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CCD Sensor - New Leica Information about the State of Development


Leon_B.

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Not a precise comparison, but having had my M9 back for about a month I'm very pleased with the replacement. Subjectively the images are equivalent - very M9-like compared to my other cameras. Of course, being without it for several months my memory of the nuances of the original may have faded. (Maybe that's why Leica takes their time with this service?)

where did you send it to ... NJ or Solms ?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi guys, I would love to have your advice.

 

I live in Hong Kong. 

Recently I bought a second hand M9 and the seller claimed he changed the CCD sensor already. We met in a restaurant and I did not know much about the CCD corrosion issue happened in M9 and how to check and etc. The trade went pretty quick. (big mistake on me)

So straight to the end of the story I realize the CCD senor is corroded. And checking the firmware it seems the seller did not get the CCD replaced at all. 

 

I would like to know if I shipped it to Germany via the local dealer, paid 1000 bucks (the seller also did not give me the receipt... second big mistake), how long does it take to get it fixed and shipped back to Hong Kong, you guess?

Any cheaper/faster way to get it done?

 

very careless and super unlucky of me. 

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I wanted to trade my M9 and have been told its worthless as I didn't get the sensor upgraded while it was free - sensor is fine however. pretty bizarre situation to be in, doubt i'll ever pay a premium for a leica again

The situation perversely penalises you for not having your M9 sensor corrode in time, or for not having been a fussy enough customer to imagine this and demand a replacement earlier. Leica should, in fairness, have just recalled and replaced the entire lot. Or at this point offered you a discounted upgrsde. That your M9 with the original sensor is now deemed 'worthless' is proof enough of how severely the market views their sensor corrosion issue.

 

Sent from my D6653 using Tapatalk

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The situation perversely penalises you for not having your M9 sensor corrode in time, or for not having been a fussy enough customer to imagine this and demand a replacement earlier. Leica should, in fairness, have just recalled and replaced the entire lot. Or at this point offered you a discounted upgrsde. That your M9 with the original sensor is now deemed 'worthless' is proof enough of how severely the market views their sensor corrosion issue.

 

Sent from my D6653 using Tapatalk

 

 

But they are offering a discounted upgrade:

 

http://www.reddotforum.com/content/2017/11/leica-updates-sensor-corrosion-upgrade-pricing/

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 months later...

I had a complete sensor failure and just got a quote from Leica Germany for sensor replacement: EUR 825.00 + tax (MwSt/VAT), approx. US$ 1,100.00. No mention of turnaround time and final cost until they inspected the camera.

I emailed Customer Care through the German Leica web site (in my best German) and got a reply back with all the information and forms within a few hours. They gave me the option to send it to Wetzlar directly or Leica NJ.

This is a good start - I'll keep things posted as they develop.

Edited by anachronist
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I wanted to trade my M9 and have been told its worthless as I didn't get the sensor upgraded while it was free - sensor is fine however. pretty bizarre situation to be in, doubt i'll ever pay a premium for a leica again

So don't sell it - it is basically a keeper :p

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I planned ahead for digital aging, so I bought my M8 used [it was just serviced by Leica and it was still wrapped] and the M9 used [two new sensors; now for free] for partial trade. Then it was a winning buy.

Edited by Raid Amin
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You can also just Google for a translation website and have your email translated from English to German for free. I do it to get the "umlaut" letters that I do not get on my keyboard. I speak German well.

 

German is my mother tounge and I still trust my German more than Googles  :D though I haven't lived there for almost 20 years.

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I had a complete sensor failure and just got a quote from Leica Germany for sensor replacement: EUR 825.00 + tax (MwSt/VAT), approx. US$ 1,100.00. No mention of turnaround time and final cost until they inspected the camera.

I emailed Customer Care through the German Leica web site (in my best German) and got a reply back with all the information and forms within a few hours. They gave me the option to send it to Wetzlar directly or Leica NJ.

This is a good start - I'll keep things posted as they develop.

All staff at Leica who come into contact with customers speak good to excellent English. Certainly better than Google does. ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, I think the time has come, I've had the corroded sensor for a while on my M9, but I couldn't bear to part with it, and then when Leica announced they were discontinuing the free replacements, I was living in Turkey at the time. Mainly though, I couldn't bear to part with it because, well, I use it a lot and I've been able to get around the sensor corrosion with Lightroom. But basically, yes, I have no excuse for not having it fixed for free. 

 

So why am I thinking about it now? before leaving for South America for six weeks, I purchased a CL and brought both bodies with me. I've found though that I've been using the CL far more than the M9, so maybe now might be the time to get the sensor replaced.

 

Anyway, I've been looking at the Leica website about the sensor replacement. I know I have to pay, but I'm unsure on some of the wording. I got my M9 second hand in March 2013, bought it off eBay. I might have a receipt somewhere, but I don't think I ever registered it with Leica, given that it was used. So my question is this: will they replace the sensor given that it was bought used and I've no receipt?

 

Thanks!

Santiago

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Well, I think the time has come, I've had the corroded sensor for a while on my M9, but I couldn't bear to part with it, and then when Leica announced they were discontinuing the free replacements, I was living in Turkey at the time. Mainly though, I couldn't bear to part with it because, well, I use it a lot and I've been able to get around the sensor corrosion with Lightroom. But basically, yes, I have no excuse for not having it fixed for free. 

 

So why am I thinking about it now? before leaving for South America for six weeks, I purchased a CL and brought both bodies with me. I've found though that I've been using the CL far more than the M9, so maybe now might be the time to get the sensor replaced.

 

Anyway, I've been looking at the Leica website about the sensor replacement. I know I have to pay, but I'm unsure on some of the wording. I got my M9 second hand in March 2013, bought it off eBay. I might have a receipt somewhere, but I don't think I ever registered it with Leica, given that it was used. So my question is this: will they replace the sensor given that it was bought used and I've no receipt?

 

Thanks!

Santiago

Yes.

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Well, I think the time has come, I've had the corroded sensor for a while on my M9, but I couldn't bear to part with it, and then when Leica announced they were discontinuing the free replacements, I was living in Turkey at the time. Mainly though, I couldn't bear to part with it because, well, I use it a lot and I've been able to get around the sensor corrosion with Lightroom. But basically, yes, I have no excuse for not having it fixed for free. 

 

So why am I thinking about it now? before leaving for South America for six weeks, I purchased a CL and brought both bodies with me. I've found though that I've been using the CL far more than the M9, so maybe now might be the time to get the sensor replaced.

 

Anyway, I've been looking at the Leica website about the sensor replacement. I know I have to pay, but I'm unsure on some of the wording. I got my M9 second hand in March 2013, bought it off eBay. I might have a receipt somewhere, but I don't think I ever registered it with Leica, given that it was used. So my question is this: will they replace the sensor given that it was bought used and I've no receipt?

 

Thanks!

Santiago

 

Yes, Leica will replace the sensor regardless if you are the original owner or the 5th owner. They go by date of original sale to determine the camera's age in users' hands.

 

If you are back in the USA, if only for simplicity's sake, send your M9 to New Jersey. I have a reply to a post earlier this year I made where I said I would say when my pair of M-9P bodies, both with corroded sensors, arrive back to me. I sent them in mid-April and I was informed by email yesterday and phone today, that they are going out 2nd Day Air / UPS and should be in my hands on Thursday. I offer this as a very recent example of what to expect time wise.

 

Here's the rub on sensor corrosion. If you shoot longer lenses, at least 50mm, fairly wide open, (to be safe, I'd say f/2.8 and larger, you might never see some sensor corrosion. I had been exclusively using one of my bodies with either the Canon LTM 50/1.5 or the Canon LTM 100/2.0 and never saw corrosion. Only when I shot some with the 21/2.8 Asph stopped to f/16 with lots of sky was it apparent on the dedicated wide body. This prompted me to shoot the same lens on the dedicated long lens body and it was apparent the sensor corrosion was back with a vengeance in both cameras. Both cameras got replacement sensors in summer 2015, one for total failure and one for string of pearls corrosion.

 

Personally I did not want to limit either of my cameras to shooting only wide open. I even tested my Cosina-Voigtlander 15/4.5 wide open at infinity and it was apparent, so both bodies went to corrosion camp at the same time.

 

Botton line, I don't think six weeks will allow the camera to get to NJ and back to you before you leave for your stay in South America.

Edited by JSU
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