Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 19:28 21/12/98 -0800, you wrote : I have not had very good luck with new Leicas. Years ago I bought two new M-series to add to my M-3, M-2 and M-4. Unfortunately I bought a pair of M4-2's which did not appear to equal my M-4 in quality of build and they certainly were not its equal in resale value. I seem to have made the same mistake when I decided to trade the delights of M-series in for the practicality (for me that is .. I'm an anthropologist and some automaticity comes in handy!) of the R-series. I traded for a pair of new R4-S bodies and collection of lenses. I am very happy with the optics (including the Minolta<G>) but have had some reliability problems with the bodies. With only light amateur usage I have had to send in each body because the LED readouts went berserk - even with new batteries the LED's would show either top shutter speed or off the bottom of the scale with no gradation in between, rendering the body unusable. I now am about to send in a body for the THIRD time for repair and am becoming discouraged. Now I have NEVER had a Japanese camera that needed repairs and, even when I was a professional photographer, rarely needed cameras repaired. So this experience with the R4-S's is very unusual for me. A couple of dealers have told me that the R-4's have had electronic reliability problems but the Leica distributor here says that this was only true for about 1000 R-4s in early production and never for the R4-S. I don't know whether I should get rid the R4-S's or not. Ironically, I bought the R4-S instead of the R4 because I figured that a simpler camera would be more reliable. Is the distributor correct?<G!> > >Thanks everyone! > >Brian Given > ########### I know that the R4 series has a bad reputation.My own experience (a R4 with the same problem, plus other problems..) should lead me not to buy a leica R. However, as a leica junkie, I've just bought a R4s mod2 for peanuts (1800 FRF = 300 USD) with a 6-month warranty from the distributor.So I've went back to my old ways... The body is mint and it works perfectly. Your R4s is a R4 without the electronics made by Ferranti, electronics which was a junk(late R4 had a new electronics).But remain other flaws, especially the switch lever below the shutter speed control dial. On the R4 and R4s, it is not fastened enough and the consequence is inaccurate contacts and the problem you point to. My R4s-mod2 has the new switch lever. You wrote : " I now am about to send in a body for the THIRD time for repair and am becoming discouraged". That's incredible. Is your repair shop an official Leica shop or a Mickey Mouse operator ? Dominique Pellissier >