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Liebe Mitglieder, ich war mal wieder zu Gast bei Michel Birnbacher. Diesmal ging es um meine Servicearbeiten für Leica Kameras und Gehäuse. Hört rein: https://leica-enthusiast.de/2023/07/klaus-gamber-2/ Und wer Fragen hat, darf mich gerne anschreiben!

I have recently got my 75mm Summilux back from service because of back focusing. It is a bit better, but still far from perfect. At a distance of one meter, the focus is very good. But at three meters the focus is about 10 cm behind. And the back focusing increases even more at longer distances. Is this a well known problem for this lens? Shouldn't it be possible to get a better result, or is a visoflex the only safe alternative for accurate focus? I will mainly use this lens wide open. Would it be easier to calibrate it for f/1.4 only, instad of all apertures? Do I have to pay for another service if I am not satisfied?

So I recently got (for lack of a better word) scammed into buying a Summaron 35 2.8 with a cracked goggle (let's not get into it). The lens functions okay, but I'm wondering what my chances are of replacing the glass on the front of the goggle and what this might cost. The lens is over 60 years old, so I'm not very hopeful but wanted to check anyway. Thanks in advance for any responses.

My Tele Elmarit M 90 shows these marks when inspecting under a certain angle. It looks like dried water behind the front-element of the lens. It does not show in photos but still it concerns me. Is this serviceable? Have you ever seen something like this?

Hi, bei meiner R8 klappt der Spiegel nicht mehr weg, wenn es kälter ist. Kennt ihr jemand im Rhein-Main Gebiet (+/- 100km, ich will die nicht schicken), der das einstellen kann? Benutze sie trotz ihres unangenehmen Gewichts sehr sehr gerne ;-) Grüße Rolf

I am restoring a Focomat 1c (complete with Ilford Multigrade HLZ system) and all seems fine except it is missing one small but important part. I attach a photo of the part on another 1c as well as the bare spindle/screw on mine. I don’t know what it is called but I’m guessing it is a roller bearing and is roughly 10mm in diameter. It supports the curved autofocus cam and without it I need to manually focus all the time. Now I am aware that Leica stopped support for enlargers some time ago but I wonder if anyone could help: is this a standard component I could source from a roller bearing supplier or would I need to have it fabricated? Second query is does anyone know of a good lens repair place that could clean the haze from a couple of Focotars I have. Leica no longer provide this service. I'm in the UK. Thanks

Hallo, bin gerade durch Zufall auf folgender Seite der Leica Homepage gelandet: https://de.leica-camera.com/Service-Support/Serviceleistungen/Service-Certificate Hat hier jemand schon Erfahrung mit diesem Service? 200,-€ für ein weiteres Jahr Garantie bei Bestehen aller Tests hört sich gut an.

I am planning a visit to Leica Park, Wetzlar in the near future. I've heard it said that you can get a service on your Leica camera whilst there. I'm not sure how true this is so wondered whether anyone had any details. And do you think it would stretch to carrying out lens alignment? I have an M10-P and a Summilux 50mm which I'd like to get aligned (in a short period of time) and wondered whether it was something I could ask them to do, or is that stretching their assistance/generosity a bit far? If it's not something you think they could/would carry out does anyone have any recommendations of good authorised Leica lens alignment outfits in the UK? Thanks in advance for any assistance. Jim

is this manual actually from 1959 ? https://photographysgoldenageii.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/leica-m3-service-manual/

Does Leica service match their brand and their great products? I invite you to an open discussion about this based on my own experience (a little long text maybe). As many others, I contacted Leica due to some suspicious looking rows of dots on my pictures taken at low apertures. Leica Customer care looked at the samples I sent them and told me that I had to send my camera (M9P) to them to have it checked. Here is my first experience with Leica Customer Care described step wise. It is the service experience that I would like to discuss and not the specific technical problem: > I spent 150 Euro on shipping and insurance to have the camera sent to Leica. I had to make them confirm that they had received the camera. They didn’t do that automatically. > After a short while I got a message from Leica that the sensor was not defective but they would clean the sensor and adjust the rangefinder etc. I was happy with that, and said thank you. > After some weeks of waiting I contacted Leica to hear when they would send the camera back to me. I was told by a technician that I hadn’t communicated with before that there was a lead time of an additional 2 ½ months to have the camera cleaned. At that time they had already had the camera for more than a month. > I contacted Leica and told them to send the camera back to me un-cleaned since I had to use it for a field trip. I was the contacted by the first person that I had communicated with and he told me that they could have it cleaned and send back within a week. I was happy with that, and said thank you. > I got my camera back within the week as promised. However, as I went to check it I was really disappointed. The sensor was very dirty and hair-like strands that were not there before showed very clearly on the pictures even at F4. In fact the sensor was much worse than before and the dots that were the reason for sending the camera to Leica were indeed still visible. Along with the camera Leica had sent a certificate stating that the sensor had been cleaned and the camera cap was “sealed off” with the orange sticker. I personally do not believe that the sensor had been cleaned. > I contacted Leica again and told them in a friendly way that I did not see the problem solved. They returned to me and apologized and suggested that they had my camera back again. I told Leica that I was a bit reluctant to just send the camera back without knowing what would be done to it, and how long time it would take. They told me to send some DNGs that showed the problem, and they would find a swift solution – which I did. > After a couple of days I got a mail by accident from Leica. It was internal communication between my contact and a technician. In the mail I was characterized as being very “unzufrieden” which I actually don’t think was quite right. I had only pointed out the problems as described in an objective way. Internal mails ending up at the customer should really not happen. This is a big mistake in my eyes. > After some additional waiting time I contacted Leica to hear their conclusions, and after some more time I got the message that they needed to have the camera back to overhaul the sensor and evaluate if it needed to be changed. That was actually what they should have done when they got the camera in the first place, and they had already stated that the sensor was OK and cleaned anyway. > I contacted Leica and told them that I could not send in the camera right now because I needed it for a field trip, so I would dry clean the sensor myself to remove the dust, and then send in the camera at a later stage for the other problems. I asked if they could provide me with a device and a method for blowing the dust off. > After some more time I got a mail from a Danish agent that had not been in contact before. They told me that they heard I had problems with dust on the sensor and suggested that I contacted a certain Dealer in Denmark who they know is a Nikon/Canon expert??! > I will now search this forum and find a method to dry clean my sensor myself, and subsequently decide further actions…I need to go shooting rather than writing. I have 15 years of experience with technical service, and to me this is a very inconsistent performance by Leica – both in terms of communication and actions. So, my question: is there any learning for Leica here – and could we give them some constructive feedback and ideas for improvement? What is your experience?

So sehr ich diese Marke ob ihrer tollen Geschichte, Technik und Objektivqualität liebe und gerne mehr einsetzen würde, aber für den professionellen Bereich ist sie leider durch das schlechte Service unbrauchbar. Das Reinigen eines Objektives, welches mit 3,1 Arbeitsstunden a 149.- netto veranschlagt wurde, dauert über ein Monat !! Rücksendung erfolgt erst nach mehrmaligem dringlichen Anruf. Darum werde ich weiterhin für den professionellen Bereich die Japanischen Produkte bevorzugen, den die haben verstanden worauf es ankommt. Schade Leica!

I have a couple of pieces of Leica gear that need repair, an M body and an S lens. Based on others experiences and reports, both will have to go back to Germany for factory service. To say that my service from Leica New Jersey in the past has been anything other than glacially slow would be an insult to the athletic prowess of glaciers. Can I just skip New Jersey and send the gear straight back to Germany for service myself? It seems like Leica USA kind of tries to discourage that, but I just see Leica New Jersey as adding an unnecessary layer of nice, but bungling people piling on to the work queue. Thanks in advance, and sorry for being kind of snarky. It does boggle my mind that I have routinely had 4-5 day service turnarounds for my Canon or Nkon equipment, while it takes Leica New Jersey a month to answer an email.

Hallo zusammen, seit ein paar Monaten gehört mir eine gut erhaltene M8 und ein sehr nettes altes Summilux 35mm, die zusammen beim Fachhändler 1900EURO kosteten. Wg. einer nötigen Sensorreinigung hab ich beide zu Leica geschickt und um einen vollständigen Service-Kostenvoranschlag gebeten, der sich auf 1200EURO beläuft. Was tun? Lohnt sich das bei einer M8? Wäre über Eure Tips und Meinungen dankbar. Herzlichen, Peter

I wanted to related a good experience I've had with Leica service. My M(240) developed a problem: a vertical line of fully-exposed pixels that started to appear occasionally, then grew more common until, a bit before Christmas, it reached the point where it was in pretty much every image. When these first started to appear I emailed repairs@leicacamerausa - back in about September. No reply. Sent several follow-up messages, no reply. This seemed consistent with postings I've seen here and elsewhere about that email address being a black hole. Once the problem became serious, I decided to try again. Also I had a hypothesis: given that it's not generally good business practice to ignore customers' email, maybe my messages weren't getting through. My usual email uses a somewhat unusual email configuration, and maybe the odd routing was setting off an over-cautious spam filter. So, I sent another message direct from a simple and widely-used web-based email service (icloud.com). I received a reply the next day. This doesn't confirm my theory about the spam filter, of course. Maybe they have just had a change of staff or a change of priorities. In any case, I had a conversation with a very helpful person at NJ Leica, which ended up with them starting a repair file for me. They emailed me paperwork to print which allowed me to drop in to a local UPS Store and ship the camera to them, no shipping charge for me. About 6 weeks later (with Christmas in there, so probably 4-5 actual work weeks) I received a written estimate in the snail mail, and had to reply in writing authorizing the repair. Did so (by snail mail but also by fax, in case that would allow them to start sooner). About 4 weeks after that, the camera arrived back home. Again, UPS shipping at their expense, and with the proper paperwork so that I didn't have to pay customs fees on having it re-enter Canada. $250 to repair (remap and recalibrate) the faulty sensor, plus a general inspection, cleaning, lubrication, and sensor cleaning all included, and $0 shipping. I'm really pleased with this service, and my M is like-new again. Yay. - Richard

Hallo zusammen, mich hat ziemlich das Pech getroffen. Ich habe mir vor etwa zwei Monaten über eBay Kleinanzeigen eine Leica M6 gekauft und während der Probefilm mit dem Innenbelichtungsmesser noch tadellos belichtet wurde (ich habe extra Fuji Velvia genommen, weil der wirklich NICHTS verzeiht), ist mir das gute Stück irgendwann kurz später offensichtlich abgeschmiert und hat mir sechs größtenteils massiv unterbelichtete Filme von meiner Silvesterreise eingebracht. Bevor die Fragen kommen: Ja, ich habe die Batterie ausgetauscht (sicherheitshalber sogar zwei mal) und ja, ich habe das Messungsergebnis des Innenbelichtungsmesser mit einem Externen verglichen - die M6 liegt meistens, aber nicht immer, daneben. Ich war nun bei meinem örtlichen Leicahändler und dieser meinte, dass man die M6 in den Service schicken und ich mit etwa 500€ rechnen müsste. Das ist mir definitiv zu teuer. Hat irgendjemand hier im Forum Erfahrung mit dem Problem und/oder kennt irgendeinen Reparaturservice in Deutschland, der das günstiger machen kann? Vielleicht muss ja nicht mal der Belichtungsmesser selbst, sondern nur ein Kabel ausgetauscht werden oder so - wer weiß? Danke schon mal im Voraus, Janis P.S.: Hier mal ein extrem unterbelichtetes Beispielbild (Agfa Scala @1600)

Have been loving the Leica Q since purchase 2 months ago in mid June 2015. BUT: Noticed a speck this week, which was confirmed today in the Leica store in NYC (SoHo) that is possibly dust or other particle on the sensor. It shows up on all pictures making the camera unusable. Since it is single-body camera and you cannot remove the lens to clean it yourself, this is a BIG problem. However, the BIGGER problem is the camera is apparently so new that even Leica official service (in NJ, who have otherwise been super nice and accomodating) have said don't even bother sending it yet as THEY don't even have the tools to clean it. I would think its just professionally removing the lens and using an air blower or brush but am shocked that I am stuck with a very expensive and new Leica Q that is a brick i cannot use until seemingly HQ sends the tools to service centers to fix! Huge bummer, especially before a big family kids vacation ;( Has anyone else had this issue? Does anyone have a workaround or suggestion? -Josh

The glued on magnet from my M240 baseplate fell off and has been lost. The camera is nonworking due to this. I've emailed the local Leica repair center (Singapore), yet I am currently in Thailand and traveling in SE Asia. Their answer (no parts here, will need to be sent back to Solms), which I want to try an avoid. Ive also considered another RSS baseplate (will have to ship international, etc). I propose this question with hope there could be a simpler DIY solution. Does anyone know of an alternative solution, or have details about the small magnet (glued-bad design?) Leica/RSS uses. I'm currently hunting a similar sized magent to use.. Would another (presumely) neodymium magnet work if I were to find one? A random issue, but seeing it is an inconvenience to take to service center now. Does anyone have a suggestion of an immediate fix? Thanks in advance.

Kudos to Leica NJ on APO 50mm Lens Service The quality control at the factory in Germany on my last three Leica items purchased new was lacking. First a 50mm 1.4 ASPH lens was exchanged in NJ, then an M(240) body had the sensor changed in NJ, and finally an APO 50mm lens with a loose optical cell was properly repaired in NJ in June. I write here to compliment the NJ service department especially with respect to this latest problem in case others might be concerned about their doing similar minor work on this particular lens. Leica emailed me (in Canada) a prepaid overnight shipping label, promptly saw to the repairs, and returned the lens in perfect condition, again with speedy shipping. They included a new signed inspection card and noted that their work comprised the following: =============================== Secure / Align Optic Cell Repair and adjust focus Test shots with Digital M to confirm focus accuracy Clean, lubricate, adjust all functions Optic cell: Focus, MTF ================================ This is the first time I have noticed a reference to their MTF testing of a lens to confirm meeting factory standards. (Had I known this in advance, I would have requested that printout!) My thanks to RL who handled the logistics and BW who oversaw the whole operation. Harry

Hi, my rather new MP is suffering from the "underexposed frame syndrome" (and also a lot of software failures). My reasearch here indicates that at least the shutter has to be replaced. My research also indicated that Leica service is rather slow. What can I do to speed things up? Any advise? I have to time this carefully, as I have no replacement camera. There exisits or existed an express service, but asking google I can not find any current information. Has this service be discontinued? Any other hints that worked for you for speeding up things? Thank you, Bernd

Am 18.3.2015 habe ich ein APO-Summicron 2/75 Asph. gemeinsam mit einer Leica M9 zur Überholung/Reparatur eingesendet. Meine M9 war von der Korrosionsproblematik betroffen, ich habe zwischenzeitlich vom Austauschangebot auf eine M-P Gebrauch gemacht. Der Reparaturauftrag lief über meinen Händler in Darmstadt. Seit Mitte/Ende März liegt das Objektiv bei Leica, bis zum Reparatur- und Austauschangebot sind dann 3 Wochen verstrichen, seit dem Reparaturauftrag erneut 4 Wochen. Dann erhalte ich am 11. Mai von meinem Händler die Auskunft, für die Reparatur sei mit nochmals mindestens (!) 6-8 Wochen Zeitbedarf lt. Leica zu rechnen. Das wären insgesamt mehr als 3 Monate für eine Objektivreparatur. Dies ist für mich ein unakzeptabel langer Zeitraum. Frage ans Forum - hattet oder habt ihr aktuell auch solche langen Servicezeiten? Mein Händler hat mich informiert, dass er keinen Zugriff auf den Service direkt mehr hat, sondern lediglich über eine Hotline nachfragen kann und empfahl mir, mich über die Customer-Care-Adresse per E-Mail an Leica zu wenden. Das habe ich am 11. Mai getan - auch hier bislang keine Antwort!? Wohin kann ich mich noch wenden? Was kann ich überhaupt noch tun?

I read somewhere that Leica will offer users of M9s with bad sensors the opportunity to upgrade to the M240. Has anyone received one of these offers and if so, how much would the upgrade through Leica have been?

Hello everyone. I just purchased my first Leica yesterday. The body is a IIIg from 1957 and the lens is a 50mm Summicron f/2 from 1956. I paid $300 for the lens. However, upon looking at the lens (front and rear glass elements) with a flashlight in the dark, I noticed there was a little haze coming from inside the glass. I'd like to get this lens cleaned. Anyone have a ballpark figure on how much a cleaning like this will cost?

Just wanted to thank the great folks at Leica Service in Allendale, NJ! I sent my M 90mmAA lens in for 6 bit update, focus adjust, focus helical fix, and to fix an unusual flare problem. I also sent my broken 50mm lux to be repaired under Passport warranty. In talking with Carmen Vargas I knew this would take at least 4 weeks, which, under the circumstances, I was happy with. Later though when calling Carmen for an update, she told me they were having a problem recreating the flare in my 90mmAA (which is not known to have flare problems). She connected me with Head of Service Bill Weier and I later sent him my photo files with flare examples which he shared with Leica Germany. Bill also rush fixed my 50lux over a weekend because I was about to leave for the LOOK3 photo festival and wanted to have my 50 for the event. At LOOK3 I discovered Leica Product Specialist Justin Stailey was there and discussed my 90 flare problem with him. Justin emailed Bill on the spot. In the meantime, Bill was going thru my 90 while in communication with Leica factory specialist trying to find anything that might cause flare. Between Bill, Justin, and Leica Germany, they came up with a fix that Bill performed himself. Carmen called me and gave me 2nd day tracking info showing I would get the lens on Monday August 14. Because I live in SE USA, my package happened to be on the tragic UPS plane crash in Birmingham, AL in which both pilots were killed. Almost in disbelief, I called Carmen with the news. I had no idea what would happen next but Carmen took the info to her management. With UPS' priority rightfully on their pilots and the possible cause of the accident, I figured my package was way down at the bottom of the list and expected several months to go by before I heard anything about an insurance claim. I was also sorry for Bill who worked so hard on my lens. A week later Carmen informed me that my new replacement lens had shipped! I know the insurance claim hadn't had time to be resolved but the Leica folks in Allendale had stepped up to make sure I wasn't without my 90mmAA any longer. To say I was happily surprised is an extreme understatement! So my THANKS! goes out to Carmen Vargas, Bill Weier, Justin Stailey, and all the other great folks at Leica Service in New Jersey !!!!

Dear experienced Leica users, having purchased a very well shaped Leica R4 with Summicron 90mm f2 I shot 3 rolls of negative films (color, b/w) and had to learn that the camera has a clear tendency to underexpose by approx 1 - 1,5 exposure values no matter what program setting has been chosen. Does anybody share this and could comment on this experience? Would you consider to have it serviced by a licensed Leica dealer? Thanks for some advice, Peter