Is Pono Electronics The Best Camera Repair Shop in Cebu? An Honest Review

I think it's safe to say that there's only a handful of shops here in Cebu City that offers camera maintenance and repair. If you can find one, it's not always a guarantee that they would be able to cater to what you need. 

I did some research and Pono Electronics matched what I was looking for in terms of location safety, good track record and most importantly fair pricing. They also have high reviews in Google and Facebook and a lot of people have sung praises on the high quality work and fast turnaround time.

The Lens Problem

I only needed cleaning for my lens since the fungus was very disturbing to look at and it felt like I was not getting the best out of the lens. I would never ever recommend this (do as I say, not as I do) but I did try yanking it out myself which resulted in scratches on the outer ring. Thankfully, it did not scratch the glass part. It's a good thing I use a CPL filter most times so I wouldn't have to keep seeing the battle scars of what I did. Always take your lens to a professional for cleaning to be safe.

This is a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens, if that matters.

Dropping off and picking up the lens

I had the lens dropped off via Lalamove. When packing, I made sure it was inside a box, not movable (won't shake during transport) and I wrote my contact information as well as the lens details. I think they also accept delivery via LBC if you're coming from other parts of the country but make sure to contact them before making that kind of arrangement.

I did have to text them to confirm if they have the lens and how much it would cost. I was quoted Php 2,000 for the lens cleaning which is significantly lower compared to other shops. 

I also had Lalamove pick the lens up. The pick up didn't go as smoothly and drove me nuts because the driver got stuck in a location for a very long time. Take extra precaution like making sure you track the delivery rider and that his mobile number does ring if you can’t drop off your gear personally.

Contact information

They do not have an official Facebook page, but there's a page that people use to tag when posting about their reviews/experience with the shop. 

Link to the unofficial Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pono-Electronics-Trading/1731831550373717

There is a landline number on that page, but it did not ring when I tried calling it so I suggest contacting them using the mobile number listed on Google which by the time of the posting of this blog is 0933 462 4356. They do reply to text messages fairly quickly.

Results

I was told the lens would be ready two days after it was dropped off.  The next day, I received a message  from them telling me that the lens was ready for pick and this honestly really surprised me. From my experience, other places would guarantee 3-7 days for this type of maintenance cleaning. I once had a lens cleaned in another shop and it took a little more than a week. 

I only had lens fungus problems, but I was really amazed by how well done the cleaning was. It was worth the price because the insides of the lens look really brand new.

Check out these photos for the before and after:

In conclusion...

The workmanship and the efficiency is really superb and not to forget the fair pricing. If you're looking for a reliable shop for your camera maintenance or repair needs, I highly recommend them. Even just speaking from minimal experience, they did such good of a job that on my list they're the best camera repair shop in Cebu.

Disclaimer: This review is not sponsored.