Where to repair X-U?

[ynp]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

My Leica X-U is half dead, I can shoot and the camera records the files, the back screen is dead. But the camera lacks the viewfinder and it’s difficult to use it as it is. 

I sent the X-U to Leica Singapore and they sent the camera back to me, because Leica Germany said that it was not repairable anymore. 

I wonder if there is any other independent place to get the camera repaired ? 
 

 

[wda]

You could try David Slater https://david2008.photium.com/news112108.html

[Advertisement]

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

[ynp]

Wrote David. Thank you for your help. 

[wda]

Your are very welcome. I hope you are successful.

[ynp]

David wrote me back. Unfortunately, the X-U is unserviceable. Sad. She was my boat camera. 

[wda]

I am so sorry for you. Was it lack of spares?

[ynp]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

2 minutes ago, wda said:

I am so sorry for you. Was it lack of spares?

David said that the X-U was not serviceable from the very beginning , because of its construction. 

Edited June 1, 2023 by ynp

[wda]

That is an interesting revelation. Possibly due to sealing against ingress of water?

[pgk]

5 hours ago, ynp said:

David said that the X-U was not serviceable from the very beginning , because of its construction. 

This surprises me. I wonder does it mean that the camera was of fully 'sealed' construction and that it is not possible to remove sections of the internals for replacement?

[ynp]

13 hours ago, pgk said:

This surprises me. I wonder does it mean that the camera was of fully 'sealed' construction and that it is not possible to remove sections of the internals for replacement?

Yes. Precisely. It’s glued together as an unrepairable shell. And the electronics is unique for this camera. At least it’s how the situation was explained to me 

[david strachan]

If that's correct, it's a bit of crummy design making a totally permanently sealed, unrepairable waterproof camera...anyone can make a camera like that.

Next I'll hear it should never be used...just in case it goes wrong.

Pity, I used to enjoy the images some of our members posted from the X-U.

[dkCambridgeshire]

19 hours ago, ynp said:

Yes. Precisely. It’s glued together as an unrepairable shell. And the electronics is unique for this camera. At least it’s how the situation was explained to me 

If its irreparable because of water / moisture ingress, you might consider placing the camera together with a large pack of fresh silica gel, inside a sealable container – and place the sealed container into a very warm environment (boiler house) for a few days where the moisture would evaporate and be absorbed by the gel. . No guarantee the procedure would work but it's worth a try.  I once bought a s/h X-U from a well known dealer but sent it back because when tested, it was forever 'blowing bubbles' - as if water was entering the seals. And when I squeezed the body covering there were strange squelching noises – as if water was trapped in the covering. I was relieved to receive a refund. The dealer then sold the camera to another customer. 

BW, dunk 

[ynp]

1 hour ago, dkCambridgeshire said:

If its irreparable because of water / moisture ingress, you might consider placing the camera together with a large pack of fresh silica gel, inside a sealable container – and place the sealed container into a very warm environment (boiler house) for a few days where the moisture would evaporate and be absorbed by the gel. . No guarantee the procedure would work but it's worth a try.  I once bought a s/h X-U from a well known dealer but sent it back because when tested, it was forever 'blowing bubbles' - as if water was entering the seals. And when I squeezed the body covering there were strange squelching noises – as if water was trapped in the covering. I was relieved to receive a refund. The dealer then sold the camera to another customer. 

BW, dunk 

Hi , Dunk.
I know what happened with my camera. I was driving my Zodiac Hurricane RHIB hard at about 40 knots and my favourite crew put the X-U on the console. . My camera had  always been suspended in a waterproof bag on an aft seat and it survived many a year on my boats. She was taking pictures and I was occupied with the driving, did not notice it on the console. At 40 knots it’s  bumpy regardless of the sea state and vibrations and bumps  were there. 
No water ingress. When I checked the camera, it was able to record the files to the card. Just the display died…

yevgeny

Edited June 2, 2023 by ynp

[earleygallery]

I expect the issue is that Leica don't have any LCD's in stock and in any case, after repair they wouldn't be able to guarantee the waterproof integrity of the camera (same with a third pary outfit).

I took my waterproof watch for a new battery but every jeweller said they wouldn't be liable if I used it in water and it was damaged.

You could buy an old Nikonos!

[david strachan]

I have a lovely like new Nikonos III...I've certainly been trusting that above any other "waterproof" camera.

What I liked about the X-U...it had onboard flash, besides the nice images.

...

[pgk]

FWIW I used to sell Seacam housing (Austrian) in the UK. There is now one available for the SL2 and like Seacam's other housings it will be bulletproof. Downside is cost and bulk/weight. I always thought that the S cameras would be great in housings and the housing would actually have been cheaper than the camera!

My suspicion with the smaller, self-contained, 'waterproof' cameras is that whilst they are fine when new, they rely on gasket seals, not 'O' rings, which need keeping scrupulouosly clean and need washing to ensure that they do not get salt crystals forming on them as these are abrasive and will lead to mechanical damage of the gaskets. Most are probably built to last until the gaskets weep - a few years. 'O' rings are in some ways a better solution but need greater user maintainience and replacement at intervals. And lastly, even major manufacturers like Nikon with experience of building waterproof cameras struggled to ensure that products like their Nikonos RS were foolproof. The only way to keep cameras dry, even waterproof ones, is to never use them near water, or to constantly maintain them.

Vibration and impact issues are another topic. Battering in a RHIB is hard on gear!

[ynp]

My solution for a boat camera will be an IPhone. Do not want to spend on a $5k housing. 😆 

[Shane Guthrie]

My X-U stopped focusing a few years ago, because beach sand got into the focus ring or mechanism when I turned the ring in shallow beach water that had lots of sand swirling in the water. I sent it to Leica Australia who sent it to Leica Germany, and they replied that there was problem with the camera. I described the problem, and then they confirmed the focus issue. They said it wouldn’t be repaired, and they offered a new camera at a pro-rata price considering it was only a couple of years old. I considered this to be very reasonable on their behalf, so, I bought a new one, at slightly less than new price. I got the impression this would be the only time this was possible, as they were no longer for sale on the Leica web site. Perhaps I got one of the few remaining camera they kept in stock for sale when repair was not possible. I don’t know if this might still be possible now. I like the camera so much, and I’m more careful with it now.

[algrove]

I know its heresy to mention this, but other brands now market waterproof APS-C cameras.

 

Only looked into it due to planned Colorado River expedition where water is of course a concern.

Edited October 30, 2023 by algrove

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear