Are APO-Summicron-M 50mm's Prone to Calibration Issues?

[LocalHero1953]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

In my book the 'Q' versions are desirable: ex-demo or new returned items that have had individual attention to refurbish them, sold in new packaging with the the same warranty as new, but at a discount price. I've bought at least one body (M240 IIRC) and one lens (one of the SL zooms) this way.

[MrFriendly]

12 minutes ago, pedaes said:

Where? Please show some current models at 'half price or less'.

Ok, maybe not half, but you still end up saving thousands of dollars when buying used.  Leica Miami is a good place.  I could have saved $1K buying my 50 Summilux used.  It adds up quick.

[lct]

1 hour ago, MrFriendly said:

If what you say is true, then why on earth pay for new Leica gear?  I could have bought all my M lenses used at half the price or less, and saved myself thousands of dollars.

You can buy a new lens, a refurbished ("Q") lens or a second-hand lens, it's just up to you.

[pedaes]

4 minutes ago, lct said:

You can buy a new lens, a refurbished ("Q") lens or a second-hand lens, it's just up to you.

Exactly. And if you buy second-hand, hope it was not dropped by previous owner.

[jdlaing]

3 minutes ago, pedaes said:

Exactly. And if you buy second-hand, hope it was not dropped by previous owner.

Or a new one thrown across the loading dock or your front yard by the delivery company.

[pedaes]

1 hour ago, jdlaing said:

Or a new one thrown across the loading dock or your front yard by the delivery company.

Praise be for bubble wrap etc.

Edited January 3, 2021 by pedaes

[budjames]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I owned mine for over 2 years. I had an issue about a year ago where the front section of the lens barrel came loose. I sent it back to the Leica service center in Avondale, NJ. The sent me the lens back in a week after a warranty repair. It's been great since and use this lens a lot.

New out of the box, my first Leica lenses, the Summicron 35mm and Summilux 50mm, which I bought with my first M10 in November 2017, both did not focus properly out of the box. I had took them to the Leica service center and they determined that the camera was fine, but both lenses were way out of calibration from the factory. I had to leave the lenses. I went home with a brand new $8,500 camera with no lens. It took 6 weeks until I received the fixed lenses. They have been fine since them.

Given the mystique of the Leica brand, I was very disappointed by the quality control from the factory. My system has been good since the early issues reported above. I have purchase a few more Leica lenses since then, the Summicron 75mm, Summicron 90mm and Summilux 35mm. These were all fine from the factory.

Regards,
Bud James

Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto

[Pixeleater]

I brought my new 50mm APO to the local Leica store to get their take on what I was seeing in the lens. They confirmed the lens had a front focus issue and a very loose aperture ring which was easy to accidentally turn to a different f-stop. They sent it back to Leica NJ to bring it back to GWO. Just received notice from NJ that they are sending the lens back to Germany to complete the repair. Is this a common practice or is it unique to the 50mm APO?

Edited January 15, 2021 by Pixeleater