Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Esteemed group, I have lurked on the LUG for several years now, posting from time to time but rarely. I have used Leica camera's since I was 5 years old (have proof!) having started shooting with my Father's M2 way back in the late 1950's. I now have one of most every model Leica made (and a few duplicates) until the M6 era and use them from time to time. Saying this just to give the list some history, I am not new to using a Leica and have owned and used them for over 45 years. Almost two years ago I was browsing the LUG email list on a Friday and saw a list member selling a Digilux 2. We chatted a bit and after 10 days or so had a like new camera in my hands. Fell in love immediately and still feel the same way about the camera. I travel for a living and took it out with me last spring. We were in a shuttle in London and the driver forgot to latch the rear door. My camera bag, along with others, went rolling out the rear door when he took off. We stopped and put everything back in the car and continued to the airport. The drivers company agreed to make everything right and they have paid the repair bill for the camera and bag. Upon arriving home found that the on/off switch on the Digilux 2 was stiffer than normal so I sent it into Leica USA. Asked them to please email me when they had an estimate as I travel for a living. Over a month went by and no email. I returned home from being in Hong Kong and Singapore for two months to find a letter from Leica. Then found another one telling me to please respond or they would return the camera. Noted right on the first repair invoice were the notes "please email estimate to xxxx" but for some reason they did not send me an email. I then called Leica and gave them a credit card number for the repair. Again asked them to please email me when it was shipped out as I did not want the camera to be left sitting at my doorstep as UPS does at times, especially if I was out of town again. Not a problem I was told. A month or so went by and no email. I head out of town again and guess what? The camera was shipped to my house with no notification what so ever. Luckily a friend was there to pick up the notice before the camera was returned to the sender and call UPS. Opening up the package I found the on/off switch to work perfectly. I then charged the battery and inserted it and a memory card into the camera and turned it on. Worked great and I proceeded to take a pic or two to try it out. While holding it up to my face I noticed a popping inside the back of the camera, about an inch below the on/off switch. You could hear and feel it, and it reminded me of a flash unit recharging. Never seen nor had that happen before inside any camera. Sounded like a capacitor charging, then discharging, over and over again. After a minute or so the back of the camera on the right lower side started to get warm so I removed the battery and memory chip and it stopped. Hmmm, could be a bad battery so I charged my extra battery (both genuine Leica batteries, no clones here) and inserted it in the camera. Nothing out of the ordinary at first so I turned the camera on again and waited. After a minute or so the popping started again. Again the back of the camera started to get warm. Something was not right with the camera and I was not going to have it burn up like the laptops we have seen on the nightly news so I turned it off and removed the battery. Sent the camera back to Leica in New Jersey with a description of the problem. No word for weeks. Finally I call. The gent I need to talk to is too busy to talk to anyone right now. Left my number. Two days later he calls and says that there is nothing wrong with my camera. I ask him about the popping noise and heat in the back of the case. He says that there is no problem with the camera. I tell him to put a battery in the camera, turn it on and let it sit for a few minutes. He says that they will do this and get back to me in a day or so. I have not heard back from him since, and its been over 3 months. Finally I call Leica again and talk to someone, but not the boss. They say that they will get to the bottom of this and get back to me. Someone calls and tells me that they are working on the camera and that they will get back to me. Finally after the camera had been at their facility for weeks I receive an email from someone telling me that it was being shipped back. I asked about the problem and they say that "there was nothing wrong with the camera." Guess what? I return home around Christmas after being overseas for two months again and after charging the battery once again insert it into the camera. Same damm thing with both batteries. I have shown this to two separate photographers and both say that they would not trust the camera and that eventually something is going to burn up inside. Also a friend has a IR digital therometer. We let the camera stay on for a minute and recorded the temps. Top part of camera was about 74 degrees, while the area below the switch was 80, then 90, finally up to 100 degrees before switching it off. Clearly something is getting hot in this area and its not good. Am really at wits end on this. I have used Leica camera's all my life and they are the best that they are, however my experience with Leica USA has really soured me at this time. For many years I lived in Germany and used the Leica Factory repair service and they were excellent. I had hoped for the same excellent service and assistance from Leica USA but between their lack of communication and poor service I am starting to feel that its time to send anything needing repair to Germany. If the camera had "no problem" then why was it kept at the repair facility for over a month? Why no communication? I am paying for this, its not a free service, yet they act like they are doing me a service to take my money and then return a non-useable camera. At least the camera worked before I sent it in, just with a sticky on/off switch. Now I cannot even use it. Has anyone ever had anything like this happen with their Digilux 2? Any suggestions as to what to do here? I cannot use the camera as it is. Does anyone feel that this could be two separate batteries defective and causing this? Really would appreciate some suggestions here. Thanks in advance, Joe Abrahamson Phoenix Arizona