marmelade Posted November 30, 2011 Share #1 Posted November 30, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello there, After knocking my rangefinder out of wack when the camera hit a wall i had to send it in to recalibration and service.. One lens was attached at the time of the impact so that was a no brainer to include on the service.. But then when i spoke to CS i was asked to send in my lenses to get them verified with the newly adjusted body/camera/rangefinder.. So i did... i included 6 lenses and most of them are critical wide open... First it took 7 days for my camera to reach Germany, going through the offical channels, (ps i live in Oslo, not in the forrest in mongolia) then it was held in customs for another day .. then the service/quotation started.. since nobody could tell me how long this would take i started to think about finally getting a second digital body so that i could keep on shooting.. I tried then to let CS know that i was wondering to get another body, and perhaps they should/could "leave" the lenses to a standard setting... The answer then is, "You need to send in you second body".. I asked if this was necessary and they said yes we cannot save settings for a camera to apply to another body later, and its the lenses that are going to be adjusted.. I have a m9p on loan at the moment with intention to buy, and are quite concerned on what im getting back, and what to do.. Its "estimated" that my service will be finished before christmas.. So my 2 questions to the forum: What do you do if you have more than 1 camera? Send in all you equipment and wait ? If you are a professional this cannot be a solution... I do not make my living (thankfully) of taking photos, i live of making photos for others and i do shoot daily Have you sent one body with lenses for calibration and kept one body at home ? How did this work out ? phew this was a long thread, but since im heavily "into" this system now, i really need to figure this out or make decision on what to do in the future.. thanks for reading and have a nice day! (i only have 33 posts here perhaps that is why ? .. the plot thickens.. my next post may be... "the fanclub/snobbism culture must/should die.." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 Hi marmelade, Take a look here Leica CS -gobsmacked (the ying yang/outside ec version). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted November 30, 2011 Share #2 Posted November 30, 2011 I'm a bit surprised at the answer, as Leica calibrates both bodies and lenses to a fixed standard and never a body to a lens or the other way around.....I never send a body with a lens or a lens with a body. I don't know whom you were dealing with, but this does not sound very expert. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_g_wolf ✝ Posted November 30, 2011 Share #3 Posted November 30, 2011 You should perhaps post this under the >>M9-section<< once more, in case if you really want to reach the M9-cracks round here ... As far as I´am concerned this info seems a bit weird and you should be safe with the next M9, once your camera with all your lenses are back. I could be mistaken, but I tried calibrated lenses on other bodies, M8 + M9, all worked fine afterwards. Best GEORG Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmelade Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share #4 Posted November 30, 2011 Computers are great!.. they keep track of dialogues quite well if instructed so =) Quote from email: As far as the calibration of the M9 and lenses go, our technician recommends sending both bodies and the lenses in at the same time. If this is not possible there is the possibility that the lenses do not work as well on the other M9. We can not safe any settings, to many cameras are being repaired and adjusted in our workshop. /end quote i also asked if it was possible to send in only the new body and one of the adjusted 6 lenses to get the body on "track" which also the answer was no.. thanks for fast replies! Are Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 30, 2011 Share #5 Posted November 30, 2011 Weird - I am in regular contact, but this is not the way they usually do it. Which is logical, as it would be a strange thing if a new from the factory lens would need an out-of-the-box adjustment against a specific camera, and one would be unable to switch cameras with a friend. Leica abandoned that system of individual adjustment in favor of standarisation in 1928.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_g_wolf ✝ Posted November 30, 2011 Share #6 Posted November 30, 2011 Perhaps the CS-person only wishes to make sure, the other body is NOT out of alignment. They won´t touch the lenses once they´ve done their job on them. Best GEORG Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noeffred Posted November 30, 2011 Share #7 Posted November 30, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I had my M9 sent in for calibration and was instructed to send the lenses in as well. I expected that to be honest. How else can they make sure the lenses are ok? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted November 30, 2011 Share #8 Posted November 30, 2011 I had my M9 sent in for calibration and was instructed to send the lenses in as well. I expected that to be honest. How else can they make sure the lenses are ok? Yes, but checking lenses and bodies as part of the same 'job' is not the same as adjusting lenses to suit a particular body. The latter is a recipe for disaster. Jaap is right that Leica have to adjust both bodies and lenses separately to a known standard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 30, 2011 Share #9 Posted November 30, 2011 So surely Leica shouldn't sell any lenses 'off the shelf' ? One should place an order via the dealer and then be required to send any bodies in to Solms to be indivdually adjusted to said lens/es? This has got to be wrong! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted November 30, 2011 Share #10 Posted November 30, 2011 May be the repair guy is new on the job or his communication skills are lacking? I was under the impression that even when you send in a camera and a lens, they calibrate these items against their standards and not against each other in general. May be an additional adjustment is sometimes required for ultra fast lenses. At least, that's the impression some posts on this forum gave. I certainly would hope that Leica's standardized procedures are up to the tasks when carried out properly. I am confident they are. K-H. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
menos I M6 Posted December 1, 2011 Share #11 Posted December 1, 2011 This has to be done: - all lenses must be calibrated for their critical use FOR YOU (this might differ for the use for other individuals - want code up wide open performance or wide open performance at medium distances or even infinity?) - once all lenses are properly adjusted to each other (baseline is the standard setting of lenses with Leica calibration equipment), Leica will have your body/ bodies set up to the Leica standard - if in the future any of the bodies loose calibration (and they will), the most likely only thing, you need to do is calibrating them by yourself, to be spot on with your critical lenses. This way, you should get several bodies within a similar calibration window, to be usable with all your lenses. Note: Camera bodies should be adjusted to a general standard, as precisely, as necessary. Camera bodies never should be "personalized"! This guarantees maximum incompatibility with lenses, be it yours, others or future new lenses. Lenses should be calibrated according to the same Leica standard, if possible, BUT lenses do have certain characteristics, that allow only a certain window of highest performance, due to their optical design limitations. Now everybody uses their Leica for an individual shooting style with individual preferences. Should these be so extreme, that the Leica calibration standard would not be ideal, one can ask, to have certain lenses optimized for certain specific conditions. Leica (or other specialized technicians) can do this for you - be firm, explain your preferences in writing to the correct person and you will be helped. As a note - only one of the many Leica M bodies has been bought by me, that has been calibrated spot on - I consider this good luck. Even my newly bought M9 came with bad calibration out of the box. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted December 1, 2011 Share #12 Posted December 1, 2011 I've never had a lens 'calibrated'. I know there are cases of front/back focussing lenses which needed adjustment, but having to personalise EVERY lens? Really?? What exactly do they do to personalise the settings? Sorry, I don't accept that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted December 1, 2011 Share #13 Posted December 1, 2011 I think Dirk means lenses that exhibit noticable focus shift. With those one has the choice of adjusting them to be spot-on wide open or at a compromise middle aperture. Of course, there are but a few lenses that qualify. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipus Posted December 1, 2011 Share #14 Posted December 1, 2011 My M3 is currently with Tamarkin for a repair but they also kindly agreed to check the RF calibration for me since I had felt focus wasn't always spot on. But it's not that I've heard it needs to be done as a matter of course for all cameras. That would seem odd to me (but what do I know). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted December 1, 2011 Share #15 Posted December 1, 2011 Leica NJ also encourages one to send in body (ies) and lens(es) at same time for calibration. As others have said, I think this is more to check everything at once against the proper standard rather than to calibrate each component together as a unit. I did this when I got my first M8.2, but never repeated the process when I picked up a second M8.2 body. But that's because I haven't noticed any difference in performance between bodies, and because the second body had recently gone to NJ service just prior to my purchasing it from the dealer. No use looking for problems. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted December 1, 2011 Share #16 Posted December 1, 2011 I think the service department ask that lenses and body are sent in together simply because they get far too many people misunderstanding what the problem might be in the first place. Is it the lens or the body that is out of adjustment, or even both, well for the novice without much experience (and there must be a lot of new customers since the M9) they probably wouldn't know for sure, hence the 'better safe than sorry' approach by Leica service dept. I don't think they would necessarily adjust anything if things are within specification. Its like if you take your car into the garage and say it started misfiring then stopped dead. The good mechanic will always check the fuel gauge first. That said I have never had any lens and body jointly calibrated, I have more than one body and a few lenses that can be used to cross check for faults in individual items, but many people don't. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfgang Esslinger Posted December 4, 2011 Share #17 Posted December 4, 2011 My experience is that you have to send in camera and lenses. Otherwise they will calibrate the lenses to their standard body which might differ from your camera. This is even the case when your camera has already been to Solms for adjustment. My M8 has now been 3x to Solms with lenses over the course of a good 12 months (using the equipment as an amateur, no hits or drops etc). The reason for the latest repair was a brand new 1.4/24 which showed about 3cm back focus at close distance, the lens coming straight out of the box. I am not complaining about CS. So far they have been quick and solved the issues usually the first time. It is construction and production which are the weak points of the company, in my experience. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted December 4, 2011 Share #18 Posted December 4, 2011 Wolfgang, if your camera does not correspond to the standard it is simply maladjusted. If the lenses would be calibrated to your misfocussing camera they will not focus correctly on any other body. You could never use a backup, you could never lend or sell a lens without it being adjusted. I couldn't contemplate that - my Summmiluxes and Telyt being correct on my M9, but not on my M8 or any other M body... And Leica will adjust your lenses on the standard body anyway - like they do with the body to the standard lens. The only gain is that they will take a few testshots with your camera and lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfgang Esslinger Posted December 4, 2011 Share #19 Posted December 4, 2011 Wolfgang, if your camera does not correspond to the standard it is simply maladjusted. If the lenses would be calibrated to your misfocussing camera they will not focus correctly on any other body. You could never use a backup, you could never lend or sell a lens without it being adjusted. I couldn't contemplate that - my Summmiluxes and Telyt being correct on my M9, but not on my M8 or any other M body... And Leica will adjust your lenses on the standard body anyway - like they do with the body to the standard lens. The only gain is that they will take a few testshots with your camera and lenses. Jaap, this sounds all very reasonable. Still, if I had camera and lenses adjusted several months ago, have not used it a lot in the meantime and then put on a brand new (and not cheap) lens which is so much out of focus. And Leica tell me to send in everything otherwise there could be problems with the remaining lenses... This does let you wonder! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted December 5, 2011 Share #20 Posted December 5, 2011 Not really! My brand new 50 mm Summilux ASPH front focused by 7 to 8 mm at close focus distance. I knew my M9 was adjusted correctly. So I sent in the Summilux under warranty and Leica in NJ adjusted the lens. K-H. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.