Jump to content

Monochrom Sensor Replacement Experience


Luke_Miller

Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I just fetched my three year old M9 Monochrom (S/N 4344xxx) at the Copenhagen Leica shop. It had been to Germany for repairs of sensor crack. The whole affair took 42 days and Leica responded to mails throughout. They replaced the sensor, did a CLA and upgraded the firmware to level 1.012 at no cost. I checked the sensor for dust and it is fine. Well done Leica!

 

The shop had the new Summaron 28mm f/5.6 – so I got to put it on the camera and take it for a walk. Such a small lens! About 1 cm shorter than the 28mm f/2.8 ASPH and 10 grams lighter. A small gripe, perhaps, the distance setting tab locks at infinity.

The infinity lock is a carry-over from screw mount lenses. It was easier to (un)screw  the lenses with focus locked. For M lenses it is a bit nonsensical - but a typical Leica quirk.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I've just received my monochrom back from Leica Germany after a corroded sensor replacement, adjustment & a shutter & winding mechanism repair. it took a little under two months. the camera & rangefinder has also been cleaned & adjusted throughout & it feels & looks like new. the firmware was updated. I'm absolutely thrilled to have it back in my hands. thank you, Leica! very happy.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

The infinity lock is a carry-over from screw mount lenses. It was easier to (un)screw  the lenses with focus locked. For M lenses it is a bit nonsensical - but a typical Leica quirk.

 

Hello Jaap,

 

An Infinity lock can help to protect the rangefinder mechanism by keeping it immobile during inadvertant impact.

 

Also: An Infinity lock makes it easier for some people to put on & take off smaller lenses like a 35mm F2. Screwmount or Bayonet.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I asked my local Leica Store in Munich on 05 Jan to send my MM to Wetzlar for sensor replacement due to corrosion and received it back on 21 Jan - this equals less then 10 working-days in the factory, taking into account shipping. Really a GREAT service. I am very pleased.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Anyone in the US with recent experience in wait times?  I just bought a monochrom that seems to exhibit sensor corrosion where i see a bunch of specs all over the frame when I'm shooting anything past f5.6 against the sky...  I emailed Leica here but haven't heard anything back yet... just wanted to get an idea of what people's wait times have been. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I do not know if Leica has tried to make owners without their MM1 for many weeks on end feel better in some way as I sold mine before the issue became known.  FWIW, I contacted and subsequntly sent in a camera to Sony based on a recall on the first batch of RX1R2 for possible light leaks around the pop up EVF. Without warning Sony sent me a $100 Visa debit card for my loss of use of the camera during about 3 weeks of repair. I thought that was very respectable of them and pleasantly unexpected.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I do not know if Leica has tried to make owners without their MM1 for many weeks on end feel better in some way as I sold mine before the issue became known.  FWIW, I contacted and subsequntly sent in a camera to Sony based on a recall on the first batch of RX1R2 for possible light leaks around the pop up EVF. Without warning Sony sent me a $100 Visa debit card for my loss of use of the camera during about 3 weeks of repair. I thought that was very respectable of them and pleasantly unexpected.

 

 

When I dropped off my MM1 for sensor replacement, I matter-of-fact asked if they had a loaner they could make available and without hesitation signed one out to me for the duration (over 3 months). They didn't have to do so but they did. Was more useful me than a $100 debit card.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Anyone in the US with recent experience in wait times? I just bought a monochrom that seems to exhibit sensor corrosion where i see a bunch of specs all over the frame when I'm shooting anything past f5.6 against the sky... I emailed Leica here but haven't heard anything back yet... just wanted to get an idea of what people's wait times have been.

My MM was received by Leica NJ on the same day you posted this. It's now nearing the end of the ninth week there and I was told it would likely take ten weeks. I've had no communication since the camera was checked in but am hoping to get it back in the next week or two. We'll see.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I emailed Leica back in June 2016 that I thought I had corrosion on my Monochrom v1.  I sent them a Jpeg, but that was stripped off the email (at least, I think that's what happened).  Last week, I sent them a DNG through wetransfer and I got a call back from them asking me to send the camera in - it will be interesting to see how long it takes.  According to the courier tracking, it has just left the country.  Clearing German customs seems to take an inordinate amount of time ...

 

As it's going all the way to Germany, I've asked them to recover it with leather - might as well personalise it as I will be using it till Leica can no longer repair it (at my cost).  It's a great camera; sometimes I think we get too wound up about resale value.  My only concern is the more things cost, and the better they're made, the longer I expect them to last.

 

Cheers

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

My MM 1 was logged in at the New Jersey facility in mid-March, at which time I was told the sensor replacement would take 10 weeks. At the 10 week point, I contacted Roxanne and was told it would take 12 weeks instead of 10. At 12 weeks I contacted her and was told, much to my dismay, it would now take 24 weeks. I do not hold her or the New Jersey facility at fault. I think they are completely at the mercy of Leica AG as to when and how many sensors they receive. Since the announcement that the free replacement will end in August, there has been a flood of cameras turned in for repair.

 

I have lost confidence in this process and am now wondering what recourse we all have if the 24 week period lapses and we are then told the new estimate is 48 weeks, or one year, or whatever?

 

Leica should have foreseen that announcing the end of the free replacement program would motivate people to send in cameras that they might otherwise have used until the corrosion became more serious. They should have had a stockpile of sensors ready to accommodate the demand. This situation is not being handled well. Meanwhile, our unrepaired cameras sit on shelves at Leica repair facilities around the world, depreciating day by day without even being used.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I sent off my MM1 to New Jersey about 3 weeks ago. Never got an acknowledgement that they even received it. I sent an email and got no response.

Finally called them this week and was told to wait 18 to 24 weeks. I laughed and commented that they must be swamped with replacements, to which he laughed.

The very next day I received an email with the invoice for the repairs, basic sensor replacement info, plus CLA and rangefinder calibration. No timeframe though.

I'm going by what I was told over the phone. At least I have other cameras.

Link to post
Share on other sites

At least I have other cameras.

That's probably true for most of us. I slso have other cameras, but my only MM is gone for sensor replacement for what I consider an outrageously long time. The Monochrom is by far my favorite camera and it produces images with a look I can't duplicate by doing conversions from color to B & W. My cameras aren't just for fun. They are tools I use to make a living. Imagine a taxi driver being told it will take six months to fix a flat tire on his cab. That's the position Leica have put me in and it's why I'm so irate about the excessive repair time.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...