gwelland Posted February 4, 2010 Share #1 Posted February 4, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) I sent a 50 'cron & 90 Elmarit-M off to Leica NJ for coding back in the middle of December and was told that they'll be back at the end of February. (at least it's Feb 2010 although I'm still waiting!). By contrast, my buddy in the UK drives over to Leica Milton Keynes during his lunch hour Wednesday and gets his chrome 35 'cron coded in under an hour, same day, while he waited. No advance booking. No express fees. Just 150 quid, in & out. Now I know that Leica bashing is easy but doesn't that seem like a ridiculous contrast? (If I wasn't this far into the process I'd be tempted to get my lenses back & FedEx them over to the UK and send my mate on a lunchtime errand for me ... ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 Hi gwelland, Take a look here Lens Coding Story - what a difference a continent makes .... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ho_co Posted February 4, 2010 Share #2 Posted February 4, 2010 Graham-- They are different lenses and require different parts. I'm happy for your friend. But it's quite possible that Milton Keynes wouldn't have been able to code your two lenses if you'd dropped by during your lunch break. When I called Allendale a year ago about having some lenses coded, they told me which ones they had parts for and when they expected parts for the others. We were able to work out a comfortable schedule, though I couldn't get all the lenses done at the same time. Anyway, "end of February" is still three weeks away, so your lenses are almost done. (Let's hope. ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaques Posted February 4, 2010 Share #3 Posted February 4, 2010 150 quid to do a job that takes less than an hour.... no doubt considerably less than an hour. Sounds like highway robbery to me. Get you lenses back- buy a dremel- and DIY! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pascal_meheut Posted February 4, 2010 Share #4 Posted February 4, 2010 150 quid to do a job that takes less than an hour.... no doubt considerably less than an hour. Sounds like highway robbery to me. Get you lenses back- buy a dremel- and DIY! Jacques is right. Coding is the only upgrade Leica did to the M mount in more than 50 years. So why pay 150 quids every 50 years to have a clean upgrade done on your 1000-3000 quids lenses when you can butcher them yourself with you dremel? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaques Posted February 4, 2010 Share #5 Posted February 4, 2010 fair comment I guess... a lens worth 3000 squids is worth the 'pro' finish- but I am not 'butchering' 1-3000 quids lenses... My most expensive lens cost me arounds 500 squids only (summicron 50). Even a modestly neat DIY coding on that lens would actually add value I believe... I would have paid a little more for it if it was coded. BTW- I have seen some very nice DIY coding- it is possible to get a very good finish- and I don't think its brain surgery either. I realise that some lenses require new parts- and in that case the 150 squids is OK (but manual selection is also OK). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwelland Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share #6 Posted February 4, 2010 It seems to me that 2.5 months to manually inspect a lens, unscrew a lens mount and replace it with another from the parts bin is basically piss poor organizational skills. It's not like we're talking about calibrating a Noctilux or Summilux nor rebuilding a Tri-elmar here. Unless there's a problem it's a 10 minute job (it took me considerably less time than that to change the mounts on my Zeiss lenses before). I'd bet that they have a FIFO queue or low priority for coding because my warranty item 28 'cron has the same date and I sent that in two weeks AFTER the 50 'cron & 90 Elmarit-M. (both of which are current spec, not antiques). Oh well, lesson learned.... As regards the dremel jokers, good luck with ever trading or selling those lenses in the future. You wouldn't fix up your car with duct tape, or maintain your house by nailing unpainted plywood to the outside would you? It doesn't matter whether you keep everything forever, a crap job is a crap job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaques Posted February 4, 2010 Share #7 Posted February 4, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) who said anything about a crap job? maybe you are crap with a dremel... but as I have said I have seen some beautiful work out there: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/85813-lens-coding-dremel-notes.html Fully functional and aesthetically pleasing. And as I already noted- on lower cost lenses I believe such coding will add value to the lens. I would certainly do this to my Voigtlander lenses- and I am sure Leica won't touch them anyway... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted February 4, 2010 Share #8 Posted February 4, 2010 Graham, I don't think you can get that service anywhere but from Leica UK, I certainly can't. For me to have a lens coded means to depart with it for 4-8 weeks as it has to be shipped to Solms. So you just have to deal with it, like most of the rest of us - Europeans included Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Per P. Posted February 4, 2010 Share #9 Posted February 4, 2010 For the record it took a couple of weeks, incl. delivery back and forth, to have my Summicron 50 and Elmarit 90 coded and adjusted here in Switzerland. I can certainly live with that. At least you were warned about end Feb so you can plan around it KR Per. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted February 4, 2010 Share #10 Posted February 4, 2010 As regards the dremel jokers, good luck with ever trading or selling those lenses in the future. You wouldn't fix up your car with duct tape, or maintain your house by nailing unpainted plywood to the outside would you? It doesn't matter whether you keep everything forever, a crap job is a crap job. A crap job is one that doesn't work. As regards doing it yourself with a Dremel, how much does it cost to put it right come the time to sell? Thats right, ten minutes and £150 and its just as good as your lens. The difference is that the guy with the Dremel can do it in the comfort of his own home, isn't without his lens while in the service centre, and has the added confidence of understanding that mechanical engineering isn't something only boffins can do. And he's asserted his independence from being forced into paying the surcharge. And he still has the option open for having a factory coded mount fitted. He's not lost anything has he? Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwelland Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share #11 Posted February 4, 2010 I guess my frustration is with the apparent difference in each Leica locations ability to turn this around. I knew when I sent the lenses off that they'd be away for a while, well maybe not quite this long, but certainly a month or so. My M8 upgrades took significantly less time than this and that included a new shutter and VF work too. I believe my lenses have been in NJ since about December 8th or so. That's a lot of shelf time IMHO. By contrast, my soft 28 'cron is getting the works done under warranty and that wasn't sent off until December 20th or so. It's got a work date of essentially the same week as the lens codings - that's the surprising thing. But yes, I chose to send the lenses to Leica and have them done properly and to get the warranty that goes with being inspected and worked on by Leica so I can only blame myself and have to live with "Leica time" which so far is at least faster than "IWC time" that my watch repair in Schaffhausen took. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwelland Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share #12 Posted February 4, 2010 The difference is that the guy with the Dremel can do it in the comfort of his own home, isn't without his lens while in the service centre, and has the added confidence of understanding that mechanical engineering isn't something only boffins can do. And he's asserted his independence from being forced into paying the surcharge. And he still has the option open for having a factory coded mount fitted. He's not lost anything has he? Oops, seems like I single handedly upset all the Dremelista's too today. Hey, if it works for you and you can do a nice job then all power to you! (although I still think you're being somewhat optimistic if you think someone will pay extra for a dremel'd lens vs a CNC machined & painted Leica mount or even an uncoded lens IMHO). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted February 4, 2010 Share #13 Posted February 4, 2010 Oops, seems like I single handedly upset all the Dremelista's too today. Hey, if it works for you and you can do a nice job then all power to you! (although I still think you're being somewhat optimistic if you think someone will pay extra for a dremel'd lens vs a CNC machined & painted Leica mount or even an uncoded lens IMHO). I didn't say they would pay as much did I? I'm sure it would make less. I said there is still the option of having Leica do the work at any time, perhaps before selling it. In fact if the work is done just before before selling it the previously Dremelled lens will fetch a premium because of the new warranty? So the Dremel man wins again! Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwelland Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share #14 Posted February 4, 2010 I said there is still the option of having Leica do the work at any time, perhaps before selling it. In fact if the work is done just before before selling it the previously Dremelled lens will fetch a premium because of the new warranty? So the Dremel man wins again! Steve I do believe that's the same argument as the one used by those folks who used to put cloth covers on their leather car seats or plastic on the sofa to protect it against wear ... it'll keep it nice for when they sell it. (I'm just messing with you now) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frc Posted February 4, 2010 Share #15 Posted February 4, 2010 fair comment I guess... a lens worth 3000 squids is worth the 'pro' finish- but I am not 'butchering,'who said anything about a crap job? Jaques says "more or less". Like the fishy part of the post, ......... Is that crap or should it be crab? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/111593-lens-coding-story-what-a-difference-a-continent-makes/?do=findComment&comment=1212536'>More sharing options...
swamiji Posted February 4, 2010 Share #16 Posted February 4, 2010 I have sent in a couple of lenses to Leica for coding. In all cases checked, cleaned, calibrated, re-certified, each one. I bet that took more than an hour, each. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted February 4, 2010 Share #17 Posted February 4, 2010 Sorry, but are we here in the M9 Forum? What I understood from the M9 is, that it has a electronic tool for manual lens selection which allows you to get all funcions of the lens codes without coding the lenses. Leica was rather reluctant to introduce this, but there was a big demand of customers and many threads in this forum, describing how good and necessary this was. Now are we in the M9-Forum and do I really read complaints about coding delays and using dremels for coding lenses? Did I miss anything? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted February 4, 2010 Share #18 Posted February 4, 2010 Sorry, but are we here in the M9 Forum? snip Did I miss anything? I suppose it depends on the type of photographs you make, but in my case I alternate between landscape, in which case manual coding isn't a problem, and faster moving street/events photography, in which case entering the manual code each time a lens is changed means the potential for lost images, as well as something that can simply be forgotten in the excitment. I guess you have all the time you need and don't understand other people may be in more of a hurry in a fast moving situation. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickp13 Posted February 4, 2010 Share #19 Posted February 4, 2010 i'm surprised that no one has mentioned that several of the leica technicians frequently named in the forum for the quality of their CLA and other work are also able to do a great (= precise, quick and reasonably priced) job of milling the 6 slots in leica (and other) lens flanges? cheers rick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted February 4, 2010 Share #20 Posted February 4, 2010 ... I guess you have all the time you need and don't understand other people may be in more of a hurry in a fast moving situation. Oh yes, I am myself sometimes in so much of a hurry that I keep the lens on the body. And there is a remedy even for those who decide for a quick change: all Leica lenses built since second half of 2006 are coded. Or you may find 4 or 5 different lens types which are coded in the actual second hand market of the forum. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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