Support for Digital Ms

[rramesh]

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Maybe this has been asked elsewhere. What is Leica's commitment for the support of digital Ms and the availability of parts? Since these are rather expensive cameras, I am sure many owners would like to see them operating in full working condition for a long time (especially collectors).

I see failure in electronics (sensor, LCD, on-board circuitry etc.) as harder to fix without spares, than failure with mechanical parts.

 

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, rramesh said:

Maybe this has been asked elsewhere. What is Leica's commitment for the support of digital Ms and the availability of parts? Since these are rather expensive cameras, I am sure many owners would like to see them operating in full working condition for a long time (especially collectors).

I see failure in electronics (sensor, LCD, on-board circuitry etc.) as harder to fix without spares, than failure with mechanical parts.

 

Thank you......This is a very relevant question, one I suspect that many of us, ( and all other buyers of digital cameras and other digital "stuff" ), quietly ask ourselves even as we fork over large chunks of income and savings to indulge ourselves in products such as Leica cameras which doubtless will have a limited life span as compared to the previous generation of film Leicas. I'm as guilty as the next person in all of this having bought, sold or kept most digital M's since the M8 and yes I too seriously wonder how long any company can afford to support digital products that are to some degree outdated on their launch day. People now are not inclined to be satisfied with digital gear as they may have been with analogue equipment, the "next" generation will always spur gear-lust and this is what keeps manufacturers of digital gear in business now.

I've film cameras going back to the 1960's. most still functioning just fine, we are not I'm sure going to be able to say the same about any digital camera we will buy today. I still own a S16 movie film camera, ( Aaton ), that I bought back in the mid' nineties, I had it updated by Aaton twice to newer specifications and capabilities and I ran hundred's of thousands of feet of film through that camera, ( one job alone consumed +80,000' of S16 film, Kodak loved me then!. ) It still functions perfectly but it's desirability of use has been eclipsed by digital cinema cameras, all of which now have an effective operating life of maybe two years or so before they are superseded by the next best thing whether they are still capable tools or not. 

Your posting is in fact very timely for me as I have decided just this week to order a Leica MP shifting some emphasis in my kit back to analogue, knowing that that camera would likely see my time out, not so sure I can say the same of the M10-M I bought back at the start of this year.

[Ko.Fe.]

It can’t be forever. And collecting of electronics is bad idea anyway.

Leica doesn’t makes electronics. Just buying them. This is common if not major manufacturing method. Mass producers of these parts have no interest of stock piling or making the same for decades.

With digital cameras you better to be dedicated for photography. Digital cameras are much more effective and reliable without CLA for at least decade of use.  

[jaapv]

Leica's commitment is at least 10 after production end. Of course, there is sometimes a problem (M8.2 LCD, DMR) but in general they are pretty good. Even the M8 is accepted for repair, provided they still have spares to fix the particular problem.

My oldest digital camera is the DMR, 2004, and it still works fine - It had a CLA six or seven years ago - Leica used up the last spares they had- and I had a few batteries refurbished. I am on my third R to couple it with, though, an R9 died, so did an R8 and those cameras cannot be repaired at all. My present R8 is expiring too - the exposure metering is unreliable. My Digilux2 is a year younger - had a sensor replacement like all of them and the batteries are still at 70%.