I cannot find a store in Japan that accepts Ricoh GR1 film cameras for repair.
Then I concluded my previous repair article by saying that I would send the request overseas, but I have good news.
The repair was successfully completed by a camera repair shop in Taiwan.
Camera Repair Shop in Taiwan
The only repair company I could find through a web search was a repair company in the U.S. I was informed that they could fix it in China, so I did a Chinese character search on Facebook.
I couldn’t find any hits in English, so I searched in Chinese for camera repair (相机维修)・GR1, and found a store with repair cases of compact cameras, which are not accepted in Japan.
I told the messenger from the Facebook page about the malfunction and he said he could repair it.
After receiving a rough estimate, it was time to send the product. (By the way, GR1 is made in Taiwan).
Repairs and Pricing
This repair was in terms of the LED LCD not displaying and the shutter not clicking.
Below is the final repair price. Taiwan Dollars (calculated at 1NTD=3.6 Yen).
・換液晶排線 LED screen board broken NTD 2,500（9,000yen）
・換快門排線 Shutter board brokenNTD 3,000（10,800yen）
It costs not cheap, but I am grateful that it can be fixed.
There was also a problem with the viewfinder, which I did not repair because it was not a problem in use, but the price was below.
・菱鏡合膠 Viewfinder regluing. NTD 3,500（12,600yen）
The rest is NTD800 (2,880 yen) for shipping. I was surprised at how expensive this was,the shipping cost from Japan was about 1,300 yen by EMS.
The LED repair also makes the shutter speed information visible in the viewfinder.
Repair communication
All communication for repairs is in English. However, the response is slow due to the limited English speaking staff at the store.
I am not that good at English either, so we exchanged messages via messenger while using a translation tool.
As a point to keep in mind when communicating with them, use bullet points and communicate clearly, as neither of I is a native speaker of the language.
I was asked again what I had told them, or the reply had no subject, but let’s just deal with that with a “thank you just for fixing it” mentality.
I aｍ forcing them to respond in English, and we don’t want to have to turn them down because they are annoyed with Japanese.
It took some time to communicate with them, but in general they were more polite than in Japan. For English and Chinese repair information, please copy the above.
The estimates and invoices are clear, which will be summarized in PDF format (actual estimate PDF).
If there was anything that was unclear during the work, they would send photos and explain it to us, and after the repair was completed, they shared a video of the operation check (actual operation check video: Google drive).
Even after packing, they sent me a picture saying, “I’m going to send it to you now.
payment
They said they could accept Paypal as a payment method (credit cards probably not accepted) and I was billed to my email address after the repair was completed.
It is recommended that you prepare a Paypal account in advance.
GR1 after repair
Careful packaging. The camera was packed with air cushion.
In a previous repair article, I wrote about how to operate without being able to see the LCD, but I still find it stressful when I can see the information.
The LCD, which is a chronic problem of the GR1, will probably not be a problem for 5 years, and the shutter failure, which is a common problem, will be a relief for the time being.
This is far more secure than buying new used equipment, so it is cheaper that way.
Fujifilm Natura / Leica Mini lux could be repaired.
The store’s Facebook page lists Fujifilm Natura, Leica Mini Lux, Contax TVS, and Rollei 35 as examples of repairs, so it appears that they can repair a fairly wide range of cameras.
I would not say that Japan is a country of technology anymore far back in time, but film cameras are going overseas in droves.
The number of retailers and film developing stores is increasing, especially in Asia, and it is becoming a fashionable trend.
There are a variety of stores in Bangkok, Thailand, even just the ones I picked up.
Unlike Japan, where there is a large economic disparity, it is common to see rich young people carrying around high-end cameras, and I hope that film culture will remain in the future, especially among the younger generation.