the price and got a call from him a week later letting me know it was ready. Just picked up the lens today and wow. I'm really surprised by how great the lens elements look. Even the rear drop in insert filter was clear when it had looked like spider webs before. Carl did great work. The staff working at the camera store were also super friendly. It is a bit of a drive, since I live in the south bay, but it was worth the trip up to get my lens cleaned. Great job Carl! read more

This is THE place for all your photography needs! Great selections of photo equipments and accessories. They also do repair as well. great customer service and they have a semi celebrity working there as well :) read more

Very friendly and professional service I highly recommend Bay Area Camera Repair! I broke the mirror on my Canon 5D, originally thinking I'd have to send in my Canon 5D to Cannon. Did not know this camera repair place was right down the street from me, brought it in and Carl fixed it within 10 minutes. Potentially I would've had my camera out of service for a couple of weeks sending it into Canon. I am so grateful for this service and Carl! Thank you so much! Rich Frye Photography read more

I bought a Nikon fm 2n and I started noticing that some of my images were producing light leaks. So I took it back they looked at it and said that there is a defective light seal and they honored the warranty repaired it! read more

My Canon G7x lens cover blades broke when I slammed it against the seat of a roller coaster. I called Bay Area Camera Repair thinking I would need to drop off my camera and pick it up at the end of the day. I had Carl look at it and he told me he could repair it on the spot. He went to the back room and repaired within 10 minutes and generously did it free of charge. I appreciate his service and generosity and would recommend his business to anyone. read more

I took my Leica M3 in for a tuneup on the slow speeds. When I got it back, it worked like new. Came back cleaner than I expected.

Carl is amazing!!! Such a wealth of camera knowledge and so helpful and kind!

Brought our camera in for a professional cleaning as it had been exposed to a lot of sand during a trip to the dunes in Zion. Made it clear we needed it ready by Wednesday as there was an event we needed to take photos at and were assured it would be ready by that morning. Come Wednesday, six days later when my husband called to check it was ready- he was informed that they had forgotten to take a note of this, and that no, the camera was not ready and the guy who could clean it had taken the day off. Very annoying and unprofessional- had to go out of our way to pick it up in the same state we left it. Big waste of our time. read more

I have a Sigma 120-300 lens that needed to be fixed due to blurred images. I called Sigma, told them what was going on with the lens, and was told that it would take 4 to 6 weeks to fix. This after shipping the lens to them. I then called Bay Area Camera Repair, spoke with Karl sharing with him the issue, and that I needed the lens back in 1 week. Karl told me to bring the lens in that day. Karl then corrected the problem in 10 minutes. Lens now works great. I definitely give Bay Area Camera Repair five stars, and recommend their services. Thanks Bay Area Camera Repair! read more