Les Bosher - Anyone been in touch lately?

Alexander Boyd · October 19, 2020

Sent in a lens for rehousing about three months ago, and haven‘t heard back since then. Several emails, tried to call him as well. Has anyone been in touch lately? I figured with a high reputation as his, he wouldn‘t just disappear and rip off people?

Edited October 19, 2020 by Alexander Boyd

Tom Sefton · October 22, 2020

I spoke to him about a week ago, to see if he had any spare capacity to rehouse some canon FD ssc lenses. He mentioned that he was so busy that it was pointless me sending any lenses to him until at least early 2021.

Heikki Repo · October 23, 2020

I know two people who have had their Eclair ACLs super16 modified by Les this summer. The wait and silence was long (at least for one of them), but they have received them already and are, AFAIK, satisfied with the work done by Les.

Seth Baldwin · April 27, 2022

I’ve been sending him email after email for 6 months. I sent my camera to have its mount modified. Since he is not responding to any of my emails, I’ve requested to cancel the modification and have him send my camera back. He has not responded even to that request. So unless something else has happened to him. He is knowingly keeping my property, which is completely unacceptable

Antoine Pret · April 28, 2022

I wanted to send my camera to him for a conversion but he took one month and 3 emails to just barely respond, what I see here does not reassure me.

Heikki Repo · April 28, 2022

I sent him my camera to be modified in February, he answered very promptly and notified me when he had received it in March. I'm not expecting it to be finished any time soon, on the contrary, it might take several months. That's not an estimate from Les (I didn't even ask for one) but rather based on what I have heard from others who had recently their cameras modified.

I also was in touch with him regarding a camera that is being sold on this forum and received an answer the next day. That happened this week.

Even back in 2013 when I had another camera of mine modified by him Les was every now and then on vacation and semi-retired. Now it's 2022 and the amount of work has most likely gotten bigger since 2013 due to the resurgence of film.

Your mileage may vary, just some things to keep in mind.

Seth Baldwin · April 28, 2022

Okay so les is clearly active on the internet. Which means he has likely checked his emails, and knowingly keeping my camera. Guess it makes sense to contact the local authorities to retrieve it off of him now.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Seth Baldwin

Alexander Boyd · April 28, 2022

2 hours ago, Seth Baldwin said:

Okay so les is clearly active on the internet. Which means he has likely checked his emails, and knowingly keeping my camera. Guess it makes sense to contact the local authorities to retrieve it off of him now.

Communication with Les via Email is basically non-existent. It took him months replying a simple email. However, reaching him via phone was much easier. So instead of contacting the authorities I‘d recommend trying to call him (if you haven‘t already) since he does great work, it‘s just the communication aspect that is kind of a nightmare.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Alexander Boyd

Seth Baldwin · April 28, 2022

Okay, I’ll have to pay for an international call to get in contact with him. It’s so odd how he just ignores emails for months on end.

Philip Forrest · April 28, 2022

2 hours ago, Seth Baldwin said:

Okay, I’ll have to pay for an international call to get in contact with him. It’s so odd how he just ignores emails for months on end.

Maybe use a VOIP if cost is concern? That's how I talk to my brother in Melbourne a few times a month.

Phil Forrest

Marek Budzynski · April 28, 2022

I spoke to him recently on the phone. You need to let it ring for a long time because if he's machining he can't hear it.

I wouldn't bother trying to email him. He'll email you when your work is done.

Hope that helps

Cheers

Gregg MacPherson · April 28, 2022

On 4/27/2022 at 5:05 PM, Seth Baldwin said:

I’ve been sending him email after email for 6 months. I sent my camera to have its mount modified. Since he is not responding to any of my emails, I’ve requested to cancel the modification and have him send my camera back. He has not responded even to that request. So unless something else has happened to him. He is knowingly keeping my property, which is completely unacceptable

Hey Seth,

It's bad feeling when a piece of your equipment is delayed, somewhere else, and you can't get any communication. But in Les' case you just have to be tolerant...semi retired, often on holiday, too many emails, noisy machine shop, too many phone messages, and a lot of jobs to do.

Sending a lot of emails and phone messages may just make it worse. It may be too late now, but with a camera mod in the queue, a single email, marked urgent, would stand out.

You can put Whatsapp on your cell phone for free and call anywhere on earth for free using your data allowance. The idea suggested of letting the phone ring might work, if the messaging is switched off.

Your assumption above, that he has read your emails and is (thus) knowingly keeping your property, is flawed...

Gregg,

Seth Baldwin · April 28, 2022

Thanks for the insight everyone. Yeah I understand he’s an older guy and has a lot on his plate, I shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions too fast. Over the past 6 months I’ve sent 3 emails in total. Useful advice to try and call through whatsapp but I think I’ll just forget the camera exists and buy a new one. My timeline was much much shorter for this kind of wait. Unfortunately I wasn’t given an ETC upon request. So I suppose I had it coming.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Seth Baldwin

Fulgencio Martinez · February 12, 2024

After having successfully done a camera conversion with him, and some lenses modification, I sent him a lens years ago (about 12 ago or more)

He never replied and I never had my beautiful lens back...

Joerg Polzfusz · February 12, 2024

Hi!

According to some German forums, Les Bosher died several years ago. But I don’t know whether this is true as his webpage is still up.

Edited February 12, 2024 by Joerg Polzfusz

Kamran Pakseresht · February 12, 2024

I emailed him just a little over a week ago and he responded the next day.

Joerg Polzfusz · February 13, 2024

Thanks, my mistake, sorry - even according to the German forum, Les Bosher is still alive. But I missed this information as it was posted a week later in a very long thread.