Fixation was created in 1988 as a Nikon Service Centre, dedicated to the needs of the professional photographer, offering high quality, reliable repairs with very fast turnaround. News of this valuable professional resource quickly spread throughout journalistic, sports and other areas of professional imaging, and Fixation was soon appointed an Official Nikon Service Centre. As the company's reputation grew, Canon approached Fixation to ask if we could offer the same level of service to Canon users, but it was not until 1996 that we felt our team had reached a stage where we could take on another brand without compromising our quality and service. At that stage, Fixation was appointed the only UK "Canon Professional Service Centre" other than Canon's own workshop at Neasden.

In the meantime, we had gradually become an important dealer for Nikon product, offering knowledgeable pre-sales advice with our unique technical slant and understanding of the pressures under which professionals have to work. When Nikon appointed a select group of dealers as "Professional System Specialists", Fixation was the first dealer to be invited to sign up. In 1998, Fixation was also appointed a Professional Canon Eos Dealer.

Fixation was the brain-child of Mike Allen, previously Service Manager for Nikon UK and then for Keith Johnson Photographic (KJP), whose 30+ years of working on Nikon product make him the most experienced UK technician on Nikon F, F2 and Nikkormat series cameras. Mike was responsible for setting up Nikon's professional service facilities at major sporting events in the early 1970's such as Wimbledon, The British Open Golf and Formula 1 Grand Prix. His existing reputation with professionals for understanding and innovation, and his perception of the need for a dedicated service for them, persuaded him to start his own business in June 1988. The name "Fixation" was chosen to give customers an idea of our obsession with getting the job right!

The rest of the technical team is made up of Jayesh Patel, previously a Pentax 67 specialist, and now senior Nikon technician working on a large range of different models; Stuart Burns, David O'Keeffe and Nozrul Islam have all trained as technicians with Fixation under the guidance of Mick Edwards and Barry Edmonds. Yusuf Osman is our Quantum and scanner technician and provides IT support and technical support on digital equipment. Mark Liskiewicz is a fully trained technician and courageously moved from Poland to join Fixation during 2006. He has broad experience of Sigma repairs, and now specialises in Nikon lenses.  Mark also assists Yusuf on IT and scanner repairs. Tomasz Mocio and  Rafal Chmiala are Nikon technicians, working on Nikon Pro-sumer products. Pabita Adhikari brings existing camera repair skills and enthusiasm to our team and works on Nikon Professional and Pro-sumer products. John-Jay Brique has electronic engineering qualifications, and is now training on Nikon Pro-sumer products. Aleksejs Smetankins joined us early in 2010 from Latvia, having many years of experience in Canon Professional and Pro-sumer repairs. Our latest trainee recruits are Raymond Dormer, Nick Johnson, Bladimir Camacho, and Richard Prior who are training on Canon Pro-sumer products. Tony Hill is our driver and handles goods-in and despatches.

Mike has been assisted in achieving his goals by a carefully chosen team of dedicated, enthusiastic young people.

- Mick Edwards has been with Fixation from Day 1, having trained with Mike at KJP; he is now one of our two workshop managers, with special responsibility for the Canon side of quality control, and constantly  developing skills in digital camera repairs.

- Paula Stevens has been in charge of the company's administration since the beginning, and is now also digital sales specialist, backed by the technical knowledge she has gained since entering the photographic field.

- Barry Edmonds joined Fixation in early 1995 from his position as Service Manager of Nikon UK, to strengthen the company's management team and further improve the fund of technical expertise.

- Fixation's appointment as CPS service centre was made possible by Alan Clark, who joined us from Canon in 1994 bringing nearly 30 years of experience on Canon professional models to the team. Alan was a part of Canon's pro-event support team, and has worked at the Olympics and many other major sporting events.

Sam Bullock works on our service reception desk and has responsibility for dispatching completed repairs, as well as assisting in general day-to-day administration. Carlos Tino works part-time as his college studies allow, helping with repair booking-in, estimates, and general administration. Our receptionist is Racquel Pedrosa who helps with estimates and is also developing her role as Paula’s PA.   

 

Peter Cain joined Fixation in August 2007 bringing many years of experience of the photographic trade to our team.  He runs our second-hand department, and supervises the administrative function on a day-to-day basis. Mike McNamara joined Fixation in October 2003 to bolster our digital and computer sales strength and is our nominated Nikon Specialist. Finally, our accounts are kept in good order by Susan Gilbert.

 

They are a very hard-working team, dedicated to providing cheerful, informative and prompt service to both our visiting customers and those dealing with us from around the UK and abroad.

If you have an ambition to train as a camera technician, have existing technical skills, or have general administration or professional camera sales skills, and would like the opportunity to discuss employment possibilities with Fixation, please either write to or telephone Mike Allen or Paula Stevens - we are constantly reviewing our growing team, and would welcome your enquiry.