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Leica M9 Corroded Sensor?


Roger Vorbeck

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Hello fellow Leica users,

Long story short, I've been a film Leica M shooter for a while now (M2), and I've been considering buying my first digital M. Since they are not even close as repairable as fully mechanical analog M's, I really don't want to spend that much money on a digital one. 
So I came across a lady willing to sell me her M9 for a "bargain" (something like U$250), but as you guys can tell from the picture above, it comes with the dreaded corroded sensor. 
I'm no professional and I want one of these to try them out, since I've never truly used one.
My question is: how's the situation of this one in particular, can it be used in anyway in this condition? Is it worth it for the price? And finally, is the 1000U$ dollars repair worth in my situation? 


I'll be very happy with any contributions.

Best Regards,

Roger

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At that price you could probably ebay it 'for parts or broken' and get more than you paid. The combined price of body + repair may well be worth it, provided the repairer is confident of success and can guarantee the fix for a reasonable time (I've no idea what their success rate is, or whether a sensor can be too far gone to fix, in which case it would be a paperweight).

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38 minutes ago, Roger Vorbeck said:

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Hello fellow Leica users,

Long story short, I've been a film Leica M shooter for a while now (M2), and I've been considering buying my first digital M. Since they are not even close as repairable as fully mechanical analog M's, I really don't want to spend that much money on a digital one. 
So I came across a lady willing to sell me her M9 for a "bargain" (something like U$250), but as you guys can tell from the picture above, it comes with the dreaded corroded sensor. 
I'm no professional and I want one of these to try them out, since I've never truly used one.
My question is: how's the situation of this one in particular, can it be used in anyway in this condition? Is it worth it for the price? And finally, is the 1000U$ dollars repair worth in my situation? 


I'll be very happy with any contributions.

Best Regards,

Roger

It is unusable in this condition but you could chance a repair by one of the outside repairers. At the price it is not much of a risk to go this route.

If it works, you'll have a lovely camera at a very good price.

 

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In the included thread above on sensor repair there is a question on duties in and out of the US.  I believe that I can send gear abroad for repair, if noted on the customs declaration as such, without being charged.  It may be the same where you are.  I'd ask to be sure. My M9 was repaired by the factory.  Non-Leica repairs have worked or we would have heard otherwise here.  So I'd go the ~US$1000 for the sensor repair and get a CLA.  You'd wind up with a good digital camera with a film-like image and you can shoot way more than 36 exposures at a clip. It will be familiar to you so you have a very short learning curve.  Furthermore you enter digital editing and printing which relieve you the wait and hassle of analog(ue) processing.  You might really enjoy digital editing.  It's 2021, digital has been here for more than 20 years now, I think it will stay, and it is time for you to give it a try.  We await your successes.

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While it is certainly a good deal at $250, the $1000 repair (if that's the only service it needs) takes you half way to a M240 body that is several years newer with less issues and many more features.  The M9 is a camera that I would be happy to shot today, but how much longer will Leica support this body.  We are  seeing their withdrawal from sensor repairs, and it is perfectly understandable that the sensors are no longer available, yet an independent can service these.  This indicates to me that Leica is not interested any longer in the M9, and it is only a matter of time before electronic parts are not available.  The M240 would be my entry into Leica digital M, it is a quantum leap forward from the M9, including more robust batteries and feature-wise has more capabilities than any M digital camera.   

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Leica still services the M8, except for the LCD which is a known story here and possibly the sensor, which would not be economically viable anyway. And that is a camera introduced in 2006...

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30 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Leica still services the M8, except for the LCD which is a known story here and possibly the sensor, which would not be economically viable anyway. And that is a camera introduced in 2006...

I think it is safe to say that Leica is exemplary for supporting products, the only question are the parts they have no control over...

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