Call ahead service available.  Give us a call before stopping in and if we can accommodate it we will clean your camera’s sensor while you wait.

…something wonderful

…something big

Mack Camera & Video Service, Inc
200 Morris Avenue. Springfield, NJ 07081
800-252-MACK (6225)
local: 973-467-2291
fax: 973-467-2590
mackcam.com

At Mack Camera and Video Service we take pride in providing great service and customer support for all of our customers. We currently service equipment ranging from all photographic equipment to computers. Mack Camera is one of the largest independently owned and operated repair facilities in the United States. Our staff consists of more than 60 factory trained technicians and customer service staff. The talent of our technical and customer service staff has enabled Mack Camera to become authorized for repairs on most major brands.

As a leader in the photographic industry, Mack Camera provides repair service for customers all over the world. Purchasing a Mack Camera Extended Service Contract means that you are making an intelligent investment in the future of your electronic equipment. As your service provider we make every effort to provide you with a level of service unlike any other company. Our user friendly web site makes it easy arrange for service for your equipment, check the status of your repair, or answer any questions that you may have about your service. Mack Camera also provides customers with e-mail status updates during the entire course of the repair. Our large teams of educated customer service representatives are standing by to take your call for any of your questions or concerns.

Mack Camera & Video Service
200 Morris Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081

I use a Macro Lens and a slide duplicator attachment. When the two are screwed together the slide is held in the slide holder, so all you have to do is aim the unit toward a light source.

A light box is good for this purpose.  The good thing about this setup is that any motion of the camera does not affect the sharpness of the picture taken because it is all held together as a single unit.

The light box can be a simple unit that also serves as a viewer for the slides that you want to select for your project. One good thing about this arrangement is that all you need is to set your camera for the color balance for the light source being used and then just fire away at each shot. You can copy each slide only slowed down by the speed with which you can take out and insert the next slide into the slide holder.

Negatives on the other hand require a different approach.  You need a dedicated negative scanner or you can use a flat bed scanner.  A flat bed scanner can be used to copy negatives and slides with the proper attachment or copy pictures up to what ever size the scanner will allow. Negative copying is much slower that the method described above for slides.  Each negative gets scanned depending on the DPI you set and it takes much longer to reproduce the image.  To get the equivalent result that you got with a 12 megapixel camera you have to set the scanner to about 2400 x 2400 and the resulting scan takes about three to four minutes. By the way, dedicated slide scanners take just about the same time.  The camera copy is the fastest way to do this job.

The flat bed scanner has two light sources. One is in the top cover and the other one is on the carrier that holds the sensor that copies the picture. When you are copying slides the top one is selected and the lower light does not turn on.  The light lights the back of the slide or negative so that the sensor can then copy the image recorded on the media.  Note that there is a holder to hold the slide or the negative.  The one in the illustration is set to copy some negatives. When it is turned 180 degrees then the slide holder side is set under the light. When we want to copy pictures there is a cover that slides into the top cover and has a white side to it. Pictures are place print side down facing the copying sensor and the light then comes from the sensor side. This is called reflective copying.  You have to decide what size do you want for the final image to be and then scan that size accordingly.  I usually scan for a large size and that way I have leeway for a large print or I can reduce the image for smaller print needs. The large file size does fill you hard drive quicker but it does give you flexibility and it is worth the space used.  Part of the satisfaction of doing the copy work yourself is that you can control the composition and exposure.  Out side firms can do this kind of work cheaply but you will get exactly that, cheap reproductions.  The work can be tedious, especially the negative copying but the end result is usually well worth it and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you can be proud of a job well done.

Douglas John Vergara

]]> http://mackcam.com/blog/copying-slides-negatives-prints/feed/ 0 http://mackcam.com/blog/what-to-do-with-a-broken-camera/ http://mackcam.com/blog/what-to-do-with-a-broken-camera/#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:00:31 +0000 Mel http://mackcam.com/blog/?p=367 Last month we covered how to determine if your camera is truly broken or if there is simply a minor issue that you can address on your own.  If you pick up your camera and hear a random part rolling around, we can surmise that the camera needs to be in the hands of a professional.  Here’s what to consider next:

Check the Manufacturer’s Website:  Camera manufacturers will sometimes issue ‘service advisories,’ which are formal statements outlining a particular issue for certain cameras.  If your camera falls under one of these advisories, it will be repaired at no charge.  Just make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for return and repair.

Find a Specialist: Bring your camera into our store for a free evaluation.  We will give you a professional recommendation so you can decide what steps need to be taken.  It might be a minor problem that can be addressed with minimum expense and time required.
However, more serious repairs can cost anywhere between 25-50% of the original purchase price, so if this is the case, we will need to evaluate how to get you up and running again in a way that gives you the most for your money.
We want to make sure you’re ready for this holiday season so stop by if you have a damaged camera and we’ll see what we can do to get you back behind the lens!

Direct Message repairstatus via Twitter with your Mack Camera repair number (RA) and we will return to you an updated status.  If your Twitter settings are set for SMS notified direct messages you will receive it right to your cell phone!

http://twitter.com/repairstatus

For general updates and customer service questions please use our other Twitter account mackcamera

http://twitter.com/mackcamera

You can also click this link too

http://tinyurl.com/6pqxqa

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Customer sends in a Nikon D80 for repair stating “Getting Error code whenever I turn the camera on”

We now spend hours diagnosing the problem which we do not see.  After the technician determines the camera is funtional the camera is now handed to the Quality Control department to verify this.  The Quality Control department will contact the customer trying to figure out the problem.  Even though previously asked the customer will then say that the Error code is F–

If the customer checked with Nikon’s Knowledge Databse prior to sending her camera in for repair then a lot fo time have been saved for both parties.  F– is Nikon’s way of telling you that your lenses aperture ring is not locked.

The following link is for Nikon’s Knowledge Database
http://support.nikontech.com

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This blog post is not stop our customers from sending their equipment in of course.  This is why we are here.  It is just a tip to help save possible wasted time that could be spent capturing more memories.

Thanks for reading.

http://www.twitter.com/mackcamera