jai Posted July 6, 2014 Share #1 Posted July 6, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello I have ordered the M240, 35 Summulix, 50 Summilux and 21 Super Elmar. And I would like your help in doing final check list to inspect all the equipment before leaving the official Leica store - for I do not expect to be in the same city as my leica dealer for a year as I'll be living away. I look forward to your advice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 6, 2014 Posted July 6, 2014 Hi jai, Take a look here List of checks prior to buying new Leica Gear. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
swamiji Posted July 6, 2014 Share #2 Posted July 6, 2014 Spare batteries, maybe a spare charger. Ergonomic stuff, like thumbs up. It depends on why you are away from you dealer, travel or just live in another city. My suggestions would be different. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jai Posted July 6, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted July 6, 2014 Hi, good tip - spare battery was mandatory when I ordered. I will live far away from where I'm getting my camera - so want to make absolute best of my time at the store to leave happy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted July 6, 2014 Share #4 Posted July 6, 2014 Check your credit card before entering the store. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jai Posted July 6, 2014 Author Share #5 Posted July 6, 2014 I have experienced a new 35 Cron where the were two distinct 'clicks/stops' in the aperture ring between f/2 and f/2.8; and a long time ago I have read about focus issues. Hence the question for double checking everything before leaving the country. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
swamiji Posted July 7, 2014 Share #6 Posted July 7, 2014 Shoot, Shoot, and Shoot some more. Test everything. Make sure everything works, and that you understand how everything works. Make use of store help as much as you can. Get the email address of somebody at the store for general assistance and support. Oh, spare memory card I am in a similar situation as you, I live in China and my camera store is in California. I always visit my camera store first, that way I can test all my new gear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Barnack Posted July 7, 2014 Share #7 Posted July 7, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Since you are getting the 21/3.4 Super Elmar, you will probably want to get the EVF2 to go with it. The widest set of frame lines in the M240 viewfinder are for the 28mm focal length. The Super Elmar adds a good sized chunk of real estate to your images beyond what the 28mm lines show you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jai Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share #8 Posted July 7, 2014 Thank you, but I did think of getting away with live view for framing at this moment, because I'll be using the 21 for landscape principally. But my question might have been vague - I need help in making a checklist to inspect+test my gear. Or are you all saying that all lenses and M240 right out of the original box in an unbroken seal comes out perfect? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted July 7, 2014 Share #9 Posted July 7, 2014 The lenses should be easy to check. The body, not so easy unless you can camp out in the store. And even then, things can go haywire weeks or months later. That's why some sort of backup is always a good idea, especially given Leica's history of protracted repair times. I recently picked up a NEX-6 on closeout. Not perfect, but for me the best compromise between functionality and cost. YMMV. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jai Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share #10 Posted July 7, 2014 Thanks, I do have two/three hours of solitude at the store, and owner, so I will be doing just that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted July 7, 2014 Share #11 Posted July 7, 2014 Don't touch the free coffee. It gives you GAS. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jai Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share #12 Posted July 7, 2014 lol, being Italian .. I don't think I'll be offered a Coffee! We might go for caffè & brioche while we talk about my camera Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted July 7, 2014 Share #13 Posted July 7, 2014 Anything can happen in a year, and your dealer won't be doing the repairs anyway. Get your warranty, get your own insurance to cover accidents/loss, and just take pics. Otherwise, lots of ways to ship…and hopefully you won't have a need. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maksarti Posted July 7, 2014 Share #14 Posted July 7, 2014 Thank you, but I did think of getting away with live view for framing at this moment, because I'll be using the 21 for landscape principally. But my question might have been vague - I need help in making a checklist to inspect+test my gear. Or are you all saying that all lenses and M240 right out of the original box in an unbroken seal comes out perfect? Hello dear Sir, I check lenses before renting like this: 1. Wide open it, look to bright spot like bulb or sky, no scratches, fog, dust or anything that catches an eye? Lets move on 2. Rotate focusing wheel from one to another side fully, good? Lets move on 3. Aperture ring, do the same as with focusing ring. 4. Change all apertures and look at the blades, if something wrong you will spot it. 5. Put camera on a tripod measure with tape distance to focus chart and see if lens is focusing by marks. I mean when it is 5ft. It is in focus on 5ft (not very important) 6. Try to test back focus/ front focus. Hope it helps, Art Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted July 7, 2014 Share #15 Posted July 7, 2014 Given the complication of the gear it is nearly impossible to anticipate what to check for. The best thing to do is to ask the store to charge up the battery beforehand an just take the set out and shoot photographs for an hour. That should show up any mechanical problems. Then download the files to your laptop and look whether there is anything untoward to be seen on the images. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptZoom Posted July 7, 2014 Share #16 Posted July 7, 2014 I think the OP is asking how to check the RF is in proper calibration, and if the lenses have issues (properly calibrated or optical misalignment, etc). My dealer is literally around the corner from me. I know I'm fortunate. So my suggestions are not exhaustive and I'm sure there are other members ere who can give you much better advise. Take a computer with you, with your preferred photography software installed and updated. It should be fairly simple to check if he camera RF is radically out of calibration. Take a set of pics as previously mentioned and look at em on your computer. For the lenses, do as previously mentioned by others. Then square up the camera and lens with one of the walls and take a few snaps. Look at the corners of the image for any obvious de-centering...one side is not in more or less focus than the other. Chances are your gear will be fine. And Jaspv's advice is sound. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugby Posted July 7, 2014 Share #17 Posted July 7, 2014 Do you wear spectacles ? Check your eye sight, do you currently have 20:20 vision ? ( as you will not always have this ) Will you need any diopter adjustments for the OVF ? These things are often over looked by those with good eyesight (at the time of M purchase ) and then age issues with eyesight kick-in during one's RF journey. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted July 7, 2014 Share #18 Posted July 7, 2014 I would hand over my credit card, take the carrier bag full of acquisitions, and get out of the shop as fast as possible and back to my hotel room or wherever I was staying. Then I could unpack everything in a normal calm way, taking my time, learning things as I go and without my mind racing to test everything in sight as if its a contest. But that's just me. I wouldn't want a special day ruined by the thought that something may be wrong and I need to find it before leaving the shop, and I wouldn't want strangers gawping at me as I run through a paranoid list of questions and answers. You have been reading too many scare stories about buying a new Leica and letting them wind you up into thinking everything needs to be tested. And for every scare story there will be 2,000 untold stories of nothing being wrong and everything working perfectly. I really don't see how you could correctly test an unknown camera in a couple of pressurised hours standing around in a camera shop anyway. The first thing you would need to do is read the manual and handle the camera, and only when you know how it is supposed to work correctly can you know if it isn't working correctly. So just go out and take some pictures and stop worrying. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted July 7, 2014 Share #19 Posted July 7, 2014 I think the OP is asking how to check the RF is in proper calibration, and if the lenses have issues (properly calibrated or optical misalignment, etc). My dealer is literally around the corner from me. I know I'm fortunate. So my suggestions are not exhaustive and I'm sure there are other members ere who can give you much better advise. Take a computer with you, with your preferred photography software installed and updated. It should be fairly simple to check if he camera RF is radically out of calibration. Take a set of pics as previously mentioned and look at em on your computer. For the lenses, do as previously mentioned by others. Then square up the camera and lens with one of the walls and take a few snaps. Look at the corners of the image for any obvious de-centering...one side is not in more or less focus than the other. Chances are your gear will be fine. And Jaspv's advice is sound. It is nearly impossible to check focus properly without a proper setup. And no, a tape measure and tripod is not exact enough. The only reason to go and check focus is when your images turn out out of whack. And even then chances are there is operator error and/or an eyesight problem that went unnoticed before. Do run through this forum some time back and check the number of recent complaints regarding miscalibration of the M240 - virtually zero New lenses - virtually zero. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashGordonPhotography Posted July 7, 2014 Share #20 Posted July 7, 2014 Not true. Out of the four new lenses I have purchased, two were out, substantially. I refused another that wasn't right in store and was given another sample. And it's been a huge pain in the butt getting them fixed after accepting delivery. I haven't seen my 90mm in 7 months. In addition all my bodies, including my 240 have been slightly out from new. It's actually easy to quickly check you camera and lenses. Firstly check infinity. You'll need something about 2km away. You should see immediately if the RF doesn't coincide. If it's out with all your lenses then it's the body. If a single lens is out then it's the lens. Then you can check close focus. You can't check perfect focus in 30 seconds but you'll see obvious issues. If anything does seem out with either camera or lens see if the dealer has another body/lens to check against. Cases of issues with new gear are relatively rare but it's definitely worth checking before handing over your money. I certainly do after my experiences. And I got told the user error BS as well. Wasn't until I threatened consumer affairs action that an issue got taken seriously. But that wasn't Leica or the stores fault. Gordon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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