1st Aid Repairs

1st Aid Repairs, camera and video repair workshop in Kent

1st Aid Repairs is a photographic and video equipment repair workshop based in Tunbridge Wells, in the English county of Kent. The company presents itself as a family business with twenty years of experience and as one of the UK's leading workshops in its field. It serves both private individuals and insurance companies and professional film crews, and works directly with camera manufacturers.

Equipment and brands it repairs

The workshop covers the repair, cleaning and servicing of analogue and digital SLR cameras, compact cameras, interchangeable lenses, video cameras, camcorders and other broadcast equipment. Among the brands it expressly mentions are Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus and Pentax for cameras, and Canon, Nikon, Tamron and Sigma for lenses. It also provides JVC equipment servicing.

In addition to photography and video, it undertakes the repair of other portable electronic devices, such as laptops, projectors and flash equipment.

Specialised technical services

• Digital, SLR and compact camera repair.
• Video and photographic lens repair.
• Video camera and camcorder repair.
• CCD and mirror box cleaning.
• Flash and studio flashgun repair.
• 35 mm SLR camera repair.
• Medium format repair, both film and digital.
• MacBook and laptop repair.
• JVC professional servicing.
• HDMI and USB repair, sat navs and specific camera components.

Component-level repair

The workshop has preheating and air-flow soldering systems that allow very small components to be replaced without having to change a whole circuit board. It repairs or replaces all types of USB, HDMI, SD card, CF card and Firewire connectors. It also has its own calibration tools to verify the operation of cameras and screens and to correct zoom and exposure problems that are difficult to reproduce.

All mains-powered equipment that passes through the workshop is PAT tested as part of the service before being returned to the customer.

Cleaning, calibration and sustainability

The company carries out maintenance and cleaning tasks with a cleanroom and ionising, anti-static air guns. Among the work it offers are sensor, CCD, lens and mirror box cleaning, as well as the replacement of IR filters on CCD and CMOS sensors in accordance with the manufacturer's standards.

The workshop stresses that repairing extends the useful life of equipment and reduces environmental impact. When a device reaches the end of its useful life, it applies reduction, reuse and recycling criteria through a programme regulated by WEEE legislation, with recycling carried out by responsible UK companies.

Customer service and logistics

1st Aid Repairs offers a free online estimate and keeps the customer informed at every stage, from the first enquiry until the repaired equipment is returned. Its collection and delivery methods are designed to protect devices as much as possible during transport. The company states that all the parts it uses come from the original manufacturers.

Location and contact

Phone: 01892 525 327