Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/07/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]LUGgers: I've downloaded countless messages ago lens flaws thinking to my self you we all overly critical, until today. In the words of Bill Clinton, "I know you're pain." Since I couldn't find a single used or demo 50 Summilux-M at a reasonable price I just bought a new one, USA with passport. It's the first new Leica lens I've owned. Imagine my dismay when I opened the box today to find the rear element of the lens holding bits of black crud. I thought they were dust on the surface, so I rolled up a piece of lens tissue to brush them off. Nope. They are behind! the rear element, inside the lens. I checked again in good light. There they are, and not small dust specks, but crud, could be ashes or metal shavings, but there's stuff in there. I spent $15 on shipping and insurance. I'll spend another $15 sending it back, plus the value of my time, which makes the $15 look cheap. Call it $75 I'm going to spend to do the job Leica should have done at QC. In various formats I own nearly 20 lenses. Many of them purchased new, some purchased used. Not one of them came to me like this one. And at over $1500, this is the most expensive lens I've ever purchased. I'll think long and hard before I buy another new lens from Leica. Tom ================================== Thomas Kachadurian WEB PAGE: http://members.aol.com/kachaduria