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How significant is the sensor dust problem on the Q?


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My Q is now receiving attention and the impression I had from the Leica repairer is that early releases of the camera may not have been sealed as effectively as intended . I'm hoping that the clean will include a repair to address this.

Edited by lucerne
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My Q is now receiving attention and the impression I had from the Leica repairer is that early releases of the camera may not have been sealed as effectively as intended . I'm hoping that the clean will include a repair to address this.

 

 

Didn't stop mine getting a dust speck (bought Feb 2017)

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@ScotDoc

 

I read that same information from Leica (that early versions of the Leica Q have more problems with dust) which was posted somewhere else in this forum (I think it was the German section).

 

Did you check when it was produced? Maybe yours had been waiting at your dealer for quite a while before he sold it to you. At the bottom of the box there is a white barcode sticker which tells you the date of production. Mine says 2016/05/24 (bought in November 2016) - no dust problem so far.

Edited by Macberg
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I doubt mine sat around I had mine in August 2015. It was clean until May 2017 when the dust suddenly appeared.

Still, it is one of the early production cameras. Maybe that is a factor in the appearance of sensor dust even after a fairly long interval.

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Almost one year with the Q and 1 issue with the dust in the sensor...3 months after i adquiere the camera i got the dust, then after Leica Singapore cleaned, I decide since I don't use the video function to cover the microphone and speakers with a black tape, and clean the surface of the ring every time I change from Normal to Macro. 9 months, 10 trips  8 countries with different weather and so far no more problems with my sensor. However I wish the camera was designed with better weather seal. I found the camera to be the perfect travel companion and I will love to have out of my mind the worries during dusty, windy, humid o rainy days.

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Your comments are very telling. I love using the Q. It's an excellent all around and travel camera, but I've not experienced any sensor dust YET! It makes me begin to consider selling it and moving to an M-10. It's very difficult to know what the actual probability is of this becoming a problem. Leica should offer extended warranty for this issue then Q owners could relax about it.

 

 

I ordered an M10 with a summilux 50mm. I intended to keep the Q for wide angle as I do not have other leica lenses. Thee Q is so perfect for shooting without being noticed and the 28mm allows subsequent crop to frame the subject...

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I ordered an M10 with a summilux 50mm. I intended to keep the Q for wide angle as I do not have other leica lenses. Thee Q is so perfect for shooting without being noticed and the 28mm allows subsequent crop to frame the subject...

 

I wanted to edit post above but the option did not show. I wanted to add that I had no sensor problem yet. But someone I know had one, went to his closeby Leica store and they did it for him the same day and without charging him, "part of the service policy" they said...

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ugh, looks like I have the dust issue too. Never really went looking for any, nor have I seen any in my photos, I almost always shoot at f/1.7. Took several photos at a variety of stops at the sky and have several significant dust spots. 

 

Guess I'll contact Leica and the local camera store I bought my Q at tomorrow! 

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My first Q (Titanium) had a single dust spot on the sensor when I received it new. I returned it and eventually decided to buy another one (after lamenting I couldn't/wouldn't afford an M10), and it has no dust.

 

I considered this dust issue at length between the return of the first and the purchase of the second. I decided that since I shoot (approx) 80% at f/1.7, 8% at f/4-5.6 and 2% at f/8 and 0% at f/11-16, I should be fine unless a twig gets in there. This camera really shines at f/1.7-2.8 for close-to-mid range distances and f/4 for almost everything else. I did not buy this camera to shoot the view camera-style images where a close object and everything else out to infinity is in focus. I bought the Q to shoot on the fly, and if I need a tripod and f/11-16 I might as well be shooting my 5D.

 

I think my future plan is to do what a previous poster did, which is use the Q for wide shots and supplement it with an M10 + longer lens when budget allows. I imagine if I had the M10 right now instead, the Q would be tempting VS adding a 28mm to the M.

 

Back to the dust – did anyone else's Leica box for their Q have an inordinate amount of paper dust from the box inside it? The inside of my first Q box was covered in a powdery dust, so much so that I thought mine wasn't new (I verified the tape on the box was original). I assume this is from the company that prints these boxes not keeping their cutting blades sharp. My second Q box was better, but it still had some dust inside it. I don't think this affects the camera at all, but it was pretty low-end presentation that ruins the beautiful unfolding of the box.

 

While I'm on a roll – I wish the Q lens had a hard stop at infinity when switched to manual focus mode.

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Well, I spoke to Leica's Boston store this morning and they couldn't have been nicer. Dropped the camera off this afternoon and it's being sent to the repair facility in NJ for a cleaning. Not sure how long it will be gone, but they said they do weekly check ins to see where it's at in the queue. Also, if I need a camera for a special occasion or project, I can borrow an SL free of charge, pretty happy so far with the service. Hopefully my Q will be back soon with no dust!

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Well, I spoke to Leica's Boston store this morning and they couldn't have been nicer. Dropped the camera off this afternoon and it's being sent to the repair facility in NJ for a cleaning. Not sure how long it will be gone, but they said they do weekly check ins to see where it's at in the queue. Also, if I need a camera for a special occasion or project, I can borrow an SL free of charge, pretty happy so far with the service. Hopefully my Q will be back soon with no dust!

Glad to hear of your experience. Please keep us informed on progress and how it concludes.

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I sent my Q to remove dust to Leica Germany (costs covered by Leica).

 

They cleanded it but the Q came back with a big spot :-( - look here: https://goo.gl/photos/33Nj96imBv2DgF2f9.

 

Now I have to send the Q again for cleaning it. I am very disappointed. I believed that a camera with a fixed lens should not have such problems...

 

Especially one without a zoom lens!

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I wanted to edit post above but the option did not show. I wanted to add that I had no sensor problem yet. But someone I know had one, went to his closeby Leica store and they did it for him the same day and without charging him, "part of the service policy" they said...

That's interesting (same day) but ....... I delivered mine 250 miles to London and it was booked in for cleaning. About 10 days later (Friday) it was returned and the repair invoice was very detailed. (No charge). To clean the sensor, the camera was dismantled and on reassembly, it was put through tests and new leather fitted. That's not a quick procedure. The sensor is now clean, but a tiny bright mark or object is now visible in the viewfinder. It's not visible via the LCD, it's not visible on the image, it's not on the outside surface of the viewfinder glass, and obviously it's not on the lens, and it doesn't vary with aperture, so where is it?

Edited by lucerne
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