Horst Wenzel
In 2016 had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Horst Wenzel. Horst sadly passed away in July, 2023. He was legendary in Vancouver for his repair and servicing of vintage and world class film cameras like Rolleiflex, Leica and Hasselblad. For many years after his official retirement, Horst accepted service and repair jobs, working out of the basement of his home in Dunbar. It was there that I met him, my Rolleiflex 2.8C in hand.
"It's in pretty good shape," was his assessment after peering through my 1955 Rollei and working the mechanisms with confident hands. Horst agreed to replace the focus screen and mirror in my camera for the absurdly low fee of $50. I supplied the parts, which I had ordered online from a specialty supplier but, even so, I thought it a bargain. I say Horst agreed to do it, because I considered it a privilege to have someone with his experience and knowledge accept this work. Let's face it. Horst didn’t need the business. I think he did it to help people like me, who have these cameras from a bygone era that very few people know how to service and repair. Or perhaps he did it for the enjoyment and satisfaction of working with superbly designed and engineered photographic equipment, the likes of which is not seen in today's products.
"After an overhaul, they will go another twenty-five years," Horst told me.
Another 25 years! Who makes this kind of product anymore? I love my mirrorless system and use it for all my pro work. But I know that in perhaps five years it will have been replaced my the latest thing, or sold, or collecting dust. If it breaks down there's a good chance it will never be repaired due to the extreme repair cost versus the price of a new camera. Even if my digital camera could go for 25 years, it would be rendered useless long before then by the built in and well planned obsolescence of its batteries, memory card, software and connectors.
During my meeting with Horst he took time to show me some of the other fascinating camera repair and restoration projects he had underway, and of course he allowed me to make a few photographs of him in his workshop. What an honour. Rest in peace.
