[Leica] Sensor corrosion?

Sat Sep 26 10:40:16 PDT 2015

Allow me to turn around this argument...

Products that have lots of mechanical parts are prone to those parts wearing, failing and when that happens, repair is required to setvstuff straight.

Electronics works differently:  ifitial failure rates are usually higher than mechanical, but after about 100 hours, whatever is going to fail has already failed. You pretty much have a bulletproof product..

If you want a camera that will not fail you for many years and keep calibration throughout those yesrs, you need to get an all electronic camera.  Is something like a Sony A7. Or that Fuji xt-1.  

The sensor corrosion issue is caused by a Kodak sensor that was covered by a Schott (not sure, but I think this is right) cover plate that had a coating that would corrode when exposed to humidity. Was who!se fault?
Schott should have known, Kodak should have tested it, and Leica should have further tested. 
But the real issue is what the coompany does sfter the problem is known.. Leica has really stepped up to the plate. Full repair at no cost. What more can you ask?

Try getting a free repair if the RF Vertical offset goes out on that same M9. Ain't going to happen after the warranty runs out.

Inagree that the Leica prices are nuts. Especially for amateurs. But once you own the glass, the only time you need to spend money is when your lust takes over. I run an M9. You run an M8. We both bought them used for substantially less than the new price. 

When will I replace my M9?  When it dies, or when my lust takes over for a fully electronic Camera, using the Leica M lenses, comes to market.  

I tried the Fuji XE-1. Thevcrop faactor negates my use of WA lenses, although it makes a superb backup camera on trips..
I tried with the Sony A7. It has issues with the WA lenses I tend to use. Not the best solution, although the focusing of this combo is superb..

Would I buy a Leica again?  Only if it fits my way of shooting.  Only if it is totally digital.  Only it accepts my Leica glass.

Only if I can afford it

The sensor issue is a non issue with me.

Frank Filippone
Red735i at verizon.net

On 09/25/15, Nathan Wajsman wrote:

All I know is that I keep hearing about cameras having to take trips to Solms for repairs. And when I look at my own experience over the years, I have never had to send my Canon, Ricoh, Panasonic, Pentax or Fuji cameras for repair. The only film camera I have had that has needed repair was my M7, and the only digital camera I have owned that needed repair was my M8.

I was thinking the other day that Leica cameras are a bit like the BMW company car I had in Belgium in 1998-2000: off all the cars in my life, it was the one I enjoyed driving the most, but it was also the one that left me stranded at the side of the road more than any other car I have had (with a possible tie with the crappy Chrysler car I had in the US in the 1980s).

Cheers,
Nathan

Nathan Wajsman

Alicante, Spain
http://www.frozenlight.eu
http://www.greatpix.eu
PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
Blog: http://nathansmusings.wordpress.com/

Cycling: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/belgiangator

YNWA

> On 26 Sep 2015, at 06:47, Geoff Hopkinson <hopsternew at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Never buy any digital cameral again then Nathan because all of them can
> fail!
> I think that Sony, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Fujifilm have had (different)
> fails too requiring rectification programs/firmware
> fixes/workarounds/operating limitations.
> I don't know the failure incidence rates but Leica Camera sold 10s of
> thousands of the M9. They have gone to development and production of new
> custom sensors for replacing faulty ones in the M9 now and soon for the
> Monochrom.
> I have recently got the excellent XT1 as well to learn as I think I
> mentioned this trip. I have seen three of them fail (hotshot for studio
> wireless trigger operation) at home during workshops.
> 
> But I don't know why you would avoid the M excepting price as always? A
> handful of the earliest had potentially insecure strap lugs. There haven't
> been any other rectification programs that I can recall? What are the
> reliability issues that you mentioned???
> 
> On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 at 6:20 am Nathan Wajsman <nwajsman at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> This effectively means that I will most likely never buy a Leica body
>> again :-(
>> The new ones are priced out of my range, and given these reliability
>> issues, a second-hand M9 or M240 are too much of a crap shoot.
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> Nathan
>> 
>> Nathan Wajsman
>> 
>> Alicante, Spain
>> http://www.frozenlight.eu
>> http://www.greatpix.eu
>> PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
>> Blog: http://nathansmusings.wordpress.com/
>> 
>> Cycling: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/belgiangator
>> 
>> YNWA
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On 26 Sep 2015, at 00:09, John McMaster <john at mcmaster.fr> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Uh huh, so you have not read about the Leica/Kodak issues? Or have you
>> seen
>>> dust on the sensor that looks this? I haven't.....
>>> 
>>> john
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: LUG [mailto:lug-bounces+john=mcmaster.fr at leica-users.org] On
>> Behalf Of
>>> Mark Rabiner
>>> Sent: Friday, 25 September 2015 9:46 p.m.
>>> To: Leica Users Group
>>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Sensor corrosion?
>>> 
>>> Looks like someone sneezed when you were changing lenses.
>>> My snot on sensor issues seems to have vanisish with my last camera which
>>> had a sensor vibrate thing built into it which vibrates everything off
>> when
>>> you turn the camera on or off and really does a heck of a job. I have a
>>> totally clean sensor on a five year old camera. Yet I'm doing a whole lot
>>> more lens changing now actually carrying a second lens with me all day
>> and
>>> eschewing zooms for 1.8 primes.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 9/25/15 3:06 PM, "Leland Deane" <leland.deane at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> I agree it's sensor disease. It hit my M9 (now gone) and it has just
>>>> hit my Monochrome (about to be sent it for sensor replacement)
>>>> 
>>>> Leland
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> John yes I agree it looks like the corrosion issue. There are sample
>>>> issues somewhere in Leica Camera's official response if you wanted to
>>>> search those out. Were it mine I would be contacting for a repair
>> booking
>>> for sure.
>>>> 
>>>> On Fri, 25 Sep 2015 at 7:57 pm John McMaster <john at mcmaster.fr> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> To those who have had affected sensors, does this look like sensor
>>>>> corrosion? These are screen grabs of 100% image and it does not look
>>>>> like dust or similar..
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Chiaroscuro/Misc/SensorCorrosion.png
>>>>> .html
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> john
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>> 
>> 
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>> 
> 
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