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Thinking of finally getting a DMR- good idea or not anymore?


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I am finally thinking of getting a DMR. Am I too late (service, parts, output, future outlook, etc) and being silly, or is this still a viable system for the R lenses? Ideally, would like to keep it long-term together with my R8s and recently acquired R9.

 

Any ideas or comments very gratefully received.

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Wonderful performance with limited ISO (best at 400 and below, but will go up to 1600 with noise), excellent ergonomics in spite of its weight. I had mine repaired less than a year ago, so at least then there were parts (a mother board replacement), but it was costly.

Edited by stuny
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Yes - I would. I think the hypothetical " R solution" needs to be rather spectacular to better the DMR. The ergonomics are superb and the image quality undoubted. The only thing, it is rather heavy, but then, so are the lenses I use.

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The R8/R9 can be serviced by independent technicians. The DMR unit can only be handled by Leica. There was a period that there were problems, but nowadays Leica does the servicing themselves, and spares and expertise are available and Leica has committed to provide support for the forseeable future. They are required to by European consumer law anyway. Their Customer Service has an exceptional record of providing repairs of old gear.The only exception seems to be the battery. Leica has commissioned a German battery reconditioning service, but the customer must supply the old battery for the housing. So if you buy, make sure you get enough spare batteries with the camera.

 

Mind you, we are talking about old technology (in an electronic sense) here, so there is always a chance that you might strike unlucky in terms of repairability, but that goes for anything used and technical, up to and including aircraft I guess ;)

Edited by jaapv
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I couldn't find anyone other than Leica to service my R8 when its meter failed, and their quote proved to be un-economic.

 

I think that if you are considering a DMR, you need to bear in mind its age and go in with your eyes open. If you understand the potential difficulties and costs that might come your way down the line, you will be rewarded with a fine camera back.

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I bought one last month, really pleased. Had a few lenses already, wasting their time on a Canon 40D. Sold that straight away.

Superb image quality with the DMR, almost film like, but battery life limited as the two that came with it (attached to an R9) don't last too long. I bought a spare charger for keeping in the car.

Leica have to support it for 10 years, so there are at least 4 left!

I did try to contact the German company who refurbish the battery (re-cell) but they haven't replied. Not sure if I should send a battery without correspondence first.

Anyone had a battery fixed there recently?

preiswerte Akku Reparatur - Aufbereitung Akku - Akku sofort reparieren - Akkupack Aufarbeitung - Umweltschutz mit Akku Recycling - alten Akku aufarbeiten - defekten Akku aufbereiten - Akku Reparatur Mainz - Akku Reparatur Wiesbaden - Leica DMR 14447

 

By the way, if you can find a 4GB SD card (not SDHC) then you can get twice the image storage. Otherwise you can only use a 2GB SD (not SDHC)

The 4GB SD were only produced for a few months, during which time Leica released sw ver 1.3, supporting them. Then the SDHC type came out, but support for DMR stopped!

 

http://uk.leica-camera.com/service/downloads/single_lens_reflex_cameras/digital-modul-r/index.html

 

John

Edited by jpattison
added sd info
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Not really that worried about the batteries- I have just personally re-celled those of my R8 Motor Drive, quite easily done(see http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/customer-forum/56224-put-new-cells-my-motor-drive.html ) . The main worry is with the hardware itself, particularly if there are any parts which cannot be easily repaired or replaced. It still seems to be around the $4000 mark, so I do not wish to pay this for something that will be unusable in say 5 years time.

 

Do these units as a matter of routine require periodic service or parts replacements, or are they more similar to say an R9- can go wrong if unlucky, but generally reliable and maintenance-free (assuming they are not thrashed)? Has anyone had to dispose of theirs as irreparable due to a lack of parts or uneconomical repairs?

 

I really look forward to getting a DMR, but it being essentially a piece of "obsolete" computer hardware, am somewhat reticent as far as it's reliability and future useability are concerned.

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The motherboard replacement was not cheap ($1250 or there about), but worth it. I had the DMR/R8 in for repair once before that, but the issue turned out to be contacts on the batteries that were not quite clean enough. You must keep all contacts clean. In the case of the contacts on the batteries rubbing them with a pencil erasure did the trick. Since then I've treated the contacts with Caig contact cleaner and protector, just as I do with contacts in my audio gear.

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I

By the way, if you can find a 4GB SD card (not SDHC) then you can get twice the image storage. Otherwise you can only use a 2GB SD (not SDHC)

The 4GB SD were only produced for a few months, during which time Leica released sw ver 1.3, supporting them. Then the SDHC type came out, but support for DMR stopped!

 

Leica Camera AG - Downloads

 

John

 

Still available:

Transcend SD-Kaart 4 GB review - Productbeoordelingen van klanten van www.conrad.nl

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Hit the yellow"buy" button next to the review. It takes you to the shop.

 

Edit - Hmmm I see what you mean - all cards in the shop are SDHC. I wonder what a micro SD in an adapter would do?

Edited by jaapv
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Unavailablity of the cheapest component in the chain could be the killer blow. I have just checked 7dayshop.com and they are all listed as "On order" - regardless of manufacturer.

 

If SD cards are no longer available, that would be a real problem to older hardware.

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