Disappointed in Leica, NJ--Just Got M8 Back

[piblondin]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I purchased an M8 from one of the New York dealers at the beginning of the year. I immediately noticed a slew of problems: back focusing, vertical rangefinder misalignment, and vertical lines in my pictures at high ISO settings. So, I sent the camera back to the dealer, who sent it on to Leica. I waited two months and finally received my M8 in the mail today. Unfortunately, Leica didn't do anything to address the vertical lines, which remain. I might be missing something, but this seems to be an oversight by the Leica techs. Has anyone had a similar experience? Was Leica able to do anything to remedy it--e.g. providing a loaner camera for the duration of the additional repair? Thanks!

 

I really want to start using a rangefinder after all these years of longing for an M series, but these problems are making the transition difficult.

[dpattinson]

I sent mine back a year ago citing amongst other things a vertical line appearing through the center of the image at high iso. I haven't noticed it re-appearing since the camera was returned (although there are other problems at high iso).

 

If you specified the line problem when you sent it originally, I suggest emailing Leica directly as they will apparently fast-track returned repairs. Your dealer may wait for a suitable volume of items to send to the factory, so it's generally faster to ship directly to Leica.

[Guest roey]

Assuming that the vertical lines are sensor column defects (single pixel lines starting somewhere and extending all the way to the edge of the frame), they could/should have either mapped out the pixel(s) or replaced the sensor. However, in this case it is not obvious whether it was Leica's omission or your dealer's.

 

I have had bad and good experiences with Leica NJ -- they sometimes make mistakes but when they do they are eager to correct them. The most important thing is to contact them. You might convince them to get a loaner camera, but at the very least they should be able to give a time slot for a repair so that you don't have to wait another two months.

[piblondin]

Yeah, I would love some combination of expedited repair + expedited shipping. Shipping this camera across the country next- or second-day air isn't cheap with the insurance.

 

I'm not sure if it was Leica's omission or the dealer's. I conveyed the issues quite clearly--both verbally and three times in writing--when I returned the camera and repeated them in an email to Dave Elwell at Leica a few weeks ago.

 

The point in the process at which I felt like the issues could have been caught again was when Sarah replied to me, letting me know that the repair had just been completed. I immediately replied to her, asking for a list of items that the techs repaired. She never responded.

[Guest roey]

There should have been a repair slip, listing what was done, in the package.

[piblondin]

Yes, there was a repair slip in the package. However, I wanted to verify that they had performed the correct repairs before they shipped the camera back. Oh well--

[robertwright]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

my experience with NJ was that everyone was nice and helpful, except that they didn't fix the dead column of pixels like I asked. this was during the upgrade last year. Very good about communicating the upgrade stuff, and I included a letter explaining exactly the sensor defects, however, it came back and all I had to do was fire one exposure at ISO 2500 to see that the column defect had not been fixed.

 

one exposure.

 

I know they were probably swamped but it is just basic things like that that should. not. happen.

 

camera since then has been 100%. my conclusion is that there is a huge difference in cameras re quality control- some I am sure are bullet proof, others, no end of troubles.

 

really dampened my interest in ponying up 7k for the M9, even knowing it had sorted the majority of the issues, and was the camera I really had been hoping for all along. But there is so much sample variation that having an M8 that finally does reliably what it should do is worth more than going through that experience again. And then trying one out, and seeing how incredibly long it took to write files I just said, that is insane. After all that. Then a year to get a firmware upgrade that addresses that. hello?

[Redridge]

wide sample variations? Its very hard to tell from forums that this is true or not.... Forums by nature has a tendancy to posts more of what is wrong with the camera..... while others just snap away and enjoy their M's. In the beginning, the positive reviews of the M8 were out-shined by all the negative ones.... thats haw it works in cyberspace.

[piblondin]

That sounds similar to my experience. Did you ever have then fix your sensor? If yes, how long did it take?

 

my experience with NJ was that everyone was nice and helpful, except that they didn't fix the dead column of pixels like I asked. this was during the upgrade last year. Very good about communicating the upgrade stuff, and I included a letter explaining exactly the sensor defects, however, it came back and all I had to do was fire one exposure at ISO 2500 to see that the column defect had not been fixed.

 

one exposure.

 

I know they were probably swamped but it is just basic things like that that should. not. happen.

 

camera since then has been 100%. my conclusion is that there is a huge difference in cameras re quality control- some I am sure are bullet proof, others, no end of troubles.

 

really dampened my interest in ponying up 7k for the M9, even knowing it had sorted the majority of the issues, and was the camera I really had been hoping for all along. But there is so much sample variation that having an M8 that finally does reliably what it should do is worth more than going through that experience again. And then trying one out, and seeing how incredibly long it took to write files I just said, that is insane. After all that. Then a year to get a firmware upgrade that addresses that. hello?

[jaapv]

my experience with NJ was that everyone was nice and helpful, except that they didn't fix the dead column of pixels like I asked. this was during the upgrade last year. Very good about communicating the upgrade stuff, and I included a letter explaining exactly the sensor defects, however, it came back and all I had to do was fire one exposure at ISO 2500 to see that the column defect had not been fixed.

 

one exposure.

 

I know they were probably swamped but it is just basic things like that that should. not. happen.

 

camera since then has been 100%. my conclusion is that there is a huge difference in cameras re quality control- some I am sure are bullet proof, others, no end of troubles.

 

really dampened my interest in ponying up 7k for the M9, even knowing it had sorted the majority of the issues, and was the camera I really had been hoping for all along. But there is so much sample variation that having an M8 that finally does reliably what it should do is worth more than going through that experience again. And then trying one out, and seeing how incredibly long it took to write files I just said, that is insane. After all that. Then a year to get a firmware upgrade that addresses that. hello?

It seems that years have some sample variation as well. The camera has been out for six months.....

[robertwright]

It seems that years have some sample variation as well. The camera has been out for six months.....

 

well we are both wrong: out for six months but delivered and in customers hands? Still waiting....and waiting....

[robertwright]

That sounds similar to my experience. Did you ever have then fix your sensor? If yes, how long did it take?

 

I forget now but I believe they turned around the re-fix in a week or two. so that was a success.

 

I think it does speak to "sample variation" in another aspect: service can be both great and disappointing back to back. The kind of thing that makes you really not want to get another Leica product despite so badly wanting to.

 

I am going to go down to check out the M9 again now that the firmware is improved. If the camera is still slow as molasses then I can wait till the M10.

[piblondin]

So, I had been in contact with Dave and Sarah last week about getting my M8 back in time for my trip for which I'm leaving this weekend. Now, Dave is out of the office this week and it doesn't seem like this is going to happen, but I wanted to see if anyone has advice as to whom I could contact. I'm more than willing to pay for overnight shipping to get the camera back to me by Friday.

 

Unfortunately, I probably shouldn't have returned the camera for the re-repair until after I returned, but optimistically hoped that they would turn it around quickly. Now, I'm frustrated because I already postponed my first international trip in ten years to get the M8 back and still might not get it back.