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Brand new Leica 262 some shutter speed figures not fully displaying in viewfider.


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i have just got a new 262 and in the viewfinder when the shutter speed is displayed I am getting only a part readout of some figures, for example  the 4 in 1/45 sec, only the top half of the 4 is being displayed, also the 1 in 1/15 is part missing, all the others are shown as correct. the camera is otherwise working correctly.

     it has been a bad week so far, I initially bought a new Leica Q, on installing the battery the camera would only show a systems fault so I took it back and bought the 262 instead, 

     Has anyone else experienced this, is it part of a greater underlying problem. 

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Thanks for your replies, it is what I feared the hassle of returning the second new Leica camera in the space of the week, I also purchased a new Leica 35mm f2.4 lens and it's performance is well below that of my 35mm f2 ver 4 so that too can go back. The only good news is that I bought the new version of the Leica 28mm f2 and that is a lovely lens, so far !

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i have just got a new 262 and in the viewfinder when the shutter speed is displayed I am getting only a part readout of some figures, for example  the 4 in 1/45 sec, only the top half of the 4 is being displayed, also the 1 in 1/15 is part missing, all the others are shown as correct. the camera is otherwise working correctly.

     it has been a bad week so far, I initially bought a new Leica Q, on installing the battery the camera would only show a systems fault so I took it back and bought the 262 instead, 

     Has anyone else experienced this, is it part of a greater underlying problem. 

There must be a big curse on you  :p   

 

I have both M 262 and Q and I love them. They compliment each other very well.

 

The system fault problem of the fresh Qs were unfortunately reported before also. Sorry to hear another one. 

 

Anyway , have fun with your new Leica :)  , the dealers will do their best to make you happy as they made me before. My problems were solved without a question.

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I have just spoken to the dealer, they have offered their deepest apologies and I will receive a full refund, they have also asked me to include a letter that they can pass onto Leica as they feel that Leica chooses to ignore their complaints of poor quality, a letter coming from a unhappy customer will they hope do something to address the quality issues that customers are experiencing.

    Not surprisingly having received my refund I will not be buying another camera body for a while and if I do I will ask the dealer to open the box and test the camera before sending it out. 

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Yes, the 35mm summarit is going back, the dealer concluded that there has been 'trouble' with the summarits as they have not been up to Leica's lens standards and that is why they have been offered at a discount, I chose the 35mm f2.4 as it has had good reviews on this forum though but the copy that I had was really very poor by Leica's standards, my 35mm f2 ver 4 being a lot better at all apertures and distances in comparison.

  I am keeping the 28mm summicron as it is very good. 

 The dealer also told me that they had sent the Q back to Germany and had requested a replacement only to be told by Leica that they would have to wait 2-3 months !  I am no longer in the market for a Q but if I had wanted to replace mine I would be very cross.

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Hmmmm I wonder !  the Q will only have my finger prints on it as it was 'dead' out of the box.  The 262 has taken about 100 shots, has had a few lenses attached,and will have my finger prints etc on the rear screen, I imagine that they will be both fixed, the shutter count set to nought and packaged as new again. 

     I know that the shutter release on the 262 is 'quieter' than the 240, my 262 was very quiet, if not sluggish in comparison, I put a fresh fully charged battery in but still the same. Also I have noticed that it is not just the shutter speed figures affected but now the iso speed is showing the same fault when you first turn on the camera, so the fault has now spread.

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It rather sounds as if the camera had a hefty knock in transport, shifting the readout and/or the flex connector. I would advise you to try again, as this is certainly not common. The ISO speed uses the same display (a mass-produced standard part... :() as the shutter time, so it is logical that it shows the same problem

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I wonder what Leica do with returned cameras, effectively they're second hand. Surely, they wouldn't fix your returns (Q and 262) and resell as new, would they?

No, they will reappear on the market as factory refurbs/demos, or be used as loaners.

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I collected the camera in person from the dealer as I had the Q to take back and some items to part exchange, the packaging was perfect and the box unopened. I took the camera back on the train with me and not surprisingly it remained on the seat next to me for the journey, on opening the box, all was well inside. Would not the rangefinder be out of line if the camera had received a heavy knock or fall. The photos that I took were all in focus.

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No- the rangefinder on the M240 is extremely robust. A recent post reported a dropped camera that had even bent its lens mount - but no rangefinder shift.

It may well have happened between the factory and the shop.

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That is good to hear, I often take my M240 with me on my bicycle keeping it in a pannier, I travel over rough roads and the dreaded cattle grids which do my body no favours when crossing, I have been concerned that the buffeting that the camera gets might upset the rangefinder. This was one of the reasons that I thought the Q would suit me, a bit lighter, smaller and no rangefinder to upset.

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It rather sounds as if the camera had a hefty knock in transport, shifting the readout and/or the flex connector. I would advise you to try again, as this is certainly not common. The ISO speed uses the same display (a mass-produced standard part... :() as the shutter time, so it is logical that it shows the same problem

I hate to be disagreeable but given how the cameras are boxed, I'm skeptical a "hefty knock in transport" would shift anything electronic enough to cause a fault.  My guess would be the component was defective (stuff happens) or maybe improperly soldered or connected.  And I wouldn't necessarily blame Leica's QC for letting it slip through, as it could have been fine at that point and went on the fritz the next time it was powered up.  All these things can happen.  If it was me I would try again.  3rd time's a charm ;) 

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I wonder what Leica do with returned cameras, effectively they're second hand. Surely, they wouldn't fix your returns (Q and 262) and resell as new, would they?

They take returned cameras, refurbish and certify them as meeting new spec, and sell them as demo or refurbished at a discount with warranty.

 

I wouldn't give up either. Your experience is quite unusual. I've bought both factory demo and brand new with no problems. The M/M-D typ 262 is worth it.

Edited by ramarren
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I hate to be disagreeable but given how the cameras are boxed, I'm skeptical a "hefty knock in transport" would shift anything electronic enough to cause a fault.  My guess would be the component was defective (stuff happens) or maybe improperly soldered or connected.  And I wouldn't necessarily blame Leica's QC for letting it slip through, as it could have been fine at that point and went on the fritz the next time it was powered up.  All these things can happen.  If it was me I would try again.  3rd time's a charm ;)

The readout and flex connector are simple parts that are mechanically connected. It may well be that the flex has not be locked in its slot, or the readout sticking gunk hasn't held, both of which would only show up during rough transport. Or-of course that the readout itself has lost a few LED lines through manufacturing fault.

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Infant mortality or assembly error, possibly.

It suggests to me that Leica's cameras are not 'burnt-in'.

A period on a shaker (with possibly hot and cold combined) would be worth its weight in gold (for the company) - Environmental Stress Screening (ESS) helps unearth latent defects and assembly issues. Result, happy customer

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I have had a cooling off period and will order another  M262 next week, I will ask the dealer to test the camera first, the dealer told me that in film days he tested every camera before they were handed over to customers . Customers now do not like the box that their camera comes in to have been opened post leaving the factory.

        This is not the first time that I have received new Leica products that have had to be returned to be replaced or adjusted.  It cannot take more than a few minutes to inspect each item before it is packaged and despatched . Leica are not a mass producer and charge a premium price,  It would do Leica's reputation the world of good.

        I now have great anxiety when thinking about buying another new Leica product. The last lens I bought was the 50mm APO, the aperture ring was so loose that it had to be returned, it took 12 weeks before it was returned back to me. Thankfully the 28mm cron I have just bought is perfect.

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