jaapv Posted May 18, 2015 Share #21 Posted May 18, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) “Still guaranteed by Leica”? What indications are there that Leica would refuse to honour their obligation to correct a manufacturing defect? It has nothing to do with the factory guaranty. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 18, 2015 Posted May 18, 2015 Hi jaapv, Take a look here 50mm APO Summercrome serial numbers. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
lct Posted May 18, 2015 Share #22 Posted May 18, 2015 Just my advice (lawyer speaking). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 18, 2015 Share #23 Posted May 18, 2015 Well, in lawyer terms - it must be fit for purpose and free of manufacturing defects for a reasonable period of time. For a lens of that level and price I would be surprised if court came up with less than ten years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted May 18, 2015 Share #24 Posted May 18, 2015 I would be surprised as well but in 30+ years of experience i have been surprised many times already . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keenr Posted May 18, 2015 Share #25 Posted May 18, 2015 Thanks for the thoughtful feedback as I attempt to rationalize my future purchase. I tend to agree that Leica has an excellent record of honoring their product(s), well after the sale date. I still wonder however, is there further upside by holding out for a late production date model. Cheers Kerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted May 18, 2015 Share #26 Posted May 18, 2015 I still wonder however, is there further upside by holding out for a late production date model Aside from flare, none that i'm aware of. Just check that the focus ring is not too stiff and the aperture ring too lose before purchasing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
platypus Posted May 19, 2015 Share #27 Posted May 19, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Beware that some people claiming that their lens is not affected do not realise that they are mistaken actually because they don't shoot in the very conditions where the problem occurred i.e. at f/16 in backlight situations mainly, like in the pic below. I can't seem to recall its author sorry (Platypus?) but the link to the previous forum in now dead. Anyway, you are perfectly right in asking which serial numbers to look for IMHO. Problem is only Leica know it for sure actually and they will never tell the truth most probably. My advice FWIW: choose a late sample or an earlier one still guaranteed by Leica. Mine is from July 2014 (4296***) and is not affected. I have just caught up with this.....that image with the disgusting flare is indeed mine. It was taken when I'd had the APO 50 in my possession for about ten days and was still learning about it. Obviously the image was shot into the sun, (I admit to being fond of shooting into the sun) I have a couple of other images taken around the same time/same conditions but a different location, also showing what might or might not be the infamous "central veiling flare effect". Then I put a medium red filter on the lens, (which has not since been removed as the lens is permanently on the MM) since that time I have not experienced another flare issue with the lens, though I continue my habit of shooting into the sun. The upshot of all this is that I can't really be absolutely sure if my copy of the APO 50 ever suffered from "the ailment".....I don't believe it did. I've never wanted to send the lens off for assessment/correction by Leica because of the horrendous time-frame involved with that. Re-sale value has often been mentioned as a reason to get the early APO 50s attended to, personally I'm not concerned about re-sale value as I won't be parting with the lens while I live. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted May 19, 2015 Share #28 Posted May 19, 2015 I believe the problem was not a result of shooting directly into the sun (any lens I've ever had has done that, and that looks like the issue with the first image in this thread) but when a light source was not far outside the FOV (as in the second image). As I recall, it first showed up in indoor shots with a window outside the FOV. Again, many lenses will show that, but the APO50 seems to have been particularly susceptible. Edit: My own version of the APO50 is late, but I still find it slightly more prone to flare than some other lenses: APO75 or AP90 for example. The built-in hood seems rather small and I wonder how effective it is, but it hasn't been sufficiently problematic for me to investigate more thoroughly. I certainly don't see this as a significant weakness of the lens, just a characteristic to be managed, as with any lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keenr Posted May 19, 2015 Share #29 Posted May 19, 2015 Thanks for the sincere feedback. The lens im testing will occassionally produce flare when shooting into the sun, especially with light just outside the fov. I expect this behaviour like so many other lenses. However,results are almost nil shooting without an UV filter. As mentioned the hood length could be a factor which is compounded when a hood shortening filter is attached. I plan to try with an ND to see if results change. Regardless, one must learn to manage the unique characteristics of any lens . My early assessment, this is one beautiful rendering lens that will become my goto workhorse. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeicaFan1 Posted May 19, 2015 Share #30 Posted May 19, 2015 Serial numbers are deceiving. I just got the Leica APO today with a serial number 4189XXX with a production date of 4/27/15. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keenr Posted May 22, 2015 Share #31 Posted May 22, 2015 Well, I wasn't so lucky. Just comfirmed by Solms that my lens, s/n 41859xx is indeed flaring. I sent photos to prove. They have asked me to return it for a replacement. The replacement s/n is 41859xx (15 less then the first). Hope this one is flare-free. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keenr Posted May 22, 2015 Share #32 Posted May 22, 2015 Correction on sn of problem lens. Sn of problem lens is in 41895xx range..., being replaced with a lower number 41895xx. Kerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkThailand Posted May 23, 2015 Share #33 Posted May 23, 2015 In the past six months, I bought two 50 Summicron AA lenses, one for myself and another for a friend. I was on the waiting list at two Leica dealers. One has the serial number 4300539 and the date of 11/2014 on the side of the box, purchased in the USA on December 2014 after a six month waiting period (at the pre-increase price). The other has the serial number 4290609 and the date of 2/2015 on the side of the box, purchased in Vienna on March 2015 after a seven month waiting period (at a reduced, post-increase price, but after VAT and the 1.08 Euro/US$ = slightly cheaper than the US price in US$)... So, even the serial numbers are not sequential based on the manufacture/sale date. Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
platypus Posted May 23, 2015 Share #34 Posted May 23, 2015 In the past six months, I bought two 50 Summicron AA lenses, one for myself and another for a friend. I was on the waiting list at two Leica dealers. One has the serial number 4300539 and the date of 11/2014 on the side of the box, purchased in the USA on December 2014 after a six month waiting period (at the pre-increase price). The other has the serial number 4290609 and the date of 2/2015 on the side of the box, purchased in Vienna on March 2015 after a seven month waiting period (at a reduced, post-increase price, but after VAT and the 1.08 Euro/US$ = slightly cheaper than the US price in US$)... So, even the serial numbers are not sequential based on the manufacture/sale date. Mark Yes.... that is exactly what "olde Leica hands" are always pointing out regarding Leica serial numbers. They (the serial numbers that is) don't make sense, they are meaningless in the real world, and they are not to be trusted! No-one should be surprised....it was ever thus....was it not? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS Posted May 23, 2015 Share #35 Posted May 23, 2015 Just confirmed a new 50 APO from Leica in Scotland.........will find it a new home on my MM Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted May 23, 2015 Share #36 Posted May 23, 2015 Neil Wait until you slap an orange filter on that APO50 with your MM. Magic to me! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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