rick_dykstra Posted August 10, 2009 Share #1 Posted August 10, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've done lots of searching without finding a good answer, so ... ... I'm looking for a clue as to how much it might cost to get the shutter replaced in my favorite R8. Any ideas? The shutter got into a fight with a film leader yesterday and it's pretty ugly. Thanks. For John - it's not your one! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 Hi rick_dykstra, Take a look here R8/R9 - how much for a new shutter?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
EJohnE Posted August 10, 2009 Share #2 Posted August 10, 2009 About 12 months ago my R8 went to Solms with ruined shutter blades. The quote (including a scratched viewing screen replacement) was $(Aust)1838, just before the Aust. dollar dropped relative to the Euro/US$. That did not include any other problems they might have found and routinely fixed at extra expense. I rejected the repair, as being uneconomic. A few months ago I bought a chrome R8 described as "mint -" from Ffordes, Scotland for £499. The only reason for the minus qualification as far as I could see was that the box(es) had been opened. It was in perfect order, and with the bank charges, postage etc. it arrived here for $Aust1150. I have thought of seeing if a local camera technician could replace the blades of what is a common shutter. The rest of the camera including the shutter timing, flash measuring function etc. work. The trouble is that the word "Leica" brings out the money-lust factor for repairers. Commiserations. John. As a non-subject p.s., would Andy Barton and others who are using Leica-R lenses on Nikons/Canons please wrote about their experiences, so that others may benefit from their remarks on manual focussing, etc. on 24 x 36 mm sensors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_dykstra Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted August 10, 2009 About 12 months ago my R8 went to Solms with ruined shutter blades. The quote ... was $(Aust)1838. That's not a repair charge - that's a fine! If it's that much I wont be sending it in - I'll get my screwdrivers out, remove the shutter, do some panel beating on the blades and put it back together. Maybe even look for a shutter from a wreck. Or find a new one somewhere. Does anyone know the part number for the shutter? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted August 10, 2009 Share #4 Posted August 10, 2009 That's not a repair charge - that's a fine! If it's that much I wont be sending it in - I'll get my screwdrivers out, remove the shutter, do some panel beating on the blades and put it back together. Maybe even look for a shutter from a wreck. Or find a new one somewhere. Does anyone know the part number for the shutter? Rick, I wonder if Andy B has still got his R8, which was also uneconomical to repair, but this time because the meter cells had failed? If so, and if you really want to have a go, maybe you could make him an offer for it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overgaard Posted August 10, 2009 Share #5 Posted August 10, 2009 The easiest is to mail Leica Customer Service at cs@leica-camera.com or call them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted August 10, 2009 Share #6 Posted August 10, 2009 Depending on how badly the shutter blades are messed up it may be possible to pop them back into place. I did this with the R8 that came with my "new" DMR (the seller's price reflected the repair cost he expected for a new shutter). One of the blades had jumped its track and was bowed into the mirror chamber, and was also under vertical tension after the shutter closed. I relieved the vertical tension by manually cocking the shutter partway, then by using a thumb (to hold the mirror up) and a bent paper clip I coaxed the shutter blade back into its track. It has been working perfectly since then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_dykstra Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted August 10, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi Doug. You'll be able to see this - my wife and I had four fingers each in the thing last night. And a bent paperclip and the pointy end of a cable tie. I got the bottom blade of the front group back into the track, but it's buckled. As for the rear set of blades, the second bottom one has a nick in it. Others above it are kinked and scarred. Opening the camera back is like walking into a horror show. But, after all that poking and prodding and coaxing, it's working again. I might even stick a film through it to see how bad the light leaks are. Could be really arty! Thanks for the email address Thorsten. I went looking for this today but couldn't find it on the leica-camera.com site. I did find some forms to fill in for service jobs, including one for extra fast service at quite a premium. I've asked our local agent to seek a quote. I'll have my eyes closed when I open their next email. How quickly a thing of beauty can turn into a Frankenleica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted August 10, 2009 Share #8 Posted August 10, 2009 .. after all that poking and prodding and coaxing, it's working again... I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyp Posted August 10, 2009 Share #9 Posted August 10, 2009 Rick Call Gerry Smith at Kindermann Canada [i know it's a long way, but he's really good Swarovski Kahles Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted August 10, 2009 Share #10 Posted August 10, 2009 As a non-subject p.s., would Andy Barton and others who are using Leica-R lenses on Nikons/Canons please wrote about their experiences, so that others may benefit from their remarks on manual focussing, etc. on 24 x 36 mm sensors. I will do that. I have been using the D700 for about a month now, so when I get 5 minutes, I will write a brief report. Brief report begins: "All good so far" Brief report ends. (I will do a slightly less brief report when I can) PS - I do still have the R8, but it's still being used, just with half a meter... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
topoxforddoc Posted August 10, 2009 Share #11 Posted August 10, 2009 Rick, If your shutter's knackered, I would consider buying a new R9 (ex demo or run out) at a discount. It will be cheaper than your shutter repair and quicker (it might take you 3 months from Solms). With a full Passport, just keep shooting and keep the R8 for spares. Charlie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_dykstra Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share #12 Posted August 10, 2009 OK, for future reference for anyone searching for this information ... the cost for repair replacement of the shutter in my Leica R8 is $2300 AUD. That's around $1927 USD, 1168 Pounds or 1362 Euro. Possibly more if other problems are found. Crazy! It looks to me like Leica are signalling that they're not really interested in servicing the R system. Which makes me worry about the S2. Naturally I'll be exploring alternatives. Be careful with those shutters folks. Phew. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_x2004 Posted August 10, 2009 Share #13 Posted August 10, 2009 That isnt surprising. And to be fair they have to charge you what it costs them. Second hand prices are immateral with respect to validity of service costs. Its only not fair when you pay what they want and they screw it up several times. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrice Posted August 10, 2009 Share #14 Posted August 10, 2009 As a non-subject p.s., would Andy Barton and others who are using Leica-R lenses on Nikons/Canons please wrote about their experiences, so that others may benefit from their remarks on manual focussing, etc. on 24 x 36 mm sensors. I came from the opposite direction, I have an M6, and was using R glass on my 5D-II before I got my R8. The things I really like about the R8 are not having to use stop-down metering, the short viewfinder blackout, the ergonomics and of course the aesthetics. One very surprising thing is that I find the 5D-II with the Canon Ee-S screen easier to manual focus off centre, so with the R8 I have to do a bit of focus recompose... which is ok since that is obviously how I focus my M6. You guys do really make me worried about the longevity of my R8, but I paid $650 USD for mine which is a mint chrome version and it's working a treat at the moment, I'll probably just try and find another one if this one breaks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_dykstra Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share #15 Posted August 11, 2009 One very surprising thing is that I find the 5D-II with the Canon Ee-S screen easier to manual focus off centre, . I saw on Dpreview that the viewfinder was well regarded and compared well to the R9. Thanks for this comment. I'll have to go and take another look at a 5D II. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_x2004 Posted August 11, 2009 Share #16 Posted August 11, 2009 When you do let us know what you think of it wrt focusing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppyman Posted August 11, 2009 Share #17 Posted August 11, 2009 Hi Rick. Solms aren't signalling that they aren't interested in servicing the R system. However parts supply is very limited. In some instances they are cannabalising to get R cameras functional. I have physically stood at the spart parts drawers and work benches in June. You can easily just ask them about repairs direct. You would receive a quote anyway, but it sounds like you have one now? The S2 is all in house, whereas the R8 was not. I'm sure you know about Imacon. S2 will have different service packages too since this is aimed at the Pro market of course. OK, for future reference for anyone searching for this information ... the cost for repair replacement of the shutter in my Leica R8 is $2300 AUD. That's around $1927 USD, 1168 Pounds or 1362 Euro. Possibly more if other problems are found. Crazy! It looks to me like Leica are signalling that they're not really interested in servicing the R system. Which makes me worry about the S2. Naturally I'll be exploring alternatives. Be careful with those shutters folks. Phew. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgcd Posted August 11, 2009 Share #18 Posted August 11, 2009 Hi Rick. Solms aren't signalling that they aren't interested in servicing the R system. However parts supply is very limited. In some instances they are cannabalising to get R cameras functional. I have physically stood at the spart parts drawers and work benches in June.You can easily just ask them about repairs direct. You would receive a quote anyway, but it sounds like you have one now? The S2 is all in house, whereas the R8 was not. I'm sure you know about Imacon. S2 will have different service packages too since this is aimed at the Pro market of course. The R8 was all in house too, perhaps you're referring to the DMR which was done by Imacon. Cheers, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_dykstra Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share #19 Posted August 11, 2009 Hi Hoppy. I was aware that R6.2 shutters were precious. When manufacture of those stopped Solms promised that they had 10 years supply of shutters. That was about 9 years ago. :-). I wouldn't have thought R8 or R9 shutters were in short supply just yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppyman Posted August 11, 2009 Share #20 Posted August 11, 2009 Yes you are right on the DMR of course. I'm not expert on the R camera bodies. I can only report what was said by the Customer Service Division Head regarding spares availability for the R cameras. The R8 camera were made 7 to 13 years ago, I believe. Parts like circuit boards, shutters and sensors of course are not physically manufactured by Leica. You can still find mechanical parts for even Leica thread mount cameras in stock there. In any event a replacement shutter was reported to be available for Rick but the cost is unacceptable to him. That might describe many camera repair situations across many brands too. In this instance the original shutter has not failed after use but been accidentally damaged which is of course very unfortunate for Rick. I don't think that reflects on Leica in any way badly. As mentioned they are even cannabalising if needed to assist their customers and are doing their best. The R8 was all in house too, perhaps you're referring to the DMR which was done by Imacon. Cheers, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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