Ken Thomson Posted October 17, 2013 Share #1 Posted October 17, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I returned my M8 to Germany for repair of a red line which had appeared on the sensor. Initial impressions of the service were good - I got a prompt response to my e-mail and a courier collection was arranged. Cost was quoted at £130, which didn't seem to bad as a sensor clean was included. Turnaround time was within two weeks, again quite acceptable. Unfortunately the sensor now has more dust spots than it had before it was cleaned, plus an additional stray hair. The fastest turnaround, politest staff and most immaculate packaging do not make up for a basic failure to do the job. I haven't yet tested for the red line, I'm assuming it's gone but I won't be confident until I've tested. Anyway, I requested a refund of the cost of sensor cleaning and will get it done locally. Disappointed, I genuinely expected more from Leica Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted October 17, 2013 Share #2 Posted October 17, 2013 Sensor cleaning is a regular maintenance regime. Sending the camera back to you can shake dust out from inside the body of the camera that no amount of cleaning by Leica could anticipate. Yes, the sensor should be clean, no it can't be guaranteed. And even new cameras have their own problems with other troubles like oil spots while the shutter beds in. Honestly, I'm not defending Leica Service, but you need a sensor cleaning kit and just accept it's something you need to do for yourself. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted October 18, 2013 Share #3 Posted October 18, 2013 To expand on Steve's comment, depending on your environment and how you use your camera you might need to do sensor cleaning yourself frequently. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Thomson Posted October 18, 2013 Author Share #4 Posted October 18, 2013 I think the point is not whether I should clean my own sensors - it's that I paid for a service that included sensor cleaning and got the camera back with a sensor with more dust than it had before. Surely anyone would object to this? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guido Posted October 18, 2013 Share #5 Posted October 18, 2013 Sending the camera back to you can shake dust out from inside the body of the camera that no amount of cleaning by Leica could anticipate. This really is a point worth considering. I've attended a Leica factory tour once, and the hygiene standards clearly exceeded those of a hairdresser salon. Yet in this forum we frequently read reports of Leica cameras arriving from the dealer or factory with lots of dust. So I think the theory of dust being introduced or rattled loose in transit might not be entirely implausible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richardgb Posted October 19, 2013 Share #6 Posted October 19, 2013 This really is a point worth considering. I've attended a Leica factory tour once, and the hygiene standards clearly exceeded those of a hairdresser salon. Yet in this forum we frequently read reports of Leica cameras arriving from the dealer or factory with lots of dust. So I think the theory of dust being introduced or rattled loose in transit might not be entirely implausible. Is servicing done in the factory, or in the customer service establishment on the other side of town? Does the latter have 'clean' conditions? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted October 20, 2013 Share #7 Posted October 20, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) You do not need excessively clean conditions to clean a sensor, you can do it in a room coated with dust, just so long as the dust isn't in the air. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Emile de Leon Posted October 20, 2013 Share #8 Posted October 20, 2013 I remember back in the day..I was at the photo show at the Javitts center in nyc at the Leica booth.. Leica had a free lens inspection and cleaning going on..so..I decided to participate.. I handed them my in New Cond..35mm f2 ver 4 made in Germany glass.. They started to clean it.. First thing I noticed..was the German guy doing the cleaning..put the lens with rear element face down on a visibly filthy cloth..and anyone who has owned this lens..knows that's exactly not the thing to do...as the rear element is hard to clean and is too close to the end of the mount..that basically..you never ever..put the lens down on any potentially dustly material..as the glass will certainly make contact w/it..and pick up dust.. Well..this genius..proceeded to do exactly that..and..I nearly had a heart attack..as I watched him mangle my favorite lens.. But I waited to inspect it myself..before castigating him.. He just used the oily dirty cloth..to buff the glass..and that was that..that was Leicas free version of a lens cleaning.. So.. I got the glass back in hand and looked at it..and yes..it was filthy..esp the rear element..dust and oil now all over both elements.. And now..the LN glass I handed Leica tech dept..had visible cleaning marks in it too.. So...I created a big scene and took their heads off..right in front of everyone.. And the head Leica guy there..said..just send it to me in NJ..and I will replace both elements.. So I asked him..how do I know someone down there will know what to do when I send it in as I have no written work order ..then he just gave me his card and initialed it ..saying that would be proof enough of a free element change.. But.. I never sent it in as I didn't believe they would do a good enough job..and as they didn't take the time to make out a proper work order receipt for me..and obviously were not trustworthy in any sense to do the simplest of tasks with care..and in fact...a liability there.. So I cleaned it my self at home..and lived with the cleaning marks..they ruined my fave lens.. What a bunch of jerks.. And my buddy who was there with me in nyc said..when you gave them your lens..I had a real bad feeling about that.. And to tell you the truth..I did too..but I thought..its a free inspection and lens cleaning..and Leica knows what they are doing.. Sure thing.. As I write this..I'm still pissed about it.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Thomson Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share #9 Posted February 6, 2014 Just to update this thread, Leica offered to cover the cost of cleaning the sensor locally. I was unable to find anyone willing to work on a Leica as they only wanted to work with the DSLRs they are used to. Reluctant to post the M8 away, I bought a wet sensor cleaning kit and was able to do the job myself. The cleaning operation was remarkably easy, though it took two attempts. My first effort resulted in a "tide mark" of debris to one side of the sensor; I realised I had not swept the cleaning swab all the way to the edge on the second pass. Re-reading the instructions and trying again resulted in success. There is a small mark still there but I decided not to seek perfection and risk running into problems. I've gained the confidence to clean my sensors in future. Like some earlier posters in this thread I would now recommend people try this, it is actually very straightforward. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 6, 2014 Share #10 Posted February 6, 2014 I don't think it was dust, more likely to be strudel crumbs from the Gnomes beard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted February 6, 2014 Share #11 Posted February 6, 2014 I don't think it was dust, more likely to be strudel crumbs from the Gnomes beard or Gnome dandruff..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Valdemar Posted February 6, 2014 Share #12 Posted February 6, 2014 I would have written anything on a card, including the phone number of Bellevue just to get rid of you. I remember back in the day..I was at the photo show at the Javitts center in nyc at the Leica booth..Leica had a free lens inspection and cleaning going on..so..I decided to participate.. I handed them my in New Cond..35mm f2 ver 4 made in Germany glass.. They started to clean it.. First thing I noticed..was the German guy doing the cleaning..put the lens with rear element face down on a visibly filthy cloth..and anyone who has owned this lens..knows that's exactly not the thing to do...as the rear element is hard to clean and is too close to the end of the mount..that basically..you never ever..put the lens down on any potentially dustly material..as the glass will certainly make contact w/it..and pick up dust.. Well..this genius..proceeded to do exactly that..and..I nearly had a heart attack..as I watched him mangle my favorite lens.. But I waited to inspect it myself..before castigating him.. He just used the oily dirty cloth..to buff the glass..and that was that..that was Leicas free version of a lens cleaning.. So.. I got the glass back in hand and looked at it..and yes..it was filthy..esp the rear element..dust and oil now all over both elements.. And now..the LN glass I handed Leica tech dept..had visible cleaning marks in it too.. So...I created a big scene and took their heads off..right in front of everyone.. And the head Leica guy there..said..just send it to me in NJ..and I will replace both elements.. So I asked him..how do I know someone down there will know what to do when I send it in as I have no written work order ..then he just gave me his card and initialed it ..saying that would be proof enough of a free element change.. But.. I never sent it in as I didn't believe they would do a good enough job..and as they didn't take the time to make out a proper work order receipt for me..and obviously were not trustworthy in any sense to do the simplest of tasks with care..and in fact...a liability there.. So I cleaned it my self at home..and lived with the cleaning marks..they ruined my fave lens.. What a bunch of jerks.. And my buddy who was there with me in nyc said..when you gave them your lens..I had a real bad feeling about that.. And to tell you the truth..I did too..but I thought..its a free inspection and lens cleaning..and Leica knows what they are doing.. Sure thing.. As I write this..I'm still pissed about it.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 6, 2014 Share #13 Posted February 6, 2014 Why would anyone want a 'new condition' lens to be cleaned and inspected anyway Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted February 6, 2014 Share #14 Posted February 6, 2014 Maybe that's why they made it dirty? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 10, 2014 Share #15 Posted February 10, 2014 I returned my M8 to Germany for repair of a red line which had appeared on the sensor. Initial impressions of the service were good - I got a prompt response to my e-mail and a courier collection was arranged. Cost was quoted at £130, which didn't seem to bad as a sensor clean was included. Turnaround time was within two weeks, again quite acceptable. Unfortunately the sensor now has more dust spots than it had before it was cleaned, plus an additional stray hair. The fastest turnaround, politest staff and most immaculate packaging do not make up for a basic failure to do the job. I haven't yet tested for the red line, I'm assuming it's gone but I won't be confident until I've tested. Anyway, I requested a refund of the cost of sensor cleaning and will get it done locally. Disappointed, I genuinely expected more from Leica Did you try a puff with the rocket blower, camera mouth facing down? This sounds like just some loose dust that drifted in during transport. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Thomson Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share #16 Posted February 10, 2014 You missed the update Jaap, I've successfully cleaned it myself (though there is one stubborn spot near the centre, I've ordered one of those gel stick cleaners to get rid of that). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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