Interview with a Leica Repair Master: Sherry Krauter
Sherry Krauter has been repairing Leicas for over 50s years and is one of of the last factory trained Leica repair specialists on par with Don Goldberg. Sherry worked for both Leitz in New Jersey and Brandt Optik in Sweden to hone her skills as a master. Sherry and Don remain the last ones standing in what seems to be a dying breed of esteemed Leica camera repair specialists. Sherry’s reputation is a mixed bag, no one has ever knocked her talent but her communication style seemed to many to either be blunt and tumultuous or non existent. Sherry’s very 2000s website and lack of response to my barrage of emails was starting to paint me a similar picture, until one morning she picked up the phone. After learning Don had done the same interview with me and that I was willing to cough up my Saturday morning to sit down and chat, we were on our way.
I have to say, Sherry is my cup of tea. For anyone who’s never had a chain-smoking, full blooded, east coast Grandma with a deep hatred for the U.S. medical system and a capacity to passively shit talk for hours, you sure are missing out. A majority of what Sherry told me was prefaced with “Okay you can’t put this in,” but by the end I had a holistic picture of a woman who is a master of her craft, and has a confidence in her opinions that I highly regard. Sherry came from a time, a background, and an industry that had little regard if not distain for her individuality, her ethnicity, and her sex. Sherry is pure grit and has managed to maintain a life long career for herself. One that is highly respected. Below is our conversation.
Gabe: Hey, Sherry
Sherry: I’m back.
Gabe: OK, good. How are you?
Sherry: I have a new phone.
Gabe: Oh yeah?
Sherry: And it and it sucks compared to my old phone.
Gabe: What was your old phone?
Sherry: Oh, they're both Panasonics, but on the old phone the volume was louder.
Gabe: Oh, I see.
Sherry: So I could put it in my pocket and do things with my hands, right?
Gabe: Right.
Sherry: And this one I have to hold to my ear.
Gabe: Oh, that's annoying.
Sherry: Oh you have no idea. And of course, I had the other one for years. So I was very familiar with all of the ways to do things right. It took me at least 5 minutes to get your number back.
Gabe: Oh, that's so annoying. I'm sorry.
Sherry: Hey, it’s not you… Anyway, carry on.
Gabe: Well, you want to take me to the beginning? Just tell me your story, how you got started in camera repair. I read that you went to the Bronx High School of Science. Is that right?
Sherry: I did.
Gabe: And how was that? How did that start this journey?
Sherry: It didn’t.
Gabe: It didn't.
Sherry: No.
Sherry: Well, I was very involved in chemistry, and had I followed the path designated I would have ended up doing chemistry.
Gabe: What got you from the chemistry route to the repair route?
Sherry: I started at Binghamton and friends of mine were graduating, becoming encyclopedia salesmen and shoe salesmen, and I worked part time in a camera store because I had no parental support. I thought I'll go to camera school. Always had an interest in photography, so I went to Denver, CO. National Camera, which is now defunct. They were in Englewood.
Was really cool to go out there. I mean, I was skiing and loved the winters and snow. It's a dry cold. It's not the windy cold of New York.
Gabe: Yes I'm from Denver, so you know I love to ski. I moved out here a couple of years ago, but sometimes I miss it. I know Englewood.
Englewood Colorado, 1970s
Sherry: Why would you move here (NYC)
Gabe: I'm a city guy. I like it more than the great outdoors. I was raised there, so I spent a long time there.
Sherry: Well, I had a great time there and so I went to camera school and then I came back and I applied to Leitz and they said yes.
Gabe: And what it like working there? Can you just speak about your experience being a woman in this largely male dominated trade?
Sherry: I’ll tell you a story. So I went to Lietz, got hired. I sat next to Manfred (her future husband). He taught me, his (their boss) last name was Kreuter. I didn't like saying Kreuter, so I called him Mr. K, and he was really a hard ass. He'd teach you how to do it, you’d do the camera, you'd hand it back to him, he'd check it, If there was something he didn't like, you got it back and you had to redo it. So I came to him. He looks in and in the upper left hand corner of center field was this tiny little black spot. And he said, here, do it again. I said come on, no way is anybody going to see that. They're not going to see it. He said do it and you had to because he was superior. And I was pissed.
He was such a hard ass. And I said to him, “why are you such a hard ass?” And he said, well, one day you'll be by yourself and you'll be better than everyone else.
Gabe: Did you find that to be true? Do you think that was valuable advice
Sherry: Yeah, because he kept the standards very high.
Gabe: Do you feel like the standards were the same for the men and the women in the field?
Sherry: I think Don Goldberg does a great job. I think my cameras are cleaner because women detail. I think it's a man woman thing.
Gabe: (Chuckles)
Gabe: I just mean in the industry when you were learning, were there things that you felt were specially targeted towards you because you were a woman in a very male dominated field?
Sherry: There were two women working. Both were older than me by far. I was in my 20s, you know, and the women had to be in their late 40s, working on movie cameras. So you know, they hired guys. The only reason I think I got the job was because I came from camera camera school.
Gabe: And you said you had this this inkling for photography. Do you consider camera repair to be an art? How does it compare to the art of photography?
Sherry: I think what it is, is if you repair Cower and Konica and Minolta, you're fixing the camera. When you're doing a Leica, it's a Leica,. It's meant to last a lifetime with proper maintenance. It's a beautiful design. I am very, very happy I was born in a world where things were made to last a lifetime. Today, children or young people, they don't know this. I raised my nephew and if he hadn't lived here, he'd have no idea that things were made to last a lifetime. Kids today, they're lucky they get 4 to 8 years out of something.
Gabe: Right. Do you think that reflects in how people treat their things? Like, have you noticed a change in your clientele? Like maybe, you know, 20 years ago people would treat a Leica much better than they do now.
Sherry: No, no, no. I think that's an individual trait. Some people treat it like it’s a diamond. It's a tool. And then there's other people who beat the shit out of it and don't even clean the outside with a Q tip. You know one extreme to the other.
Gabe: I'm curious what your opinion on that is because I kind of fall under the “beat the shit out of it” side a little bit (laughing).
Sherry: But it's a tooool!
Gabe: Exactly, exactly.
Sherry: That’s the way it aught to be, some treat it like it's in lieu of another woman!
Gabe: It's funny because I find the people who treat it like gold and, you know, keep it in this pristine condition, more power to them but they don't shoot it. They don't touch it.
Sherry: Or they use it with extreme care. Which certainly has to interfere with picture taking,
Gabe: Yeah, because you can't put yourself in situations that you need to be in to get worth while photos.
Sherry: ANND god forbid you then dent or scratched it,
Gabe: Right. Then the whole day is over Sherry: There goes the day.
Gabe: (Laughing) We're speaking the same language.
Gabe: I'm curious about the ups and downs of this trade and what your days look like. I mean, I'm talking to Don and he's working, you know, insane hours. Is it the same for you?
Sherry: But he's training his son.
Gabe: Yes, yes.
Sherry: And that's a great idea.
Gabe: I think it's amazing.
Sherry: The kid’s going to own it. The kid will own it. When I retire or die and Don retires or dies, he's got to own it because he will be trained by a factory trained person. I'd love to meet the kid because the thing I want to know is, does he have a love of Leica?
Gabe: Well, I mean, Don told me that he has a specific interest in it. And I'm sure it's a lot harder to do something like that when there’s all these other paths you can go down. I feel like there has to be a significant interest there.
Sherry: Interest is one thing. Love. Love is another story.
Gabe: Well, what does your day look like, Sherry? What's your schedule?
Sherry: Well, I'm a nocturnal animal, so I don't go to bed or up until 3:45 in the morning. So it varies. Sometimes I'm up at 9, sometimes I'm up at 10, sometimes I'm having coffee at 11 like this weekend.
Gabe: And you're working all this time? During the night?
Sherry: Oh yeah, because then nobody bothers me.
Gabe: Understandable.
Sherry: No phone calls. Very little interruptions. You don't have the postman FedEx, UPS, knocking on your door. I’ve always been that way. I've always liked that time of day. Well, that time of night. When I was in Bronx Science my mother would come in, I'd be reading in bed at 2:00 in the morning and she'd be like, you'd have to get up, blah, blah, blah. And I'd say, “Why don't you go to sleep so you can get up and leave me alone? I had a 90 some odd average. I graduated top 10%. Give me a break.
Gabe: You were doing what needed to be done!
Sherry: I did what I wanted to do, and if I was able to do responsibilities like school or whatever, leave me alone.
Gabe: Do you feel like–
Sherry: She was annoying.
Gabe: Do you feel like your work has changed throughout the years or your interest has ebbed and flowed? Are there times where you're like, “Oh God, I can't touch another camera?”
Sherry: No, no, no, no. I truly enjoy it. To the point where I prefer to be in my shop working then go to a party.
Gabe: I know some people would disagree, but I think that's kind of a lovely sediment. I think it's very rare to find something that you're so passionate about and that really, you know–
Sherry: But the thing is you have something that will last a lifetime. What can you say that about? And many of the jobs I'm doing, I'm 69 now, I don't know how long I'm going to live, but many of these things will outlive me… and that’s cool!
Gabe: What do you think of the future of camera repair? I know we're talking specifically about Don's son, but who else is out–
Sherry: Well because Don is training his son, Leica will live on.
Gabe: You think that's the sole heir to Leica repair?
Sherry: Yes, I do, because you should be factory trained.
Gabe: Is there anyone else out there that's factory trained that you can think of that's working today?
Sherry: No. Well you have to understand, you also had like us back in the day, Leica. You know, like where you can send your camera to. And we did a great job. The Leica of today day is nowhere related to the Leitz Leica of yesteryear. It's like they died, and now we have this. The people don't know about the camera, they don't care about the camera. It's a 9-5 job. There's no love, there's no pride. There's no nothing.
Gabe: That's sad. That makes me sad about the future.
Sherry: You can only imagine how I feel. I have lived long enough to see it just literally die.
Gabe: Oof that’s disappointing. I mean, I don't want to be pessimistic, but I hear you. With all this camera experience, if you were to recommend a model and a lens to someone, what do you feel is the magnum opus of Leica.
Sherry: Ok. M6 and M6 TTL the circuit boards are dying.
Gabe: Right
Sherry: They have a 25 year lifespan and Leica isn't making anymore, they could. Why aren't they? 'Cause they want to force you into the latest and greatest M6
Gabe: What do you think about that rebrand?
Sherry: I think it's ridiculous. I imagine that they have like 20 guys in a room and their whole job is to make it cheaper.
Gabe: Right, right.
Sherry: And it seems there’s no road they don’t cross to do so.
Gabe: So no on the M6 because of the circuit board, so what camera do you think?
Sherry: Well, no, no, let me continue, my favorite camera was the M5. The early ones had trouble, the main rollers cracked. But now enough time has gone by that it doesn't matter what serial number you have, when it was produced, they're all cracking. So.. M4. M4 they had it so down, had one modification in its lifetime, $12.50 part. So get a M4 and a voigtlander meter to put in the accessory shoe if you need a meter.
Leica M4 with Voigtlander VC meter II
Gabe: Mmm An M4.
Sherry: Oh yeah.
Gabe: So you think for longevity, if I was to buy a Leica tomorrow and I wanted it to last me, you know the next 30 years and I wanted to beat the shit out of it an M4 is the way to go.
Sherry: M4.
Gabe: Like an M4-P…
Sherry: I didn’t say that, you said that, I said M4.
Gabe: (Laughing) I know, I know, I’m just wondering for personal interest.
Sherry: Understand one thing M4-2s, M4-Ps were Canadian made. Canadians make great lenses. They weren't in the camera business. The M4-2 in my opinion shouldn't even have Leica on the top plate; it was so poorly made. So then they went to the M4-P. The problem was, the accessory shoe on the M- 2, 3, and 4 got to be a hot shoe, and in order to make it a hot shoe, they had to make it plastic. What they didn't realize, keeping the bulb and electronic flash terminals in the back when its plastic puts undue stress on the plastic, causing the plastic to crack. If you didn't look out, it jammed the camera. And if you did look out, it cracked and didn't break off and jam the camera. But ultimately the terminals would fall out and you need to replace it. What pissed me off is if you replaced it with exactly the same part, it cracked.
Gabe: Right, right.
Sherry: Ultimately they got smart and the last version of the M4-P, had one terminal in the back. With one terminal in the back of the plastic then it didn't crack. It wasn't under stress.
Gabe: That's fascinating.
Sherry: If you wanted to, you know, have 75, 28 frame lines, you could buy an M4-P with one terminal in the back, it being the strongest.
Gabe: Well, that's good to know for me and I'm sure people will be interested because I know this is kind of a hot topic. What do you think of the future of film?
Sherry: A lot of young people are coming in and buying Leicas. They want to find out what they were missing because they were born into digital. I have a lot of young clients coming.
Gabe: Well, that's encouraging.
(Long pause)
Sherry: You don't see my face. (Laughing)
Gabe: (Laughing) Yeah, I can't read the tone!
Sherry: You know, in a way, yes. It's just the mentality. For instance the most used lenses were 50s, maybe 35. Less was more.
Gabe: Right.
Sherry: Today, all young people want 28/21s, more is more. So to me it's like you know to have a Leica with a 21, a 28 they turn it into a snapshot camera.
Gabe: Right… Sacrilege
Sherry: And to me, that's bullshit. It's not what it was made to do. So I don't know. The respect isn’t there.
Gabe: There's a lot of people buying Leicas to use as an accessory.
Sherry: That’s a whole ‘nother story. That is what Leica USA/Germany today is after for clientele. It has nothing to do with photography. It's about wealthy people who can afford $55, $6,000 for a new M and wear it on their shoulder like a purse.
Gabe: Of course. I mean it's about luxury. They've completely rebranded.
Sherry: Absolutely.
Gabe: It's a high end fashion brand it really is, and I mean to their credit it works. There's more people buying this stuff than ever before.
Sherry: It's not what it is supposed to be!
Gabe: Of course.
Sherry: To me it’s sacrilegious, quite frankly. It's like a lot of my clients, Doctors and Dentists they buy Leicas because they write them off.
Gabe: That's hilarious. I mean, it's sad, but it's also hilarious.
Sherry: It's true! You know, when’s the last time you were at a Doctor or Dentist and he took out his Leica to take your picture.
Gabe: Oof… I don't know… When I’m at the dentist, I always look at all the Zeiss lenses everywhere, you know?
Sherry: Same thing with the eye people!!
Sherry went on to tell me about her living in Sweden: the Renault she drove, how awful the weather was, and when she busted her head open on falling on ice. We never quite got back to Leica’s as much as we covered the pure idiocy of Swedish vehicle regulations, but never the less I enjoyed the conversation. If you’re looking to get a Leica repaired, I can only send my highest recommendation to Sherry.
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