[madbrain]

I suffered a fall yesterday while climbing on a rock to take some pictures. It left my left arm with some deep scratches. It could have been much worse. I will get a doctor checkup later today.

Regarding the equipment, the PH-RBC lens hood broke into pieces. There are a number of scratches on the K-1 II camera body, battery grip, and a few on the lens. The filter protected the front element, but there is still a scratch on the plastic. Everything appears to function correctly still. Other than the lens hood, the damage is mainly cosmetic. If I was going to keep the camera forever, I would just replace the lens hood and not worry about it. But I know cameras still evolve and some day (could be 5 years+ most likely) I will want to sell it to replace it, and the body damage will diminish its value. Since the camera / body / lens (one package) was recently purchased, my credit card insurance's purchase protection may apply. But the insurer will require a repair estimate. I'm not sure there is such a thing as a body shop for camera bodies. The scratches on the body are not bad, but in many spots. The battery grip has more damage, so it probably ended up providing nice protection to the camera during the fall. To make it look like new, I would likely need to replace the grip, and have all the electronics moved to a new housing. Who could give me a repair estimate for that ? Do I have to send in the camera to Precision camera ? Or is there a local repair shop in the SF Bay area that can do the estimate ?
I would rather not send it in as I was laid off from my job a few weeks ago and enjoying shooting a lot of pictures during my new job search. I don't want to be without it too long. The insurer probably doesn't need the repair estimate right away, but likely has a deadline for submitting it. I haven't contacted them yet. I want to know what my options are for estimates first. There may be a maximum for the coverage too, and that max might be less than the repair cost. I will take what I can get. Insurer may not require me to actually perform the repair, but still compensate me for damage.

[rawr]

Sounds like the camera is still basically OK. IMHO not worth spending too much on a total body makeover today if you intend holding on to it until 2023.

In 5 years time (if that's your selling timeline), even if it still looked like new, you would be selling it with a shutter count that reveals it's considerable age to a buyer, and the body will be worth probably less than half of what you bought it for this year. Plus in between 2023 and now, other knocks and scrapes will inevitably come it's way if you are into rock climbing.

Also I find it inspiring that you seem more worried about your camera's injuries than you are about your own. Pentaxian priorities!

[madbrain]

Sounds like the camera is still basically OK. IMHO not worth spending too much on a total body makeover today if you intend holding on to it until 2023.

In 5 years time (if that's your selling timeline), even if it still looked like new, you would be selling it with a shutter count that reveals it's considerable age to a buyer, and the body will be worth probably less than half of what you bought it for this year. Plus in between 2023 and now, other knocks and scrapes will inevitably come it's way if you are into rock climbing.

Also I find it inspiring that you seem more worried about your camera's injuries than you are about your own. Pentaxian priorities!

Well, I mentioned my own injury first, so I think my priorities are in the right order. I had a first aid kit in my car and applied antibiotics. Also was not traveling alone fortunately, but there were other tourists nearby if I had been. Was out of range of my own cell company's to call my insurance company to make the doc appointment, but my friend used a different carrier and had signal.

I have no particular selling timeline in mind. I have never bought a camera this expensive. Photo is just a hobby for me. It may well be that I end up keeping it longer. Unless I win the lottery or my next job pays significantly better, and something worth ugprading to comes on the market (I haven't seen that yet). Or maybe my previous job ends up being my last job, and I will end up in forced early retirement and selling the camera sooner than expected, in which case I would realize a loss if I was selling it short term.

I will probably not perform all the repairs given the minor extent of the damage. For example, I might repair/replace just the grip, or grip & camera, but definitely not the lens as you really have to know where that scratch is and look for it.
I still want the estimate in order to get insurer to compensate me for the damage regardless of which repairs I end up performing, if any. So, the question remains if I can get such an estimate in person. At the minimum, I would want the damage to the lens hood covered, and that will still necessitate an official estimate, even though I know exactly what the lens hood costs to buy new.

All this is a long winded way of asking if I can get this estimate in person somewhere without shipping the camera.

[lsimpkins]

I suffered a fall yesterday while climbing on a rock to take some pictures. It left my left arm with some deep scratches. It could have been much worse. I will get a doctor checkup later today.

Regarding the equipment, the PH-RBC lens hood broke into pieces. There are a number of scratches on the K-1 II camera body, battery grip, and a few on the lens. The filter protected the front element, but there is still a scratch on the plastic. Everything appears to function correctly still. Other than the lens hood, the damage is mainly cosmetic. If I was going to keep the camera forever, I would just replace the lens hood and not worry about it. But I know cameras still evolve and some day (could be 5 years+ most likely) I will want to sell it to replace it, and the body damage will diminish its value. Since the camera / body / lens (one package) was recently purchased, my credit card insurance's purchase protection may apply. But the insurer will require a repair estimate. I'm not sure there is such a thing as a body shop for camera bodies. The scratches on the body are not bad, but in many spots. The battery grip has more damage, so it probably ended up providing nice protection to the camera during the fall. To make it look like new, I would likely need to replace the grip, and have all the electronics moved to a new housing. Who could give me a repair estimate for that ? Do I have to send in the camera to Precision camera ? Or is there a local repair shop in the SF Bay area that can do the estimate ?
I would rather not send it in as I was laid off from my job a few weeks ago and enjoying shooting a lot of pictures during my new job search. I don't want to be without it too long. The insurer probably doesn't need the repair estimate right away, but likely has a deadline for submitting it. I haven't contacted them yet. I want to know what my options are for estimates first. There may be a maximum for the coverage too, and that max might be less than the repair cost. I will take what I can get. Insurer may not require me to actually perform the repair, but still compensate me for damage.

First, I would check the exact coverage that your credit card offers. It may not cover at fault accidents and may have a deductible. As far as getting an estimate, I would think that the only option in the USA is to send it to Precision along with a letter detailing that you need an estimate for insurance purposes and that first and foremost you want them to perform a complete set of tests and calibrations of all functions. Only then would I worry about the cosmetics. If worst comes to worst (no cc insurance coverage) personally I would pay for the inspection and any recalibration needed, but skip the cosmetic repairs.

[victormeldrew]

I think it unlikely that a repairer would suggest repairing a grip. The fix would be to buy a new one, as the cost would be lower than paying a technician to transplant everything into a new enclosure.

As for the cosmetic damage, only the approved repairers are likely to be able to source new body panels and so your only option would be to send it to whoever it is in your territory (Precision?) for a quote. It's unlikely to be less than $300 I'd say, assuming it is only cosmetic. Add to that the cost of the grip and the dent in the selling price would likely be less, especially in a few years time.

A more economical outcome would have been if it had been a bit more damaged and beyond repair - assuming you're covered for replacement for accidental damage - shame that isn't what happened, eh???

[madbrain]

First, I would check the exact coverage that your credit card offers. It may not cover at fault accidents and may have a deductible. As far as getting an estimate, I would think that the only option in the USA is to send it to Precision along with a letter detailing that you need an estimate for insurance purposes and that first and foremost you want them to perform a complete set of tests and calibrations of all functions. Only then would I worry about the cosmetics. If worst comes to worst (no cc insurance coverage) personally I would pay for the inspection and any recalibration needed, but skip the cosmetic repairs.

This is the coverage my card offers :
American Express | Card Benefits
There is no deductible listed, only a limit of $10,000 . Accidental damage is covered. There is no exclusion that would apply in this case.
I am confident coverage would apply. I have used purchase protection on a few items (on various items of lower value, and various cards) and had good luck with them. Sometimes there is indeed a deductible, sometimes not. Some items are occasionally not covered, like taxes or shipping. That doesn't appear to be the case for this card.

My main concern at this point is to obtain an estimate as quickly as possible, and be without my camera for the shortest amount of time possible. I called a couple camera stores around, but it seems they all ship them out for estimates, which obviously makes turnaround much longer than I was hoping for. I was hoping there was someone local who could do estimates in a store and avoid being without the camera. Is there such a thing ?

---------- Post added 06-09-18 at 02:19 PM ----------

I think it unlikely that a repairer would suggest repairing a grip. The fix would be to buy a new one, as the cost would be lower than paying a technician to transplant everything into a new enclosure.

I'm only concerned about getting the camera back in comparable condition prior to the accident, which was like-new. Battery grip may indeed not be repairable, in which case it should be replaced. Generally, if an item is not economical to repair, the shop will note that and the insurance company would take it into consideration and choose to pay for replacement instead of repair, since cost would be lower.

As for the cosmetic damage, only the approved repairers are likely to be able to source new body panels and so your only option would be to send it to whoever it is in your territory (Precision?) for a quote. It's unlikely to be less than $300 I'd say, assuming it is only cosmetic. Add to that the cost of the grip and the dent in the selling price would likely be less, especially in a few years time.

I'm sure you are right that repair isn't going to be less than $300. Precision is listing $353 deposit for non-warranty repairs on a K-1 II, and that doesn't include the grip. I'm just looking for a quote, and the quickest way to get that quote.

A more economical outcome would have been if it had been a bit more damaged and beyond repair - assuming you're covered for replacement for accidental damage - shame that isn't what happened, eh???

Accidental damage coverage doesn't mean that there has to be a total loss for it to apply. Just like for car insurance, cell phone insurance, etc, partial damage is covered, also. Even if the camera was no longer working, I would still need a shop to provide an estimate to find out whether repair cost would be more or less than replacement cost. I'm glad it's still working, just unhappy about the damage. My 10-year old K200D is in better shape (and still basically worthless, hasn't sold for months even for just $100 !).

[Not a Number]

You can try Advanced Camera in Oregon. They are an authorized repair center for Ricoh / Pentax. They don't do warranty work and will sometimes pass the job to Precision depending on what needs to be done.

There is also Picture Perfect down here in Southern California they used to be an authorized service center for Pentax. I haven't been able to determine if they are or not. They haven't responded to email inquiries and don't have a toll free number. I haven't been sufficiently motivated to give them a call. My brother had his LX serviced there back when they were officially listed by Pentax and still took walk-in service. He was quite satisfied with their work.

[madbrain]

You can try Advanced Camera in Oregon. They are an authorized repair center for Ricoh / Pentax. They don't do warranty work and will sometimes pass the job to Precision depending on what needs to be done.

There is also Picture Perfect down here in Southern California they used to be an authorized service center for Pentax. I haven't been able to determine if they are or not. They haven't responded to email inquiries and don't have a toll free number. I haven't been sufficiently motivated to give them a call. My brother had his LX serviced there back when they were officially listed by Pentax and still took walk-in service. He was quite satisfied with their work.

Thank you. Unfortunately, both those locations are too far. I'm looking for a shop in Northern California.

[madbrain]

Plus in between 2023 and now, other knocks and scrapes will inevitably come it's way if you are into rock climbing.

Just wanted to add, I'm not into rock climbing, this was just a one-off to take a picture with a certain field of view, and avoid an ugly fence.
I have since learned to deal with it in Photoshop. Not worth the trouble doing it again. I have never dropped my other Pentax cameras like this.

I just spent time reading a lot of reviews of Precision Cameras on Yelp, and they seem pretty horrible. Even for the sole purpose of an estimate, I'm not really sure I would trust them with the camera. So many seem to have had their cameras come back in worse shape than before, and after long delays. Sigh. Really wish there was some other place to go for an estimate.

[victormeldrew]

I just spent time reading a lot of reviews of Precision Cameras on Yelp, and they seem pretty horrible.

Don't forget that people who have a perfectly good experience are far less likely to write reviews than people who have poor ones. But yes, there have been some horror stories...

It seems odd that in the land of the free market (if not free trade) that such an anti-competitive situation should exist as a single repairer for the entire country being the only company who can source the required parts..but there you go - if it weren't for such lockdown tactics, Apple would be nowhere near as rich and Pentax might have to publish their parts price list, and we can't have that kind of freedom!

I wonder if the same situation existed at Ford (or Honda) they would be allowed to get away with locking out every mechanic in the country bar one, who was then free to charge whatever they like and give whatever level of service they please? I doubt it...

[madbrain]

Don't forget that people who have a perfectly good experience are far less likely to write reviews than people who have poor ones. But yes, there have been some horror stories...

It seems odd that in the land of the free market (if not free trade) that such an anti-competitive situation should exist as a single repairer for the entire country being the only company who can source the required parts..but there you go - if it weren't for such lockdown tactics, Apple would be nowhere near as rich and Pentax might have to publish their parts price list, and we can't have that kind of freedom!

I wonder if the same situation existed at Ford (or Honda) they would be allowed to get away with locking out every mechanic in the country bar one, who was then free to charge whatever they like and give whatever level of service they please? I doubt it...

There are laws to prohibit bad behavior when it comes to auto warranty & service.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

Unfortunately, it seems Pentax isn't a big enough market to attract alternate parts / service.

Apple still has more than one service center nationwide AFAIK, so not as bad. Though I don't own any Apple products.

[madbrain]

So, I sent it in to Precision today. They will get it by Wednesday night. They said it takes 2 to 3 business days for estimate. I instructed them to return the camera immediately once the estimate is done, and not to proceed with the repair.
Filed claim with Amex too. Amex won't pay for shipping in either direction for purpose of estimates. So that's about $80 roundtrip in shipping cost. But given that the basic repair cost for a K-1 II is listed as $350, and that doesn't include grip or lens hood, I would expect to still come out ahead. Sorry that this drop happened, but better that it happened during the 90 day window for that coverage rather than later ...

[madbrain]

So, Precision received my camera on 6/14 . But they did not get to the estimates until 6/26, rather than 3 business days I had been quoted over the phone. They confirmed no functional damage, only cosmetic. That is one tough camera. They did ship it back overnight finally on wednesday 6/27, and I received it on 6/28 .

I missed the camera greatly for my birthday party and SF gay pride - chose not to attend the later due to not having it. Definitely will go next year for the 50th pride.

I have just over a week of freedom to shoot with it to my heart's contempt before starting a new job on July 9. No more rock climbing.

In terms of estimate, the replacement of camera housing was estimated at $440 parts & labor.
They considered the D-BG6 grip "not repairable" and actually sent it back first at no cost a week before the camera (not very useful).
The lens hood was also considered not repairable (not surprising) but it's also not a serviceable item, so I didn't get an estimate.

Now I get to fill all the Amex paperwork for the claim. I should get at least $440 for the camera damage. Not sure how they will go about grip & lens hood since there is no $ estimate. But at least Pentax has a public replacement price for those parts - about $250 for grip and $50 for hood.
Worst case I should get $440, best case $740. I spent about $100 in shipping round-trip so I stand to receive between $340 - $640 for the diminished value. This will pay for a bit of LBA I guess.

[victormeldrew]

Hopefully they'll settle that for you. Nice that it's back though.