Totally feeling sad and heart broken. Bye Leica...

[Jeff S]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

7 hours ago, telyt said:

Yes this was the solution for the lens.  Leica said that parts were no longer available; DAG replaced three screws and the lens was returned in excellent condition.  However I'm uncomfortable relying on a sole source for repairs or maintenance, no matter how skilled.  Any number of unfortunate incidents can make that individual unavailable at any time.

Consider the context: I was considering the SL; if any repairs are necessary under warranty it would be through Leica, and my experience with Leica's service was terrible.  This led me to conclude that no matter how good the SL is, I'd be stuck with Leica's repair service.  No thank you.

Understood.  For me, I stick to dealers that will better expedite service, typically with Germany, and offer loaner/exchange when possible.  For the M in particular, there are a few other excellent third party repair techs besides Don.  

Jeff

[IkarusJohn]

On 6/24/2022 at 9:24 PM, wanderingkiwi said:

Shit customer service seems to be par for the course when dealing with high-end luxury companies (particularly European ones). I've had some interesting experiences buying European firearms. Great build quality, but they're almost always f*cken over-engineered, and good luck when something goes wrong. Simply getting hold of a parts diagram or getting in touch with a technician at the factory is an exercise in futility. 

I've been a long time user of Leica sport optics (scopes, binoculars, rangefinders etc). While Leica Sport Optics division was once notorious for poor customer service (at least compared to their competition), they turned a page a few years ago, and they now seem to be on the right track. All of their sport optics are currently being manufactured in Portugal, and from what I understand, there are repair facilities in the USA. 

So perhaps that's the key? Start manufacturing Leica cameras in Portugal lol. That'll really piss some people off.  

 

I wouldn’t be too put off by the experience of others reported here.  For every problem, there are many with no problems at all.

I live in a wee country at the bottom of the World with a small population and few Leica photographers (yes, the Land of the Long White Cloud).  I’ve been shooting Leica since the M9 was released, and I’ve had my fair share of problems.  The SL was the best, most complete camera when I got it, til it locked up never to go again.  But I remain a Leica user (binoculars, the Magnus scope for my Steyr, and more than a few cameras and lenses).

Now, I don’t have the luxury (?) of a Leica workshop down the road (like New Jersey).  So, I have developed a good relationship with the Leica dealer I prefer, and with the importer, and with Customer Service in Wetzlar.  I buy from them, they get me hard to find lenses, I’m patient, and I pay what they ask when they ask, and when I sell I offer them first dibs.  So, when my M9 Monochrom was delayed (it was a special order silver chrome version), the distributor lent me their camera to use while I waited; when my SL bricked, the dealer lent me their demo until mine was replaced.  I could go on.

My experience has been that sometimes things go wrong.  When they have, for me, Leica has looked after me well.  I’m not a dentist.  I live in New Zealand.

My Sony experiences have not been happy (never understood PlayStation); I just can’t cope with Canon and its buttons; and the Nikon was just … too big, too complicated and just … too much.  Despite what you read, I would recommend Leica.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Paul2660]

I believe a lot of this is due to the business volumes of Leica when compared to Nikon, Canon or Fuji, and the fact that the later two companies have many other huge industrial interests that can help fund the photo arm.  

I also agree that to wait 3 to 4 months to get a 7K 35mm camera fixed is not really an acceptable time frame for a professional and it's unfortunate that Leica doesn't have a professional services arm like Nikon, Canon have or the value add that Phase One offers.  

For me the really important factor is the glass and hopefully Leica lenses are durable and can last over time.  The Panasonic S1R is basically the same sensor in a totally different body layout, but still takes great shots and will use all the Leica lenses.  The S1R appears to no longer be on the market new, but there are many for sale on the used side for very decent prices.  Panasonic has a pretty good reputation on repairs at least in the US. 

 

Paul 

 

[Jeff S]

13 hours ago, Paul2660 said:

The Panasonic S1R is basically the same sensor in a totally different body layout, but still takes great shots and will use all the Leica lenses.  

 

But unique SL2 cover glass/micro-lenses and software provide better optimization with use of M lenses.

Jeff

[giampo]

On 6/28/2022 at 2:50 PM, Darthaddie said:

The SL and M lenses mostly don't work on situations like when the bridal party enters the reception. The SL/SL2 massively fail in backlit situations.  

Well if you write this, it means that you simply did not know how to use the camera properly. That's a fact.

That the AF of some cameras like the Sony A1, or Z9 or R3, are a totally other deal is absolutly true, but not getting a bride walking was and is  more than possible also with older cameras, also with a Leica.  

[Photoworks]

23 hours ago, giampo said:

Well if you write this, it means that you simply did not know how to use the camera properly. That's a fact.

That the AF of some cameras like the Sony A1, or Z9 or R3, are a totally other deal is absolutly true, but not getting a bride walking was and is  more than possible also with older cameras, also with a Leica.  

contrast AF has lots of limitations if you have little light.

23 hours ago, giampo said:

The SL/SL2 massively fail in backlit situations.  

I agree with you.

I have had issues where the camera focus on something different that is right in front of me, think it is in focus and does not refocus, even when the focusing point is somewhere totally different spot...

No need to glorify SL2 AF, it works and it doesn't .

 

PS. I never had to change the AF profiles on other cameras, it just worked. I find the SL2 focus to work best if I pick the correct profile... but switching is waisting time.

[SrMi]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

1 hour ago, Photoworks said:

contrast AF has lots of limitations if you have little light.

AFAIK, CDAF works better in low light than PDAF. 
Also, it has been observed that the EVF brightness under the focus point matters. If the subject is very dark, many cameras have more problems focusing on it.