bull40 Posted August 20, 2012 Share #1 Â Posted August 20, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm about to call or email Leica Service in NJ sometime this week to inquire, but thought someone here might know offhand. Is Leica still supporting repair services for the R series, and if so, to what extent? I'm curious as to things like cam and ROM upgrades on lenses to CLAs and actual repairs on bodies. Do we know what their plans are for servicing long term, and perhaps what models will they no longer touch? I'll be posting their current response to me as I get it, but was just wondering if anyone here had recent information. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 20, 2012 Share #2  Posted August 20, 2012 I expect the answer will be "it depends".  Some parts are no doubt unavailable, and then there's the economics of it. Would you pay €1000 say for a repair to an R4 body?  Local camera repairers are probably better - they will use spares from other cameras and generally charge much less than Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 21, 2012 Share #3 Â Posted August 21, 2012 As for the R8/9- CS, as far as I am aware, is still able to do any repair. however the prices charged usually exceed the price of a good replacement camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted August 21, 2012 Share #4 Â Posted August 21, 2012 I'm about to call or email Leica Service in NJ sometime this week to inquire, but thought someone here might know offhand. Is Leica still supporting repair services for the R series, and if so, to what extent? I'm curious as to things like cam and ROM upgrades on lenses to CLAs and actual repairs on bodies. Do we know what their plans are for servicing long term, and perhaps what models will they no longer touch? I'll be posting their current response to me as I get it, but was just wondering if anyone here had recent information. Â Some repairs will be uneconomical and this more than anything else will determine how long R equipment can be serviced. I suspect that the $300 main body casting for an R4sP they had 10 years ago is still sitting in their inventory because the cost of installing it let alone the parts cost is more than an R4sP is worth. Â (Note: don't over-stress the tripod socket of your R4 through R7 bodies.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bull40 Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share #5 Â Posted August 21, 2012 Obviously, economic feasibility does play a valid role in this equation. But at some point, good, clean and working examples may become scarce. I've shot with these since 1985 and there is nothing I like using better. At this point, I plan on expanding and upgrading my R arsenal and riding them into the film sunset. I guess I would like some assurance that after sinking more money into an already dead and becoming more scarce system, that I'll have access to servicing to keep them running into the foreseeable future. But, as with most things in life, "you pays your money and you takes your chances." ;-) Wildlight- I've never had any failure of any kind with any of my R bodies over the years. Now, the largest and heaviest lenses I've ever stressed the tripod socket with were the old 70-210 and the newer 80-200, and the additional weight of some pretty heavy and bulky shoe mount strobes. I do baby my equipment, despite using it frequently and sometimes frantically. I'm thinking I've grown concerned recently reading the reports here on the forum regarding M8 owners being told by Leica that they are, in some situations, already unrepairable. If Leica is entering the age of planned obsolescence (or at least even short lifespan due to electronic parts unavailability just a few years out of production) of their premier system, I can't see them going to great lengths to support the defunct R system. It will be an interesting response, I'm sure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted August 21, 2012 Share #6 Â Posted August 21, 2012 I finally sold off my R bodies, but the last ones I had (SL2, R3, R8), Don Goldberg (DAG) serviced for me from the late 1990s until about 18 months ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveYork Posted August 21, 2012 Share #7 Â Posted August 21, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Part of me believes the old Leicaflex series will more serviceable then the newer R series, because they were made during the time when the tech tinkered and adjusted, as opposed to replacement of the broken part. But a strong selling point for Leica has always been the availability of spare parts for discontinued models. Last year I got a new prism installed in an old '72 Leicaflex SL. Who would of thought that was possible? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted August 21, 2012 Share #8 Â Posted August 21, 2012 Besides the prism de-silvering (also very common on the Canon FT and Pellix of the 1960s vintage), the SL CDS cell is a common problem, and these are hard to find now. The cells lose impedance due to moisture penetration, and so become non-linear in low light. DAG replaced one for me last year, and restored the meter to its full rated range of operation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AB007 Posted August 22, 2012 Share #9 Â Posted August 22, 2012 DAG has my SL MOT for CLA. He told me that he has a spare prism in case the prism needs to be replaced. New prisms are still available if it needs to be replaced. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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