Leica M9 Corrosion - Sensor Replacement Starts Now!

[dkCambridgeshire]

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Maybe I need to consider withdrawing my M9 from sale - it's with a dealer after a Leica Germany service.

 

dunk

Edited September 2, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire

[Pablo LeicaM8]

Great news Leica, thank you for the support!

 

BTW, do any of the testers know if the new sensor improves the high ISO results, or it is just the coating of the sensor?  Thanks

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[jaapv]

Haha, the standard question . There is a beta test report on the German side. No influence on ISO, bar a placebo effect.

[jaapv]

Maybe I need to consider withdrawing my M9 from sale - it's with a dealer after a Leica Germany service.

 

dunk

Oh ye, of little faith....

[Pablo LeicaM8]

Haha, the standard question . There is a beta teste report on the German side. No influence on ISO, bar a placebo effect.

Thank you for .... the standard/expected answer ))   

[elmars]

Leica changed only the sensor glass, nothing in the sensor itself. And they never said, they would do. So it is (nearly) the same old sensor with its disatvantages; but it still makes wonderfull images.

 

Elmar

[JohnHaines]

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My M9 was purchased new on 7/19/2010. I use it only occasionally (love the image quality) and keep it in a sealed plastic bag when not in use. Questions: How do I know if it has corrosion? If it does not (yet), can I get the sensor replaced anyway?

[Aldophoto]

I've already been through this path in April/May  my M9 was controlled and then sent for the changed, they kept the camera one month (less than expected). All absolutely free of charge, even if an expired guarantee. Thanks Leica Italy, thanks Leica.

 

I'm a very happy Leica shooter

 

Aldo

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205708489063719&set=a.1603235133009.2078920.1600027584&type=1&theater

[dkCambridgeshire]

My M9 was purchased new on 7/19/2010. I use it only occasionally (love the image quality) and keep it in a sealed plastic bag when not in use. Questions: How do I know if it has corrosion? If it does not (yet), can I get the sensor replaced anyway?

 

 

Sensors can only be replaced if they show signs of corrosion. If you enter 'sensor corrosion' into the forum 'Search' facility several links show how to recognise/identify the anomaly. A sealed plastic bag does not offer safe storage for any camera … unless unused / fresh silica gel desiccant is included. Far better to store it in a normal room environment. 

 

dunk

Edited September 2, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire

[sblutter]

They judged my M-E to be effected - looking forward to getting it back.  They've had it several months

 

Will be a welcome reunion

[IkarusJohn]

Wow, congratulations to M9 owners who kept their cameras, and hats off to Leica.  I admit this I did not expect.

 

Nor me.  Kudos to Leica for doing the right thing.

[ramosa]

I don't have an M9, but, indeed, this great news for Leica and--I think--for all Leica users.

[NZDavid]

I wonder if there is an update on whether we can expect all M9 sensors to be affected at some stage? So far it seems to have been very random.

[Pablo LeicaM8]

I've been to this path too, and my experience was great:

-I actually found the problem in 2 little spots in the sensor after reading the different blogs (I do not usually shoot f/16 to the open blue sky , so I did not notice it before)

-they signed me in a waiting list in January 2015 (so I could keep shooting)

-they contacted me to arrange a pick up date --> May 26th

-we exchanged a few emails about the change in the vulcanite cover since I wanted to keep the original - they answered they could not use it anymore. Anyway I asked for the old vulcanite to be sent back, and they did it. BTW, they try to write in Spanish partially (nice gesture: thank you Gabriele Arnold). Finally I accepted the terms - Good will agreement with everything free of charge.

-I got my camera back on the 11th of June --> just 2 weeks (including a few days for the email interchange about vulcanite cover)!!

 

I dealt directly with Leica Customer Care in Germany (to me it speeds the process).

 

After 2 years use (at my own rate), it developed the corrosion, so I expect 2 more years with this sensor and a new replacement for the so called new-one, meaning that the sensor will be new after 4 years usage.....   

 

Do I need more ISO capabilities? It would be nice, but I do not actually need it. I love to shoot with that camera.

THANK YOU Leica for the excellence in service

 

Ps. Pictures of Vulcanite and the camera

Edited September 3, 2015 by Pablo LeicaM8

[dkCambridgeshire]

I wonder if there is an update on whether we can expect all M9 sensors to be affected at some stage? So far it seems to have been very random.

 

 

Maybe if a statistician could design an accurate sampling frame and conduct a survey the numbers or % of M9 variants suffering sensor corrosion could be established … but there would be grey areas where owners are unsure whether or not their cameras are affected … and nobody really knows if environmental factors affect the probability. All we know is that it must be a significant problem - otherwise a solution would not have been developed and offered. 

 

dunk 

[NZDavid]

I was searching to see if it is only a range of serial numbers or batches of sensors but apparently not. I have not detected a problem on mine (mid 2010) so far but shall keep checking periodically. It is good that Leica is standing by its product and is offering a solution.

[wlaidlaw]

I suspect my M9 was one of the earlier M9's to have this issue, in January 2012 on a camera new at 30 October 2009. It has actually not had a lot of use since the sensor was replaced, as I have mainly used the M240 and various film cameras since getting my M9 back from Solms in February 2012. However, on examining a couple of months ago, I noticed the dreaded "worm tracks" when taking a sky image with an Expodisc to see if the sensor was clean. This I think points to a sensor life of around three years. The camera has sat in the UK and France during the period since the sensor replacement, with very little sensor cleaning. The south of the UK and south of France are I would estimate a medium to dry humidity environment. Today for example, on an overcast but dry day in France, the indoor humidity on my Oregon weather station says 33%, with outdoors at 28%. 

 

Wilson

[jaapv]

The problem is certainly significant, but it is by no means a given that all sensors are affected. Leica would never be able to exchange all sensors after three years - CS would have to be able to handle tens of thousands of cameras a year - which clearly not. From informal conversations I get the impression that we are talking hundreds of cameras - not more. Which means that the risk of corrosion should be in the order of considerably less than 10%.

[wlaidlaw]

My suspicion is that the majority of the sensors will start to suffer corrosion sooner or later and that a lot of the early stages of corrosion are just not detected by users. Also, knowing the reluctance of many Leica owners, myself included, to sell off seldom used Leica equipment, a significant number of M9s are sitting on shelves or in drawers barely used, with the owners having moved on to M240s. 

 

Wilson

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[TRIago]

I sent my camera to Wetzlar a month ago. At that point, they did not have the new sensor yet so I was told they'd replace my defective sensor w/ the old one.

 

Now they released the new sensor while my camera is in, I called and they said they will put the new ccd instead of the old one. I guess it's my lucky day.

 

It might be the case with a lot of people too.