Leica SL System Repairs & Pro Service

[michali]

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On 12/19/2021 at 12:17 AM, PBart said:

Thanks for sending the info. I finally got through to someone at Leica who seems to be taking care of things for me. No loaner though. They claim there is a shortage of loaners and can't send anything from Germany. My impression is that most people at Leica know about the service issues but can't do anything about it. No one will admit it opening though.

I tried all I can do for now. In the future I'll have to buy some Sigma back-up lenses so I'm ok during a photoshoot and not short on anything. I bought a Sigma 105mm macro recently because Leica doesn't have a macro yet for the SL and it's rather nice. I'll still buy the Leica macro if/when it comes out someday. Not anytime soon it seems.

Much appreciated!

I share your pain. I've had to send cameras from South Africa to Germany for repair, in each case bypassed the official local Leica agent (the less said the better...). I used Leica's  pro service & in all 3 instances I had the cameras back within 10 days -wasn't aware that pro service is no longer an option.

Customs issues were another story & a nightmare which ended up costing me VAT on the increased value which Leica placed on the repaired cameras 😤 when returning them.

Your idea of buying Sigma lenses as back up makes complete sense. Sigma has produced some exceptionally good L mount lenses & as you say many in focal lengths that Leica doesn't produce. I've offloaded all of my Leica L mounts lenses, with the exception of the VE 24-90mm & VE 90-280mm & filled in with several Sigma lenses of varying focal lengths.

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[brembeck43]

I had my SL repaired / checked two times in 2021 at Leica Wetzlar, the first time I realized the USB-Port was not working, the repair return took not even a week. 

Shortly after that the Camera hit the floor and it had to be sent in another time...It took one week again. So no complains fro me...but I live in Munich...

[BernardC]

15 hours ago, beewee said:

However, if I were to be making a living off my camera, there’s no way I would ever use Leica for such task.

I know a few people making a living with Leica cameras. It's not that bad. You need backups, as you do for any brand. You also need to know people at Leica's US headquarters or at least tell them that you are a professional. You'll get somewhat expedited service.

From what I hear, it's worth it in the end. first-off, Leicas are very reliable these days. Second, photography is ultra-competitive. It's good to stand-out (visually) from the hordes of shooters with the same Canon L zoom. Clients may not know anything about cameras, but better colours and more "pop" always register.

[PBart]

Quick update on my lens repair progress. After contacting Leica in Germany directly, they took care of me and expedited my repair. So, only about a month total without the lens and this is much better than past experiences. I think that Leica just needs to have lots of loaners ready if they need months for repair turnarounds. It will save them time with complaints and help with customer retention. I love my Leica cameras and it's very difficult to give up on the them. 

[Gavin Cato]

11 hours ago, BernardC said:

From what I hear, it's worth it in the end. first-off, Leicas are very reliable these days. Second, photography is ultra-competitive. It's good to stand-out (visually) from the hordes of shooters with the same Canon L zoom. Clients may not know anything about cameras, but better colours and more "pop" always register.

^^^^ This 100%. I love how my instagram feed has a bit more depth/pop than most of my competition. And yep a wedding client isn't going to say "wow I bet they are leica files"   But it sure a heck isn't hurting my bookings.