SteveYork Posted February 18, 2019 Share #41 Posted February 18, 2019 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I just had a complete shutter failure on my SL. We're talking about Leicaflex, right? Edited February 18, 2019 by SteveYork Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 18, 2019 Posted February 18, 2019 Hi SteveYork, Take a look here Leica SL not worth the investment, really bad service. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
PeterGA Posted February 18, 2019 Share #42 Posted February 18, 2019 After reading this thread I feel like slashing my wrists and dumping the SL and everything else I own from Leica! Fortunately I must be one of the rare lucky users who has never had an issue with any film or digital M / R/ S/ SL /CL I've owned - except for the chip corrosion on my M9 and original MM - both of which were replaced for free by Leica and returned to me in a 8 week turnaround cycle - 3 years after these items were bought and used! I also wonder how many decades is a company supposed ot support old lenses for ? How long do we expect Leica to keep spare parts on hand for accidents etc? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashGordonPhotography Posted February 19, 2019 Share #43 Posted February 19, 2019 5 minutes ago, metedme said: I see a decent amount of your gear is M series and I love that stuff, Im also a professional user so 1 body will by default get worked to death, and I accept that, but I can't accept premature death, not after shooting with another brand for so long and having zero problems in insane conditions. And this is my thing, Leica promote the SL as super durable, see attached photo, there Hi Gordon I have followed your post from 2017 with this very issue, can you please get in touch, Im in Australia as well, what was the final outcome. who were you dealing with in Australia. I dealt with the Leica store in Sydney. As I said, I let it go and paid because I wasn't 100% sure. My SL's have paid for themselves many times over and I don't baby them. It's unlikely, but possible with two cameras on a double strap for 12 hours that one might get a bump or two. I'm careful but not obsessive. I've had many cameras from many brands fail over the last 25 years as a working photographer. Leica's service is super slow and the M stuff was far more delicate and prone to needing calibration. I've found the SL to be very reliable, overall. That's the only failure I've had and now the firmware mostly works as it should apart from the usual annoyances (I'm still looking at you LENR!!). I had a SF64 break and a SF-1 commander fail. They were both assessed and replaced in a couple of weeks. The M10 has been solid, as has my CL. It's been a while since I had anything that had to go in for repair. Seems that Leica are improving. When the S1R arrives (and as long as the Canon TS lenses are happy with it) I'll be consolidating more to the Leica/Panasonic ecosystem. All my Sony, Fuji and Pentax gear will go. I'll keep a Pen F for compact, S1R/SL as a workhorse and my X1D's cause they're so pretty..... Gordon 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timkr Posted February 19, 2019 Share #44 Posted February 19, 2019 I’ve had nothing but good service, replaced SL sensor at no charge but after reading these experiences, I am looking forward to the alternatives the L alliance will offer. Maybe leica will have raise their game in terms of service to keep up with the partners. Here’s hoping.... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metedme Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share #45 Posted February 19, 2019 6 hours ago, Timkr said: I’ve had nothing but good service, replaced SL sensor at no charge but after reading these experiences, I am looking forward to the alternatives the L alliance will offer. Maybe leica will have raise their game in terms of service to keep up with the partners. Here’s hoping.... Ive had a few people tell me about excellent service, my worry is entire components are being replaced, for a $10,000 (depending on when and where it was bought) there are too many stories like this, imagine a rolex falling apart Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted February 19, 2019 Share #46 Posted February 19, 2019 2 hours ago, metedme said: Ive had a few people tell me about excellent service, my worry is entire components are being replaced, for a $10,000 (depending on when and where it was bought) there are too many stories like this, imagine a rolex falling apart Well actually there are not 'too many stories like this' regarding the SL. Considering we are 3.5 years in there have been relatively few posts here on the forum regarding issues ..... and all tend to be different suggesting just the low % sporadic failures you get with any complex piece of gear. Reliability can only be assessed if you know the number of cameras in circulation and how long they have been there ...... and like most manufacturers Leica do not divulge sales data. Even components in the aero industry have a failure rate .... it's just where to set the 'acceptable' limit that counts .... 4 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joeri Posted February 19, 2019 Share #47 Posted February 19, 2019 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've been using the SL since 2016 professionally, together with a couple of M cameras and more recently the CL. I shoot with M and R lenses. I've had no issues at all with the SL, maybe one or two freezes, although I've given up on tethering. The camera has been in Germany once, when a 3kg rock hit my SL from 3 meters above (only nearly missed my head). The damage was fixed relatively quick and I was able to borrow an extra SL from a friend. Having said that, the SL is now the most reliable camera I've ever worked with. That doesn't make the stories that I've seen here less painful for the owners though. Maybe I've been lucky, but to me the SL seems like a very rugged camera. 10 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillavoider Posted March 16, 2019 Share #48 Posted March 16, 2019 My camera was sent back to Leica 3 MONTHS AGO I get it back and literally 2 DAYS LATER THE SAME FAULT HAPPENS !!!!!! blow this I want a new body or a full refund this is a 8 THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLAR AUD BODY ONLY!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mute-on Posted March 16, 2019 Share #49 Posted March 16, 2019 43 minutes ago, hillavoider said: My camera was sent back to Leica 3 MONTHS AGO I get it back and literally 2 DAYS LATER THE SAME FAULT HAPPENS !!!!!! blow this I want a new body or a full refund this is a 8 THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLAR AUD BODY ONLY!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You should probably familiarise yourself with Australian Consumer Law, and then explain it to your Authorised Leica retailer from whom you bought the camera. Good luck. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillavoider Posted March 16, 2019 Share #50 Posted March 16, 2019 Mute on I will, thank you 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Csacwp Posted March 16, 2019 Share #51 Posted March 16, 2019 I had endless problems with all my Leica gear and their customer service so I switched to Sigma and never looked back. You can buy a used DP2m for $300 that takes better photos than any Leica body + lens combo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mls1483 Posted March 16, 2019 Share #52 Posted March 16, 2019 I can only Share positive experiences with Leica CS. Most issues were with M equipment though. My Summicron M 28mm was repariered free of charge (Notorious loose front Element), loose front Element of Summicron M 75mm, lost spare parts and of corse calibrations. .Service was quick, friendly and several times free of charge. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IkarusJohn Posted March 16, 2019 Share #53 Posted March 16, 2019 7 hours ago, Csacwp said: I had endless problems with all my Leica gear and their customer service so I switched to Sigma and never looked back. You can buy a used DP2m for $300 that takes better photos than any Leica body + lens combo. I’m very happy for you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuckley Posted March 26, 2019 Share #54 Posted March 26, 2019 I've had so many interactions with Leica New Jersey over such a long time, I've been on a first-name basis with several of the people there. The big problem with Leica repairs in general is that the staff is overworked. As someone mentioned in this thread, this isn't a money maker for them, it's often a money loser. That said, I do believe the situation is getting worse, and I have a theory on why. Leica is a comparatively tiny company, with extremely precise fault tolerances, and they now have five significant systems (S, SL, M, Q, TL/CL). Some years ago when it was only M and R parts they needed to stock, and expertise they need to have, things were reasonable-ish. I've had some wonderful interactions: in September 2012, my first Monochrom arrived with a misaligned rangefinder, and I sent it back to them begging to have it jump to the front of the queue, given that I literally had plunked down $X,000 for a defective camera. I got it back in a week. But then there's this: I was out my 50 APO for 8 months! Eight months! As they tried fixing a stiff focus ring. And when I got it back, several hundred dollars later, it was... stiff. So while I continue to have a Monochrom-246 that occasionally responds to my taking a picture with a carousel of all the pictures shot rolling across the LCD screen before I can look to see the one I just got -- had the same problem with an M-240; it's a family trait -- there's no way I'll send it in, because it might take until the M-10 Monochrom is having its first birthday to get it back... I can't speak to the issue the OP referenced, which sounds terrible, and undermines confidence in the company. But I think many of the problems we are having with Leica repairs in the back half of this decade is: the company is tiny. They sell essentially everything they produce. They're not properly staffed for repairs and don't have the Apple volume solution: oh, something's wrong with your iPhone, here's another one. I always forgive them. Or usually forgive them. God, it can be annoying. 2 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frame-it Posted March 26, 2019 Share #55 Posted March 26, 2019 44 minutes ago, johnbuckley said: The big problem with Leica repairs in general is that the staff is overworked. overworked implies a lot of issues with bodies/lenses.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellfleet Posted March 26, 2019 Share #56 Posted March 26, 2019 1 hour ago, johnbuckley said: I've had so many interactions with Leica New Jersey over such a long time, I've been on a first-name basis with several of the people there. The big problem with Leica repairs in general is that the staff is overworked. As someone mentioned in this thread, this isn't a money maker for them, it's often a money loser. And one of those long tenured employees will be leaving soon, and will be sorely missed. Especially by me, as my access will be diminished!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted March 26, 2019 Share #57 Posted March 26, 2019 1 hour ago, johnbuckley said: But then there's this: I was out my 50 APO for 8 months! Eight months! As they tried fixing a stiff focus ring. And when I got it back, several hundred dollars later, it was... stiff. Next time, for something like this, use DAG. Leica NJ couldn’t fix the sticky focus action on my 50 Summilux ASPH. DAG had it back to me in a week, working perfectly, for 90 bucks, including shipping. Jeff 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuckley Posted March 26, 2019 Share #58 Posted March 26, 2019 Jeff, I didn't even know about DAG until about midway through my APO ordeal. Now I do! And thanks. And Wellfleet, I hope it's not Sarah, who's always so helpful. Actually, they are all nice folks in the customer service area. The biggest problem is when whatever the problem is needs to be shipped across the water, where you get into a global queue and backlog... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellfleet Posted March 27, 2019 Share #59 Posted March 27, 2019 4 hours ago, johnbuckley said: And Wellfleet, I hope it's not Sarah, who's always so helpful. Actually, they are all nice folks in the customer service area. The biggest problem is when whatever the problem is needs to be shipped across the water, where you get into a global queue and backlog... John, no it's not Sarah, but beyond that I'll leave the person unnamed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Andersson Posted March 27, 2019 Share #60 Posted March 27, 2019 This thread's theme has some echoes in the high-end wristwatch industry. Niche but very desirable products that cost a lot more than similarly featured mass market equivalents and that have service turnarounds measured in months! The key word in the above is "desirable". 🙂 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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