If only

[thompsonkirk]

I've had 3 failures, the last one the shutter release - and, I have to admit, very good turn-around time on service.

But I've concluded that I can't do anything important or lengthy (such as your Montreaux pilgrimage) without a backup body. I've wandered around India with one M4, but certainly wouldn't risk it with one M8. I currently have my dealer looking for a relatively cheap 'beater' body - one that's functional but has some sort of cosmetic Mark of Cain upon it.

Kirk

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by eudemian

Sorry Jaap, I like a lot of your posts but if you are saying I poked something through the shutter, you are wrong. If you are saying that I dropped my camera, the one with the thumbs up, eyepiece magnifier, new skin, black dot, etc. then you are again mistaken.

I wondered how long it would take for the blame to shift from Leica to the idiot user.

Guernsey Tom

I did NOT say that. As some may recall, I was the one to find out the relationship between dropping the camera and shutter error. Falling down a 20 ft cliff with an M8. Fortunately I got stuck after 4 feet, but the camera did not, resulting in (relatively) little outward damage, but a shutter error...(and an 1800 Euro repair )

[eudemian]

Jaap, I was understandably upset by my M8's transmogrification into an expensive paper weight so I may have misunderstood your intentions in your slightly cryptic post. I took you to mean that in general if you haven't poked your shutter(no innuendo) then a reasonable alternative explanation for shutter failure would be that it had been dropped.

I can assure you that my little baby has had more cosseting than the crown jewels so I was peeved that you should infer that I had dropped it (or rather, could reasonably be construed as having inferred that).

I take it that was not your aim, and as I say I read your posts with interest and respect I hope you can understand my position and extreme sensitivity in these matters.

Guernsey Tom

[jimmy pro]

Originally Posted by erl

Let's be quite clear on the last point. Jaap did NOT say that!

Several posters seem to be determined to infer that he did.

Read his post with intelligence and understanding, please.

Let's be quite clear on this point. I did NOT say that Jaap said that. And I'm not infering anything, I'm stating straight out that with digitals it's much less likely that shutter error comes from poking fingers thru the shutter--which Jaap DID say, BTW--then with a film camera, for reasons that should be obvious.

Please read MY post with intelligence and understanding.

[jaapv]

On shutters breaking - there are multiple causes and titanium shutters are by nature more sensitive to mechanical "trauma" than cloth shutters.


As the subject of this discussion let me suggest we close it.

[jimmy pro]

Good idea...at least until you can explain how anyone can poke there finger thru a shutter that's a fraction of a inch in front of a hard, flat sensor.

BTW there are tons of old Nikon's out there going back to the 50's with titanium shutters that have still not failed. I've seen plenty with a wrinkle or two that still work perfect. Ditto for the aluminum vertical blade shutters in a scad of SLR's, including the electronic one's. Including Leica's. The R bodies from R3-R9 have a few chronic problems but shutter failure of the proportion that's afflicting the M8 isn't one of them. There's something up with the shutters they put in the M8. Not the design most likely because it seems to be pretty much a variant of a widely used Japanese shutter, maybe it's specificly taylored for the M8 but in design and principal it's a typical shutter. I'm guessing maybe a bad part or two,or maybe an assembly error, got into a bunch (hopefully not all) of the batch that Leica had made up for the M8. I remember reading and thinking maybe it's possible the shutter "upgrade" is partly Leica trying to head off a bunch of warranty shutter replacements (lemons to lemonade like they say)...but I don't want anybody to accuse me of being one of them paranoid conspiracy guy's that puts foil all over his walls

[jaapv]

Where did I say finger? Leica suggests a cut-throat razor

[jimmy pro]

Considering there market, I would of thought scalpels or tooth scrapers

[earleygallery]

I once had the shutter in a Bronica fail on me during a christening.

This was pre internet so I couldn't rant to the world at how upset I was. I just accepted it and moved on.

[jimmy pro]

Originally Posted by earleygallery

I once had the shutter in a Bronica fail on me during a christening.

This was pre internet so I couldn't rant to the world at how upset I was. I just accepted it and moved on.

Good thing there's the internet now so you can finally rant...to bad Bronica is history and no forum for you to rant on though, but you can't win 'em all

[earleygallery]

Indeed it is a real shame that Tamron pulled the plug on Bronica.

The camera I mentioned was an S2. Took it back to the dealer, it was bought s/h and still under warranty. It couldn't be repaired because of an obsolete part, so the Bronica rep called us personally and offered a generous discount on a new camera instead, so I chose an ETRS which I still use, in fact I recently bought a couple of new lenses for it. It has shot many weddings/christenings/portraits until I had to give up the freelance work due to the day job.

It's a shame that they didn't try to develop digital backs for the various models and keep the line going.

[erl]

James, a little bit of history, from memory (unreliable!!). A photographer contemporary of mine, many years ago, went down the Bronica path whilst I went down the Hasselblad path ($$$!). He maintained that when his several Bronicas failed (bought in one of the Asian countries) were put in for service in Australia, he was told that a a rare part was discovered to have failed. It turned out to be a shutter spring made from bamboo!!!

I don't imagine it was a production model feature though.

[enboe]

Using the 7 degrees of separation rule, does anyone know anyone who might be able to contact the artist, Marcus Miller, and get at least a nice autographed 8x10 glossy for this guy's son. A personalized note saying it was good to meet and sorry dad's camera broke would make it all the more real.

Chris W. - do you have a thread that you might be able to pull?

Anyone else?

That's part of what the Leica community is about.

Thanks.

Eric

[eudemian]

Eric you are a star for even thinking about that.

Marcus signed my son's Montreux guide so we do have something. I could go on about the evening concert but I do not want to bore you all, it was awesome, in total 5 hours free form jazz along with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke, they blew my mind.

Anyway, thanks for the thought.

[reddawn]

a backup camera would be of no help in such situations. If his son was shaking hands with someone important and you are trying to take a photo of this one time event, a shutter failure will ensure a shot missed forever, unless you are saying you can tap the guy on the back asking to shake hands again so that you can use the backup.

Hardly unlikely! You need a camera you know will deliver all the time.