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LC1 Recall/Repair?

J Mitchum

By J Mitchum
in Digital Forum

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Riley

Riley

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well no one is sure about the circumstances of the re-call

while they are doing this in japan, the rest of the world is out in the cold it seems

 

this could be due to a component from a third string supplier

what i am attempting to do, is to gain an insight as to what the problems are

and the extent of the problem, as opposed to all of the cameras

and we will see what our options are from there

 

i agree $600 seems a lot of money, but then i dont know how long it takes, or the cost of the parts. Is it indeed the sensor, or do they replace the whole board. Lets see what responces we get, and we can evaluate the problem better in time

 

thankyou

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thomasl.se

thomasl.se

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I'm currently shopping for a used D2 or LC1, and some of my real concerns here are warranty and repair cost.

My local Panasonic service guy told me that a replaced LC1 sensor adds up to $565, of which $425 covers the material (just the sensor).

 

kameraguy, did you buy the D2 private, and not used via an authorized Leica dealer?

 

I just missed an auction for a 2-year warranty demo D2; authorized dealer in Solms. Enough to make a grown man cry.

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kameraguy

kameraguy

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I purchased my D2 from a private seller.Unfortunately the D2s are already hard to come by locally new, let alone used. So the local private seller was too good to pass up. Of course I never expected the camera to fail so soon.

 

In hindsight I should have purchased the camera new, or sought after a used example from a dealer.

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J Mitchum

J Mitchum

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Christian

the recall identified here was Japan specific

and it was for Panasonic LC1 cameras

and at that, only some cameras not all

 

im not sure but, its usual for warranty to be non transferrable

 

It should be pointed out that the LC1 and Digilux 2 are identical internally and both are made by Panasonic. Also, there are people who have had the exact same sensor failure on both models. Therefore both Panasonic and Leica should do something about it. Globally. That doesn't mean they will do something about it unfortunately. Corporations typically do as little as possible unless customers make a big stink about it. If you've had an LC1 or Digilux 2 sensor failure I would complain about it and mention the fact that Panasonic Japan has acknowledged the same problem. Yes, I know it doesn't officially apply to the rest of the models (though in reality it clearly does) but if enough people complain they will not be able to hide the truth much longer.

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kameraguy

kameraguy

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It should be pointed out that the LC1 and Digilux 2 are identical internally and both are made by Panasonic. Also, there are people who have had the exact same sensor failure on both models. Therefore both Panasonic and Leica should do something about it. Globally. That doesn't mean they will do something about it unfortunately. Corporations typically do as little as possible unless customers make a big stink about it. If you've had an LC1 or Digilux 2 sensor failure I would complain about it and mention the fact that Panasonic Japan has acknowledged the same problem. Yes, I know it doesn't officially apply to the rest of the models (though in reality it clearly does) but if enough people complain they will not be able to hide the truth much longer.

 

Thank you, as this is exactly my thoughts about the situation as well. Since seeing there are others with sensor problems with the D2, I have regained hope and will write a letter to Leica with this information as ammunition. Folks in the same situation may as well try.

 

Thomas, i'll check my repair estimate when i get home and confirm if the repair guarantee is quoted. I'll also confirm if they state the CCD sensor needs to be replaced, and/or the circuit board.

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stunsworth

stunsworth

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But if it's a problem with one batch of sensors this will only affect some Panasonic models and possibly no Leica ones at all. It's quite possible that all the Leica cameras were made in a single batch by Panasonic and then sold by Leica over a period of time.

 

That isn't to say that sensors can't fail, they can fail on any digital cameras.

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sdai

sdai

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In fact, according to what I've read from the Japanese web site, the defect was regarding a critical part in the CCD sensor assembly (not the sensor itself), which was supplied by an anonymous third party to many manufacturers incl. Panasonic, Sony, etc ... so pretty much every brand which has adopted the part was affected within that period.

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kameraguy

kameraguy

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I have not found any information to help determine if the D2 was manufactured around that time via serial#. Does anyone know if it's possible?

 

I agree that sensors can fail. of the seven digital cameras i have, the D2 was the only one to have failed. And it's one the "newest" camera I have. So i thought it strange to have failed so soon. Granted who knows when electronics will go.

 

It's interesting to see how many other D2 owners have experienced the same failures. Seems kind of odd if it is a "random" problem.

 

Hopefully more folks with D2 sensor failures with find that thread and add their 0.2.

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thomasl.se

thomasl.se

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Christian,

Is your warranty card filled according to the following translated Leica response in quotation marks?

 

Leica (Scandinavia) replied swiftly and kindly to my query on warranty. Translated from Swedanish:

 

"All Leica repairs go to the factory in Germany and they don't look to the name, only to correctly filled warranty card. Worldwide warranty applies to all Leica cameras.

 

Provided the original International waranty card from the factory is correctly filled with stamp, vendor, serial number and date, the warranty follows the camera.

It is not about who is in possession of this, but whether or not the warranty card is correctly filled."

 

Thomas

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kameraguy

kameraguy

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Hi Thomas,

 

Thank you for this information.Unfortunately the warranty card was submitted by the original owner, so the camera is already registered with them.

 

An option i still have is to contact the original seller and see if he agrees to submit the camera for repair on my behalf. But to get a hold of them is the first hurdle I am trying to overcome.

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thomasl.se

thomasl.se

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Christian,

 

I understand the original owner regitstrated it, but according to the Lecia rep I asked, that doesn't matter as it's not about the name it's registrated with. Unless I'm missing something, Leica NJ's and Leica Scandinavia's statements are contradicting. Did you talk to Leica Germany?

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kameraguy

kameraguy

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Hi Thomas,

 

I don't recall seeing a warranty card in the box which led me to believe it was retained or submitted by the original owner, so unfortunately I don;t have the warranty card to fill out.

 

But....

 

As luck would have it, I found the e-mails between the original seller and I and found their contact number again. I just rang him up and fortunately the number still worked. I presented what happeneed and he was totally open with sending the camera in to Leica USA for repair on my behalf. So far, this is the best news i've had in the last few months.

 

I'm going to call and confirm the serial# is still under warranty. I sure hope so!

 

Do D2 repairs always get sent to Solms? Do you think it's best i deal directly with them? If you have a contact I can speak to, I would greatly appreciate it!

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thomasl.se

thomasl.se

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Christian,

 

This Jim is the gentleman I've emailed with:

 

Nordisk Foto Import A/S

Jim

The Leica agency for Denmark, Sweden and Iceland.

Tlf / Phone: +45 36771977 Fax: +45 36771466

Email:

Web:

 

He says everytihng repair goes to Germany. I guess you'd have NJ send it in on their dime.

 

Thomas

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lorna

lorna

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I noticed nobody posted under this topic for a while, but I have a story so I will. :)

The sensor on my LC1 died recently after about 2 years of usage. THe symptoms were just like one of the users posted- a melted picture on both the LCD and the electronic viewfinder.

I sent mine to USA Panasonic Corporate and they took a little while but were helpfull. Since my warranty expired I had to pay the full price for the repair but it was only about $160.00 which is not bad for a whole new sensor. You can find more information here

 

Where to Service Panasonic Products

 

I am still waiting for it to arrive but it should arrive today. I will let you know if they fixed it and what the status is.

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