About Us

Heading up the Nikon and Sony side of the operation, Barry Edmonds looks after a team of 6 experienced technicians who are fully trained prior to being unleashed on our customers’ gear.

Barry

Barry (aka Baz, but please, not “mate”) came to us from Nikon UK in 1995 and now oversees our in-house team of Nikon repair specialists. With this much history in the industry, there’s not much he doesn’t know about Nikon gear. Barry loves the hands-on work, almost as much as talking to pro photographers, and on those occasions he’s lured away from his workbench, he’ll often be found talking cameras in the showroom with an old customer. His broad knowledge and long memory makes him a go-to guy for questions on older kit and his habit of bringing doughnuts to the office makes him equally popular among the staff. In his spare time, when he’s not debating whether to keep the beard or get rid of it, Barry enjoys playing sports & skiing and if his poor old knees are playing up, he’ll pick up a Nikon and take some pictures at his retreat in France.

Yusuf

Yusuf's interest in computers and electronics began at an early age and he unofficially ran his school's IT department.  He completed his degree in Computer Aided Design in 1996 and became a Field Engineer, later QA engineer, for Bromcom computers.  In 1999 he joined Motorola GSM Systems as a De-bug Engineer and in 2001 joined Alcatel Submarine Networks, working on their under-water fibre-optics.  He joined Fixation in 2002 and until 2016 performed our IT support as well as carrying out repairs.  These days he repairs Nikon film scanners and Quantum products, as well as Nikon's mid-range and semi-pro bodies and lenses and keeps his hand in with computers by volunteering as IT Consultant at his local library.  Yusuf has a reputation within Fixation for enjoying his food, although his diet is going well.  He's a fan of Stephen Hawking, whose theories he finds fascinating and his guilty pleasure is any film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Chris

Chelsea fan Chris was originally employed by Melanie in 2002 when she supervised the Customer Support team at Nikon UK.  But having always had an interest in how things work, when an opportunity came up to join Nikon’s workshop as a trainee in 2005, Chris swapped the telephone for screwdrivers and soldering irons and hasn’t looked back.  He joined Fixation in May 2012 and continues to repair Nikon pro and semi-pro cameras and lenses.  Chris has a strong interest in history, particularly the engineering feats of the industrial revolution.  But if you want to chill with Chris, don’t suggest a night in watching Game of Thrones – he’s very resolutely not a fan!

Joy

When Joy left college in 1982 she knew that pen-pushing was not for her and was determined to find a manual or technical career that suited her.  A visit to The Job Centre introduced her to the Government’s Youth Opportunities Program, specifically a chance to train as a technician at Luton camera Repairs where she remained for years repairing multiple major brands.

She joined Fixation in November 2011 and specialises in the repair of Nikon lenses.  As well as being dextrous, she’s green-fingered, plays tennis and keeps chickens.  She currently has two named Ginger and Sooty, both apparently eggcellent layers!

Pabita

Pabita may be petite, but she's a powerhouse when it comes to repairs. She studied electronics and engineering at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal, before joining Nepal Television Corporation as an operation technician using Sony video cameras and monitors in the studio, later making the switch to repairs. She began by repairing large, heavy-duty products, later adding more conventional consumer products to her repertoire. She joined Fixation in April 2007 and these days specialises in expiring Nikon pro bodies such as the D700 and D800 series. Pabita's free-time revolves around her young family, but she also enjoys reality shows such as Strictly and Bake-Off. Her ideal dinner party guests include a feisty American comedienne and two British Prime ministers. It might result in some lively conversations, but one thing we're sure they'd agree on is the tastiness of Pabita's Nepalese curries.

Jay

Perpetually cheerful and all-round nice guy, Jay studied motor mechanics at Willesden Polytechnic before becoming a mechanical engineer at a machinery factory in 1978. In 1985 he joined Olympus as a repairer and in 1987 moved to Pentax where he happened to work alongside our own Navin Ranpura. Following a stint at Orion Photographic, Jay joined Fixation in July 1994, making him the second longest serving member of staff. Aside from family, Jay's big love is cricket. Once an all-rounder, but now predominantly a batsman, Jay plays for Bharat CC in the Wembley area of Middlesex. He also values the sense of community and volunteers as a helper at events such as a 10-day Indian festival and summer BBQs that cater for 800 people. Jay also enjoys Eastenders and has fond memories of watching Crossroads in its heyday. Perhaps this is what gave him the incentive to fix broken things.

John-Jay

Possibly the quietest person at Fixation, no-one would be surprised to know that John-Jay is a keen chess player in his spare time, but even close colleagues may raise an eyebrow when they learn that John-Jay rocks out to the likes of Aerosmith and Bon Jovi in the privacy of his own shower. After studying electronics at Zamboanga University in his native Philipines, John worked with robotics and machine manufacturing for a company called Greatech Philipines Inc. before working as a programmer and wirer for companies such as Motorola, Samsung and intel. Chelsea fan John joined Fixation in October 2008 and repairs Nikon entry and mid-range cameras and their range of flashguns. He tries to return to the Philipines as often as he can, in fact life is a Bed of Roses if he’s able to do this every year.

Melanie Stanton leads our Service Administration and Call Centre team of four. Whether you have a question about damaged equipment or you need assistance with your repair, our knowledgeable and friendly team is on hand to help you with your enquiry.

Mel

Before starting at Fixation in 2012, Melanie spent 17 years managing Nikon UK’s Service Support, so there’s little she doesn’t know about camera faults and repair processes. Her biggest claim to fame is that she studied Media Studies at Uni alongside Charlie Brooker and previous jobs include being a Deaf Facilitator for a GCSE student and a Law Clerk for the Crown Prosecution Service (the other CPS!) She also worked a long stint as a barmaid in a rough pub that taught her lots about customer handling. She’s had one of her photos published on commercial greetings cards and another on the cover of a French birding magazine, but regrets taking fewer photos these days than she would like. She is arguably Fixation’s loudest sneezer and can be prone to uncontrollable fits of giggles. She’s fearless in the face of spiders, but peas give her the heebie-jeebies!

Libby

Selfie Queen and Liza Minelli fan, Libby joined Fixation in 2012. She was employed to provide temporary cover whilst Fixation set-up and staffed their depot at the London Olympics, but it turned out so well she ended up staying. Libby had previously attended catering college and worked for a chocolatier and although she would self-deprecatingly describe herself as a failed pastry chef, those who have tasted her banana bread and other treats know that this belies her talents in this area. She has run a Brownie pack for several years and more recently started helping out at a Scout troop. She is very proud to be a positive role model for young girls, teaching them to have confidence in their bodies and abilities and instilling in them the Guiding motto that Girls Can Do Anything!