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Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions of Repairs & Services

In any communication please quote the job reference number.

Conditions of repair

These conditions apply to any agreement between Fixation and any customer (individual or organisation) entrusting us with goods for evaluation or adjustment.

Fixation is a trading name of Warehouse Express Limited, 13 Frensham Road, Norwich. NR3 2BT. Company registration number 03366976. The Fixation London workshop and showroom is located at 250 Kennington Lane, London, SE11 5RD. The Fixation Manchester repair counter is located within Wex Photo Video Unit 4, Downing Street Ind Est. Charlton Place, Manchester M12 6HH

Important Note: All repairs/services are thoroughly checked before release but it is expected that a final check of the equipment be made by the user. Customers are asked to check that their camera has been restored to their preferred settings before use. Fixation cannot accept any liability for consequential loss due to failure of repair or delayed return.

Manufacturer’s Warranty

Any claim under the manufacturer’s warranty must meet the terms and conditions set out by the maker.  Claims must be accompanied by the appropriate paperwork.  As a minimum this means an acceptable proof of purchase; an applicable warranty certificate may also be required.  Failure to provide the correct documentation may result in a chargeable repair.  Be aware that warranties on digital products may be regional and therefore only valid in the designated area in which the manufacturer intended it to be sold.  Grey imports and overseas purchases may therefore be exempt.

A warranty claim will also be refused if examination shows the cause is anything other than a manufacturing fault, including but not necessarily limited to:

  • Improper use, damage or defects caused by incorrect storage, impact, excessive shock, liquid damage or damage by foreign substances.
  • Repairs, modifications, tampering carried out by an unauthorised third party
  • Damage caused by incorrect voltage input
  • Use of spare parts or software not compatible with the product.
  • Damage in transit.

Estimates

The estimates we provide are based on examination and diagnostic tools. Estimates may be subject to later revision if the internal condition of the equipment is not as anticipated (e.g. unforeseen damage or third party tampering), or if on further examination we find additional work is required.  In these circumstances we will provide a re-estimate of the work and costs.

Our estimates should be suitable for insurance purposes, we would advise contacting your insurer for their policies and claim procedures.  If additional letters are required further charges may apply.

Estimates are valid for 30 days from the date of the estimate.

Refusals

No refusal charge is incurred, but Fixation has insufficient storage space to hold items indefinitely and the return of the goods must be arranged within 4 weeks.  Applicable arrangements include collection, payment of despatch charge (£10 + vat for standard, overnight delivery by courier) or authorisation to dispose of the goods on site.  In the absence of such arrangements, a recorded letter will be sent and the item will be disposed of.  We may charge storage fees if extended storage is requested.

Repair Times

All effort will be made to minimise turnaround time. Actual times will fluctuate according to demand and technician availability, but estimated turnaround times are updated on our website.

Any dates quoted by Fixation for completion of repair work are approximate and not guaranteed; we cannot accept liability for any consequential loss suffered as a result of a delayed repair. Some delays may occur whilst we await supply of spare parts required to complete a repair. Every effort will be made to keep the customer informed of progress, but such delays are beyond Fixation’s control and influence. 

Payment

Repaired items will only be released on receipt of payment, where applicable.  Payment is expected within 4 weeks of notification that the repair is complete.

Payment may be made in person upon collection of goods, or by telephone when arranging despatch.  We accept payment by cash (collection only), debit/credit card (excluding American Express and Diners) or Bacs transfer (goods will only be released when funds have cleared into our account).

For card holders’ own security when taking telephone payments, anti-fraud checks are made based on matching the address of the registered card-holder.  For this reason, we reserve the right not to accept payment by cards registered to non-UK addresses and in these circumstances a Bacs transfer may be required.

Where, despite documented reminders (by email and letter), items are not collected or paid for after three months, in accordance with the Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act, this equipment shall be disposed of in order to retain from the proceeds of such sale any amount sufficient to defray costs of repairs and expenses incurred in attempting to trace and notify the customer. The customer will be entitled to any balance, but no interest shall be payable on any amount retained by the company.

Repair Warranty

All Nikon & Canon repair work is guaranteed for a period of 6 months from the date of invoicing, unless otherwise stated (3 months for all other brands). Should any customer not be satisfied with work carried out, they must contact Fixation within a period of 3 months from the time of collection/despatch.  All repairs are thoroughly checked before being released, but it is expected that a final check of the equipment be made by the user. Non-use of the equipment does not extend the guarantee period. Fixation shall not be responsible for any consequential loss or damage whatsoever claimed by reason of repairs carried out, or subsequent failure thereof.

The re-repair guarantee covers failure under normal operating conditions of previously repaired/replaced components and the associated labour.

All re-repairs are subject to inspection and at the discretion of the technician.  Rejection of any claim (for example if the camera has suffered any physical damage or the subsequent fault is unrelated to the previous repair) will result in a new estimate and return shipping charges will apply. 

Shipping charges may also apply if the camera proves to be working to specification with no further repair necessary. 

Repairs covered by our repair guarantee will be returned via standard shipping at our expense (other shipping methods will be chargeable).

Goods in transit

We can advise on likely delivery dates, but these may not be 100% guaranteed.  We cannot accept liability for any consequential loss arising from delayed deliveries.  Consignments despatched via our main shipping options are insured and a signature will be required upon delivery.

Should the equipment appear to be damaged upon unpacking, please retain the item and the packaging (even if unmarked) and notify the Service Department immediately to initiate the claim procedure.

Terms & Conditions of Courtesy Equipment Loan

These terms and conditions are raised in addition to and should be read in conjunction with our standard Hire Terms and Conditions.  They apply to any courtesy loan of equipment for whatever reason. The term “hirer” refers to the customer who is being loaned the equipment by Fixation.  Acceptance of Courtesy equipment is taken as acceptance of these Terms and Conditions, whether or not this document is signed where indicated by the hirer.

Circumstances

Fixation may agree to loan courtesy equipment under certain circumstances, including but not limited to the following:-

a. Where a customer has purchased new Nikon or Canon equipment from Fixation and suffers a failure of the equipment during the warranty period, which is not due to customer misuse or abuse.  If Fixation is satisfied that the fault is a valid warranty claim, and is unable to complete satisfactory repairs within two working days of the equipment being submitted to Fixation for inspection, then Fixation will issue loan equipment for the period until repairs are completed.  Whilst Fixation will endeavour to provide replacement with the same model, if this is not available for whatever reason, we will supply the next most appropriate model. 

b. Fixation may agree to loan courtesy equipment where a customer believes that a repair carried out by Fixation’s own workshop has not been satisfactorily completed.  Fixation reserves the right to inspect the equipment before issuing a loan to verify the customer’s claim.  Whilst Fixation will endeavour to provide replacement with the same model, if this is not available for whatever reason, we will supply the next most appropriate model. 

c. If a customer suffers a service failure due to an oversight or error by a member of Fixation staff, or by an agency outside of our business through no fault of the customer, if appropriate, we may, without prejudice and as a gesture of goodwill, offer to loan alternative equipment to enable the customer to continue their business activities.

In all circumstances, if the customer requests a replacement unit to be sent before Fixation have satisfied themselves of the fault or error, then such equipment will be issued on a chargeable basis, and may be altered to courtesy loan subsequently if circumstances meet the necessary conditions.

Shipping or Courier charges

Fixation will bear the cost of sending Courtesy equipment to the customer.  The cost of returning the equipment to Fixation shall be borne by, and be the responsibility of the hirer.

If Fixation is sending equipment out, we reserve the right to request proof of address for non-account customers, and we will only ship to this address.

Period of Loan of Courtesy Equipment

It is a strict condition of this agreement that the period of loan expires 48 hours after Fixation has informed the customer that their repair is completed and ready for collection.  Fixation will make all reasonable effort to contact the customer by email, telephone, text message or any other means at Fixation’s disposal to inform the customer that their repair is complete.  If the customer fails to return the Loan equipment within 48 hours, the loan will become chargeable at our normal rates.

All other normal terms and conditions relating to Liability, Deposits, Insurance, Loss and Damage, Availability, and Accessories also apply to this agreement.

Sony a7R V

Sony has launched a new full frame camera body in their Alpha mirrorless lineup. Sony Alpha 7RV is the next evolutionary step of the ultra high resolution R range of Sony professional full frame mirrorless cameras. This new camera is more powerful thanks to its advances image processing engine driving autofocus improvements and enhanced colour science for skin tones – ideal for event, portrait and beauty photography.

 

Sony A7R V camera body

New features:

The Sony A7R V builds on the bones of the already impressive Sony A7R IV camera body. The mark IV and mark V both boast an impressive 61 megapixel back illuminated imaging sensor capable of remarkable high resolution images. The new A7R V adds a new image proccessing engine to get the most out of the 61 million pixels on offer. The BIONZ XR image proccessing offers:

1. Improved AI Autofocus: The deep learning focus algorithm can now recognise limbs and recognise a subject that has left and returned to the frame, making focus tracking even more reliable.
2. Recognition of body shapes as well as faces allows for auto exposure and auto white-balance to generate more accurate colours in difficult lighting conditions.
3. Advanced in-body image stabilisation – keeping the sensor stable involves tracking movement readings in multiple directions and at variable acceleration rates. The increased processing power should deliver a higher degree of stability, when paired with Sony lenses featuring optical stabilisation this should deliver the best stabilisation in an alpha camera to date.
4. 8K video making the A7R V a video and stills all-rounder. 8K or 4K60P video with 10-bit 4:2:2 recording requires the additional processing power of the new BIONZ XR processing engine.

Ergonomics & hardware – the A7R IV has a four-axis tilt and fold-out screen combining the flip out screen Sony A7 IV, with the tilt screen found in the Sony A1 for a robust multi-angle live view shooting from all angles. The body has a comfortable deep grip ideal for long shoots. Memory cards dial CFexpress type A media slots reduce buffering and allow for higher shooting rates.

Our view:

We can’t wait to get our hands on this camera which should be an event photographer’s dream body. While the high resolution 61 megapixel imaging sensor will apeal to portrait, fashion and beauty photographers working in controlled environments it is the new processing power to deliver results in challenging lighting conditions that will make this body stand out for event and social photogrpahy.

The Sony A7R V is available to order just contact our sales team on sales@fixationuk.com or call us on 0207 582 3294.

Services for the press following the death of Her Majesty The Queen

Following the death of Her Magesty the Queen the UK’s and world’s press will be arriving in London.

From Thursday 15th to Saturday 17th we will be offering complementary sensor cleaning and camera check-ups for the Press, agency photographers and @thebppa members at our London Showroom and Workshop.

Fixation with Wex Rental will be opening on Saturday 10am – 5pm with repair technicians and additional rental equipment on hand.

We will be closed on Monday 19th September.

Our carpark, just outside of the congestion charge zone, is available over the weekend and on Monday to members of the press. If you require a space please contact our sales team directly for further information: sales@fixationuk.com

Our current gallery display highlights Royal images from The British Press Photographers’ Association and from customers gifted to us throughout our 34 years serving the press community.

The map image shows the Laying in State procession route in Yellow, The Queue route in Blue and the border of the congestion charge zone in Red.

ProFiles | Steve Best

As both a stand-up comedian and a photographer, Steve Best enjoys unparalleled access behind the closed doors of the comedy circuit. His stylish, artful images show a different side of people we recognise from panel shows and comedy clubs. Sometimes they’re nervous, sometimes they’re excited, sometimes they seem decidedly contemplative.

It’s this knack for capturing a different side of his funny-people subjects that has made Steve such a popular figure on the comedy circuit – a popularity that has also translated to two successful photobooks. 

Steve owns a few bits of kit from Fixation, so we were thrilled when he agreed for a sit-down to chat about his work and his ongoing ‘Comedians’ project. So, let’s get into it!

Steve Best, . Photo Steve Best
Photo Steve Best

Fixation: Thanks for talking with us Steve. Your ‘Comedians’ project is a favourite on the comedy circuit and beyond – how did it all come about?

Steve Best: I’ve always been interested in photography. I’d been doing stand-up for years and years, and I had a little Ricoh point-and-shoot film camera which I’d take on my holidays. I really loved that camera, and then I got the digital version of it. Because it was so small, I used to just slip the camera into my pocket, and so I’d take it to gigs. And there, I would just take a snapshot of a comedian backstage I was speaking with at the time. That was how it started. 

That must have been the year two thousand and… something! But eventually I did that first little book, Comedy Snapshot. It’s a chunky little book with more than four hundred comedians – I took a snapshot of them, and then they all gave me a one-liner joke, and four or five facts.

They were just little portrait snapshots, but they went down so well with the comedy community that I decided to lose a lot more money and do another book!

So we did another book, very similar to the first, called Joker Face. It was nearly twice the size, chunky-wise – which I got told off for, because the spec was meant to be the same, but I just kept on adding comedians. 

And for my photography, that was when I started upping my game a bit. I got into Fujifilm – I had the X-Pro1 at the time. The pictures are still snapshots; they’re not, you know, ‘proper’ portrait shots, but that’s what I want it to be. It was never meant to be stylish; it was just me being backstage, having access to these comedians. 

Mike Gunn, through the curtain at the Hammersmith Apollo. Photo Steve Best
Mike Gunn through the curtain at the Hammersmith Apollo. Photo Steve Best

Fixation: I was wondering about your shooting process – do you approach different people in a different way? Or do you have a more set process that seems to work every time?

Steve Best: I think because I’m accepted in that world – I’m ‘one of them’, as they say – their guard does kind of come down slightly. So I know that they will not play up to the camera, and I can just chat with them. For instance, there are quite a lot of mirror shots where I’m looking at the comedian, I’m chatting with them as well, and I’m just surreptitiously pinging the shutter.

That kind of backstage work is actually one of the reasons why recently I got a Leica Q, which I really love because it’s so quiet. It’s so nice. So I can just muck around – even with the big names, as I know most of them now. That’s how you’re kind of let into this world. I think the backstage photographs are slightly more interesting than the front-of-stage photographs – because people see the front of the stage, but most people don’t see backstage.

Fixation: You mentioned you’re shooting on the Leica Q, which is a gorgeous camera. Do you have much else in your setup at the moment?

Steve Best: I’ve always had a Fuji. Fujifilm has been really good to me. I bought myself a Fujifilm X-Pro1 to start with, and Fujifilm lent me a load of gear early on, so I’m very loyal to Fuji and I really love their stuff. I’ve moved on to the medium format for my portrait stuff – a GFX 50S, which I bought second-hand through Fixation. I’ve got the 32-64mm lens, and the 80mm. The 80mm has taken me so long to get used to the focusing, but for portrait work it’s really great.

I’ve actually used medium format live as well – I’ve found a way of using it for shooting live performances, which I love, I think it’s fantastic. It’s sluggish, but it’s great to get a different kind of image. 

Michael Fabbri and Joe Rowntree, Photo Steve Best
Michael Fabbri and Joe Rowntree, waiting to go on stage, and you can see he’s a bit stressed. Photo Steve Best

Fixation: Is there a particular image of yours that’s a favourite, or one you look on most fondly?

Steve Best: I think maybe there are two. The one of Mike Gunn through the curtain at the Hammersmith Apollo is the one people often comment on, and it got shortlisted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. I like that one because although it’s an on-stage image, I’m backstage, peeking through the curtain. I like the light, and the fact that he’s on his own – even though he’s actually in front of three and a half thousand people, it’s quite a lonely picture. 

I do also like the one of Barry Cryer. But the other one I was thinking of is one of the first pictures I took, which is one of Michael Fabbri and Joe Rowntree. Joe’s head is on the doorframe; he’s waiting to go on stage, and you can see he’s a bit stressed. And Michael Fabbri, he’s just finished his set, so he’s lying on the couch, and is very relaxed.

Barry Cryer, . Photo Steve Best
Barry Cryer, relaxing. Photo Steve Best

Fixation: Lastly, you’ve photographed absolutely loads of comedians, but are there any you haven’t photographed yet whom you’d like to?

Steve Best: Tim Minchin. I think he’s a great performer. And I’ve never got hold of Bill Bailey, which would be nice as well. There are still a few people out there. I’m always trying to collect people.

Steve Best was talking to Jon Stapley. See more of his books and prints at stevebest.com.

Canon RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM image with flowers

Canon RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM

A compact, lightweight and versatile prime lens has just been announced by Canon; the RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM is only 270g and 6.3cm long. Despite it’s small size Canon has packed in features with image stabilization, close macro focussing and a silent STM motor making this new lens a poweful addition to any EOS R series camera. Great for details as well as environmental portraits and general views this lens will be in the kit bag for photographers shooting weddings, travel, street, portraits, vlogging and more.
Canon RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM Key Features

High Quality Wide Angle: The 24mm focal length is arguably the widest focal length lens available without introducing distracting distortion to images especially with people in the frame. Canon have a long history of producing spectacular wide angle lenses and we expect this lens to be perfect for environmental portraiture and travel photography, capturing people within their environments. Canon has used an asphercal element and lens coatings in the lens construction to imforve image clarity and control for chromatic aberration.

5-Stop Optical Image Stabilisation: Canon IS lenses strady your image using a floating optical element group to ounter the effects of hand-held camera shake. Shoot hand-held at slower shutter speeds with confidence and enjoy smoother video footage witht the Canon RF 24mm Macto IS STM. When paired with an EOS R system mirrorless body featuring in-body stabilisation the benefit increases to a 6.5 stop advantage as the body and lens benefit from rapid communication afforded by the RF lens mount.

Compact and Lightweight: 6.3cm in legth and only 270g this lens will fit in any camera bag, can be carried all day and is an un-obtrusive size for street photography.

Fast bright f/1.8 aperture: a 9-blade aperture mechanism delivers a circular aperture at all f-stops for smooth out of focus areas and beautiful background bokeh. The f/1.8 maximum aperture will deliver a shallow depth of field to isolate subjects from busy backgrounds.

Close focussing: a minimum focus distance of 14cm combines the benefits of macro photography (0.5x magnification or half life size projected onto the image sensor) and a wide angle lens that will let you get close while showing your subject in it’s environment. The water droplets and shallow depth of field on the rose, and marbles images below show how close you can get – perfect for capturing detail.

Customisable on-lens controls: A customisable on-lens control ring can be used to dial in settings from the lens, set the control ring for Manal focussing, ISO control, swiching between AF settings or selecting aperture without removing your hand from the lens.

Smooth Silent STM motor: The Canon STM motor or stepping motion has a smoother and quieter action ideal for recording video the STM motor delivers smooth focus pulls. If you have a microphone mounted on camera the STM motor is quieter than the USM equivalent so you will not pick up any sound from the lens while the STM focus motor is working.

The Canon RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM Lens £719
The lens is available to pre-order just contact our sales team on sales@fixationuk.com or call us on 0207 582 3294 to pre-order.

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