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Does the MM sensor corrode or just the M9?


dant

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For those still asking how it looks like...

MM serial 043433XX Sept 2012

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Yes.. And more interesting: I never cleaned the sensor. Was done twice so far, but each time by the dealer who sold it... I must say that all of the LR sliders are set to 100% so it exaggerates many things.

 

I took very nice portraits recently and can't complain about anything.. Just that I was wondering if relatively early MMs had the same issues.

 

And when your sensor has too many spots, the only solution is to ask someone to remove them from the inside, like on the attached picture: see how bad it can get - here on a M9? You almost can't see thru.. and it always happens when you really need to see thru! :D

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Edited by snooper
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  • 4 weeks later...

I have an MM since summer 2013. Leica Tokyo changed the sensor right before summer vacation 2014 without me having a clue what the change was all about. I did not bother to ask and assumed that this was just part of the very meticulous customer service in Japan.

Traveling in Myanmar in November I noticed the "hair" in the middle of the sensor only visible with aperture below 16.

15741298054_05477ef129_o.jpg

 

I took the MM to Meister Camera in Berlin in December for sensor cleaning as I was not able to remove the hair with the very basic equipment I had with me while traveling. They confirmed scratch and not dust to be the problem. I will pick up the MM here in Tokyo this week with a second new sensor. Reviewing all my pics since last summer I would assume that the crack was caused by climate changes by traveling to Europe in summer, back to Tokyo and then in winter time to Myanmar with higher temperatures. There were no scratches visible right after I received the MM after the first sensor replacement and during my trips in Europe. I also carried an M 9 with me on all trips, but the M 9 seems to be unaffected. So in the end I do not have a definite clue. I am very concerned seeing a sensor deteriorating with such an rapid speed.

Stefan

(Stefan Herzberg Photoblog | “In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.” – Alfred Stieglitz)

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Did they give you a re-delivery target? I imagine the MM sensors are supplied on a different scheme than the M9's?

 

I have a Monochrom which unfortunately has a scratched sensor. God only knows how as I have never had to clean it and am otherwise meticulous about lens changes etc. I was told that if grit gets on the sensor then the shutter can cause it to scratch.

 

Anyway, I have been in contact with Leica Germany and Australia who have indicated that there is a worldwide MM sensor shortage and cant yet give me any commitment on timing.

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That must have been more like a rock, there is some distance between the shutter and the sensor...It is more likely that it is corrosion. Look at the “scratch" under magnification. If it looks like a line of minuscule bubbles it is no scratch.

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That must have been more like a rock, there is some distance between the shutter and the sensor...It is more likely that it is corrosion. Look at the “scratch" under magnification. If it looks like a line of minuscule bubbles it is no scratch.

 

I've looked at it under a loupe - it's definitely a scratch and Leica Australia confirmed this. Buggered if I know how it got there! Anyway, I need a new sensor - Leica will contribute to the cost as well as pay for the labour under their goodwill programme. Their service has been very good, it just might be a wait!

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I doubt it is a scratch, even if it looks like one. The sensor corrosion on the Monochrom seems to manifest itself in scratch-like lines – the example a couple of posts above is a classic example.

 

Leica CS have informed me that they are "hopeful" they will be able to replace my sensor in mid-February (they have had the camera since the first week of November).

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I've looked at it under a loupe - it's definitely a scratch and Leica Australia confirmed this. Buggered if I know how it got there! Anyway, I need a new sensor - Leica will contribute to the cost as well as pay for the labour under their goodwill programme. Their service has been very good, it just might be a wait!

 

You need a microscope, at least I did to distinguish between a scratch and corrosion visually on my Monochrom.

Edited by jaapv
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Yes.. And more interesting: I never cleaned the sensor. Was done twice so far, but each time by the dealer who sold it... I must say that all of the LR sliders are set to 100% so it exaggerates many things.

 

I took very nice portraits recently and can't complain about anything.. Just that I was wondering if relatively early MMs had the same issues.

 

And when your sensor has too many spots, the only solution is to ask someone to remove them from the inside, like on the attached picture: see how bad it can get - here on a M9? You almost can't see thru.. and it always happens when you really need to see thru! :D

 

Hot and steamy situations are likely to lead to sensor corrosion! ;)

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I doubt it is a scratch, even if it looks like one. The sensor corrosion on the Monochrom seems to manifest itself in scratch-like lines – the example a couple of posts above is a classic example.

 

Leica CS have informed me that they are "hopeful" they will be able to replace my sensor in mid-February (they have had the camera since the first week of November).

 

No camera for 3 months?!? :eek: Given that it appears that I have corrosion (my earlier post)... I suppose I have no option. Do they have to send it back to the factory, or can they do it in country (Japan)?

 

Mind you, Just lucky that you can copy the spot removal between images in LR as the spots don't move. Stretching for a positive here... ;(

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Same defective design in all.

 

Cause is hi humidity and/or some sensor solvents .

 

A repair person told me years ago that sensors were damaged by humidity caused condensation.

 

So when you come in from the cold, allow the camera to cool slowly. I wrap the whole bag in a comforter for 6 hours. Similar precautions needed if you go from A/C indoors to warm humid outdoors.

 

I would also open the shutter to clear the air behind it.

 

Clean with blower, proper brush, and sticky wand. I am avoiding solvents. I will use a strong blast of canned air if desperate. Clear the nozzle first and keep the can upright.

Use Dust Off or C134A A/C refrigerant with the Falcon trigger.

I would not stick one of those plastic straw nozzles that might fly out and hit the sensor.

 

So far so good for me, but I have low actuations in two years of ownership.

 

You are kidding right? Although I do find that my camera seems to be soothed when I softly sing it lullaby's.

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