jplomley Posted July 9, 2011 Share #1 Posted July 9, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Was wondering if those with the 35 Summarit can confirm proper AF with this lens. I seem to have a lot of front-focussing...manual focus no problem, so its not the lens at issue. Seems the S2 AF is way off. Unfortunately, I only have the one lens for now. Should I wait until I get the other lenses before sending it back for adjustment. Really surprised at this issue in the S-product line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 9, 2011 Posted July 9, 2011 Hi jplomley, Take a look here S2 Auto-Focus. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
kidigital Posted July 9, 2011 Share #2 Posted July 9, 2011 Jeff, If you purchased the S2 and 35mm lens new or used from a dealer, I'd contact the dealer ASAP to get the issue resolved. It could be the lens ... I had a 180 that arrived DOA, returned it and had a replacement within a few short days. If you went through a dealer, leverage the dealer to get a replacement as quick as possible. Kurt Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted July 9, 2011 Hi Kurt, Thanks for the suggestion. Both the S2 and 35mm were purchased new and are from the most recent batches out of Solms. Firmware is thus all up to date. Manual focus is no problem, the 35mm is just an incredible optic. But the autofocus is a mile off at all distances. Very disappointing for a kit that ran me close to $30K. I'll see my dealer tomorrow, but my fear is there are no more 35mm's to be had if the lens turns out to be the problem. If it's the body and it's adjusted for the 35mm, will I have issues as I add other lenses. Ha, it's like my M9's all over again. Guess Leica QC issues are not just limited to the M product line. Guess I should have learned my lesson after the M8 and M9 calibration issues.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arif Posted July 9, 2011 Share #4 Posted July 9, 2011 I can confirm that there were no issues with my 35 summarit. You can see some samples in my Myanmar gallery http://www.arifiqball.com/img/v23/p877516076-4.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMB Posted July 9, 2011 Share #5 Posted July 9, 2011 I second Kurt's view. I received a 120 where the autofocus did not work at all (i.e., did not react when I pressed the shutter). My dealer called Leica who shipped a new version directly to me within a couple of days (althought the lens was supposed to be sold out). Georg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share #6 Posted July 9, 2011 After thinking about it all evening, I've just decided to return the entire system and be done with it. I've been down this road before with Leica on the M product line, and just do not want to revisit it again with the S. I will find another solution for my imaging requirements. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMacD Posted July 9, 2011 Share #7 Posted July 9, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I suggest you sleep on your decision. My concern over Leica and the S system was would they support it with excellent service? I find they do. One friendly dealer compared the service and communication with the S is as if a different company than the M. So to say you don't want to go through the frustrations you had with the M is understandable, but I forecast the S company will give you better care with the S. I have had an an occasional front focusing issue with the 35mm at infinity, but that's with landscapes where I have time to check the distance on the lens itself and take a second shot with the lens manually reset. It happens on scenes that are such distance detailed that my eyes wouldn't focus it either on the ground glass, so I don't expect perfection there. If you are getting front focusing on every type of shot, return it for a fix. Test The Leica S company on how fast they help you. Here a good dealer can help you too. I would expect the dealer would quickly loan you a lens to see if it might be the 35mm lens software instead of the body. Thanks to forums like these, and the level of service required for pro clients, Leica the S company, has been pretty responsive. Once you get the camera right, it is amazingly bulletproof. Mine hasn't had problems requiring sending it to Leica as was required on my M, but I follow other peoples experiences closely and am impressed that Leica the S company, gets them handled. Good Luck, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterv Posted July 9, 2011 Share #8 Posted July 9, 2011 Geez, sorry to hear this Jeff. Just this morning finished the loooooong thread 'Talk Me Off the Ledge' you started over at GetDPI. I can understand your reasoning for wanting this camera so very well. I've been contemplating this myself for over a year now. Still, it's stories like yours that make me very reluctant to jump in. Thanks for sharing, hope you find another system that will work for you. Best of luck in Cuba and Bulgaria. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share #9 Posted July 9, 2011 Just a quick update folks, went to my dealer this morning and we have decided to send the body back for a replacement. Hopefully Jack your take on the S-service bodes well in this instance. If Leica NJ insist it has to go back to Solms and we are looking at months for repair, than I will abandon the system and look to other manufacturers for my digital medium format requirements. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilliamsphotography Posted July 9, 2011 Share #10 Posted July 9, 2011 FYI, the grass is NOT greener on the other side of the fence no matter what anyone tells you before the fact. If you don't get a hot swap warranty or premium coverage with any of these MFD cameras and have an issue, the camera will be taking a long vacation in Europe. Some MFD dealers have the where-with-all to provide a loaner for a short time ... but most don't, especially for free. I sent my S2P in for an issue that was my fault and it had to go to Germany ... I sent in at 2:30PM one day, and the S2P loaner was delivered to my door at 9:30AM the very next day. I've shot 3 jobs with it already including a wedding today. They can keep my camera for months for all I care ... LOL! Who did you speak with at Leica NJ? Was it Kelsey Fain? Keep us posted on your experiences. -Marc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Tansey Posted July 9, 2011 Share #11 Posted July 9, 2011 Hello Jeff, I had a cracked sensor and they had a loaner to me the next day. I had another issue and the same result. Kelsey Fain is great and so is Sarah Mayville. They will take care of you. Scott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share #12 Posted July 10, 2011 Marc, Scott many thanks for your feedback. Marc, so far I am letting my dealer handle the situation with Leica NJ. I have alerted a few of the people I know within Leica, so hopefully the issue is quickly resolved. I shall keep everyone posted. Scott, if I recall you have had the camera for about a year, correct? And you have had two issues already. Thats a bit scary when one considers the camera only comes with a 12 month warranty, which honestly for a $23K body seems out of line when one considers the M9 comes with a two year warranty and is not anywhere near the build quality of the S2. What were Leica thinking? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Richardson Posted July 10, 2011 Share #13 Posted July 10, 2011 I have to agree with Marc here. One thing I have learned is that with these highest end systems, something WILL go wrong. I wish it were not the case, but it always seems to be. Basically, you can't buy your way to perfect reliability. The most important difference between the manufacturers and dealers is their response to a problem. In my experience, Leica has been fantastic, and Hasselblad has been a real problem. But that is just my experience (which is complicated by the fact that I live in Iceland, which is not big enough to have a fully-staffed local agent for either company...Leica is much happier to deal with end-customers than Hasselblad, which demands that everything be done through the local agents). I hope that they are able to get you up and running as soon as possible. It's sad that it did not work out properly. On another note, I think there should be an option to buy factory-matched cameras and lenses. If you are buying an S2 system, you are almost certainly going to be buying the camera and one or more lenses at the same time. Why not have the option of buying them as a kit that have already been paired up, certain to work together perfectly? Is it because they are not supposed to need this pairing? I know that the M system often benefits from having lenses and cameras all calibrated to each other...I would imagine the S2 would be the same. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share #14 Posted July 10, 2011 Why not have the option of buying them as a kit that have already been paired up, certain to work together perfectly? Is it because they are not supposed to need this pairing? I know that the M system often benefits from having lenses and cameras all calibrated to each other...I would imagine the S2 would be the same. What I fail to understand with the S2 is why they do not allow a user-defined calibration offset in the menu system akin to that implemented by Canon et al? This would solve most calibration problems, no? Perhaps the firmware could be updated to include this feature if enough of us asked for it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterv Posted July 10, 2011 Share #15 Posted July 10, 2011 The calibration is not there because the lens and the camera 'talk' to each and the offset (which is calculated by Leica QC is supposed to be taken care of automatically. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfarkas Posted July 10, 2011 Share #16 Posted July 10, 2011 Jeff, I am sorry to hear of your problem. In a case like this where there is a problem with the camera right off the bat from delivery, we always replace it with a new one. I would expect that your dealer would do the same. Of course, we also test every single body and lens that we sell, before we ever send it to a customer. As you pointed out, this is a higher-priced item and buyers shouldn't have to deal with this themselves or get less than perfect. So, while we have seen a few bodies or lenses that didn't meet our expectations upon testing, our customers never received these. They went straight back to Leica. We have a zero defect policy for S equipment. Also, I assume that your dealer put their 35mm lens on your body (and your 35mm on their body) to make sure the issue was indeed in the camera and not with the lens, correct? Please let me know if you need any help getting this issue resolved. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 11, 2011 Author Share #17 Posted July 11, 2011 Cheers David. Have sent you an email. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 11, 2011 Author Share #18 Posted July 11, 2011 Update: Dealer has sent the unit to Leica NJ where they will determine if it will be replaced or repaired. I am insisting on replacement as the unit was defective out of the box. I do not think this is an unreasonable request for a $23K body. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidigital Posted July 11, 2011 Share #19 Posted July 11, 2011 Jeff, you are certainly not being unreasonable. I think that photographers need to continue to hold manufacturers (and dealers) accountable for purchases ... especially for high-ticket items. In the end, it leads to satisfied/happy customers and a higher perception of the brand. Kurt Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share #20 Posted July 12, 2011 Agreed Kurt. Not to mention I have been asked by at least half a dozen photogs who read the Leica blog whether or not I would recommend the S2. Every one of them are considering purchases. Of course how Leica addresses the current situation will influence my response. What really rubs me is that had I purchased from David Farkas or B&H, I would have had a replacement by now. There would be none of this "lets see if we can repair it first" nonsense. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to choose your dealer carefully. In my case, it just was not feasible to purchase from a US dealer because I was trading in over 18K of gear. Hard to insure this amount shipping from Canada, not to mention the customs hassle. Hopefully, all this has a happy ending and I can get on with the projects envisioned for the system. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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