My broken M8

[guidomo]

Originally Posted by jaapv

Even then. Spare parts for current production items, and not the least selling of them at that?

I guess if they know what part is missing they ought to be able to tell you what's wrong with the lens?

[ArtZ]

Maurizio,

After 3 "aller/retour" Paris-Solms my first M8 is going to be replaced. In fact, Leica picked it up today and it should be travelling back "home" by now.

Here's the story:

Last April, in San Francisco, I got "Shutter fault" error message. The camera went mad and tried to recock the shutter continiously. Even with the base plate removed, the camera wouldn't stop trying to recock the shutter. After removing the battery, once you put it back, the camera tried to recock the shutter again EVEN before putting back the base plate.

When I arrived in Paris, before Leica came to pick it up, I decided to give a try... and the camera was working normally. I called Leica and asked them if it was still necessary to send the camera. Thay said: YES.

At Solms, they couldn't find anything wrong with the camera and it was returned to me in the same state. Nothing had been done except a firmware update (it was already in 2.004 when I sent it).

Two days later, I had the same problem. Leica picked it up again. This time, CS sent the camera to the Leica factory for exhaustive inspection (when you send your camera to Solms, the camera is repaired at the Customer Service not at the factory). They couldn't repeat the problem but, in the Service Order document they said they had replaced a part of the shutter (in French they translated as "chariot"). I called them back again to ask an explanation because I couldn't understand what "chariot" stands for: Maybe, a new shutter mechanism? They said it was a part which was defective since the beginning (when they built the camera in 2007) and for that reason I was getting the "Shutter fault" error message and my camera blocked.

The camera arrived back in Paris and for a week I had no problem. Last week, while I was visiting a friend, we were taken pictures together and, suddendly, my camera got blocked again. Impossible to turn it off until I removed the battery but I didn´t get any "Shutter fault" message. Two days later, on Saturday, the camera blocked four times. Once, I removed the lens and I noticed the shutter was half recocked (I couldn't see the white lines on the blades but the black blades were not opened) and I could see about 25% of the sensor. While I tried to get a picture to send to Solms, the shutter recocked <G>.

Leica answer:

Leica sent me yesterday an email with apologizes and they proposed me to replace my camera by a new one.

I called them and I say "OK but I'd would like to have an M8 original if possible, not a M8.2 because I'd like to keep 1/8000 speed and the same controls than in my other M8". I reminded them I had upgraded last year the framelines and the LCD cover. They said: "No problem, we will build you a new one with the LCD and framelines upgrade" and they asked me to send also my lenses with the defective camera to avoid back/front focus problems on the new camera.

Hope this will give you some answers to some questions on this thread.

Regards

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by guidomo

I guess if they know what part is missing they ought to be able to tell you what's wrong with the lens?

My senario:
Leica internal phone rings: Hello Heinz, here is Hans from CS. How is the family? Another grandchild? Great, I know how it is.. say, that little squiggly thinagamejig from the floating element of the Summilux 50, you know, it is always out of tolerance, yeah 120AC. Yes- we've run out. You too on the last run? Say, could you do another batch, we need one. No -not today, I know it takes some setting up. Tomorrow afternoon? Great, I'll send someone over, thanks.Yes I'll notify logistics for you. I owe you one. Bye..
Now what is so hard about that?