Brand new M6 re-issue has dust in viewfinder and scratched mount piece

[Cam_Han]

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It also has some imperfections on the plastic parts of the crank and iso dial, and glue remnants on the shutter curtain. Bought brand new with seals at Leica store Frankfurt. The store told me I could open up another M6 if these problems bothered me, so I did and found similar problems in different places (the backplate on the other one in stock was slightly crooked which becomes apparent when compared to the one I have bought). I now accept that this is the way it is with handmade Leica cameras, though similar problems have never occurred on the various mass-produced Nikon and Fuji gear I've bought for much cheaper. Just wanted to put this out there so people don't get the illusion like I did that Leica makes "perfect" cameras like luxury watches. Also out of curiosity is the rangefinder arm supposed to be slightly tilted downwards? It appears to be so on both my MA and new M6 but to the best of my recollection it was perfectly level on my M4. This brand-new M6 also has a bit of brass showing inside the lens mount, would this possibly cause reflections while shooting (it can be seen as a bright spot under the rangefinder arm in the picture of the mount)? 

It still feels great to use and I don't regret purchasing it, just peeled off the protective plastic on the bottom plate, and now it feels properly mine.

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[Cam_Han]

On a side note, i did go to Wetzlar with my MA as i happened to be in the region this past week and Leica offered to fix some minor cosmetic issues for me free of charge. However, they managed to scratch the advance lever ring and the technician apparently slipped his tool when removing the rewind lever. A bit of caution for those looking to have their new analog Ms serviced at Wetzlar, you might be better off with a reputable professional serviceman if you are concerned with these things. 

[Huss]

Look, I have bee-yotched and whined about my new M6 because the issues with it actually mattered - they affected the film image.  It scratched film and the ISO dial could not be set correctly.  Now that it has been fixed, no problems and I love the camera.

These tiny cosmetic issues you show?  I haven't even checked my camera to see if I have anything similar because the moment I go outside and use it, just touching it will start to create wear.  That mark in the lens release tab?  That is covered when a lens is mounted, and would result from mounting/dismounting a lens.

You have every right to feel how you do, because it is your money and a very expensive camera.  But this is how Leica is.

[69xchange]

I also have two small pieces of dust in the VF and the scratch on the plastic tip of the advance lever on my brand new M6 I received earlier this week. Doesn’t bother me tho, it works perfectly!!

Edited September 1, 2023 by 69xchange

[250swb]

4 hours ago, Cam_Han said:

Just wanted to put this out there so people don't get the illusion like I did that Leica makes "perfect" cameras like luxury watches.

 

Yep, you did that or whatever.

[intangiblethings]

Definitely gonna save this thread when people go off about how their Leica is produced on some next-level quality. 

Pre-COVID Leica seems to be way more on point. 

[Huss]

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1 hour ago, intangiblethings said:

Definitely gonna save this thread when people go off about how their Leica is produced on some next-level quality. 

Pre-COVID Leica seems to be way more on point. 

Not really.  You forget about the M9 sensor debacle?  Or the fact that people had been complaining about MPs scratching film? (that was brushed off as 'impossible!' until the new M6 film scratching debacle validated it).

Without trying to sound like some sort of marketing spin, Leica is not about quality of construction but quality of experience.  Seriously, I have a bunch of cameras and the only ones that make me want to pick them up and find any excuse to go take pics are Leica Ms.

[logan2z]

58 minutes ago, Huss said:

Leica is not about quality of construction but quality of experience.  Seriously, I have a bunch of cameras and the only ones that make me want to pick them up and find any excuse to go take pics are Leica Ms.

The experience is definitely Leica's big differentiator.  And although the industrial design of the camera is a part of it, I think the quality of materials and construction are significant factors.  As an example, I have a couple of Nikon SLRs and they're very nice cameras, but in no way do they have the quality of feel of my Leica Ms.  The materials don't feel as nice, the shutter speed dial feels a bit cheap, the rear door moves in and out when I gently push on it (although it's never caused a light leak), etc.  Leicas just feel like they're in a different league build-wise.  No, they aren't perfect and sometimes there are QC issues with the cameras/lenses, but I do believe that Leica at least strives for Mechanical Perfection (to use their marketing term) but isn't always able to achieve it.  At least to me, the cameras don't feel like they're made to a price point and their prices reflect that   And I think that's a big part of the problem:  At $5K for a film body buyers expect perfection, and when they don't receive it they are rightly disappointed/disillusioned - and come on the forum to complain about it.  To make matters worse, having the issues addressed takes WAY too long.  I've said it before on the forum, but if Leica improved their QC process and provided quick turn-around time for repairs (or simply replaced cameras that are defective out-of-the-box) then buyers would have a lot less to complain about.  But when the expectation is perfection, it isn't met, and the issues take months to resolve, that leads to disgruntled customers.  Leica needs to do much better in these areas to keep justifying its high prices.

Edited September 2, 2023 by logan2z

[logan2z]

On 9/1/2023 at 9:31 AM, Cam_Han said:

Just wanted to put this out there so people don't get the illusion like I did that Leica makes "perfect" cameras like luxury watches.

Don't kid yourself.  Do a google search for macro shots of luxury watch defects (Rolex, Patek, etc.) and you'll have lots to keep you busy. 

Rule #1 when buying a luxury watch - never look at it under a loupe 

[M10R]

On 2023/9/3 at AM3點49分, logan2z said:

別自欺欺人了。在谷歌上搜索豪華手錶缺陷（勞力士、百達翡麗等）的宏觀照片，你會發現很多東西讓你忙。 

購買奢華手錶時的第一條規則——永遠不要在放大鏡下看它 

Totally agree. I bought a brand new Rolex 20+ years ago, but I found flaw (not cosmetic) in it. I sent it to Rolex and they said there was no problem. Besides, its accuracy was worst than my vintage Omega Seamaster. At that time, some friends (watch lovers) told me that new watches were worse than those produced in 70s' last century.

[Huss]

My Cartier Boxer keeps terrible time.  Loses several minutes a day.  Servicing it cost more than two CLAs for an M!  And Cartier makes sure only their official repair shops get the parts servicing.

Paid for the service one time, one time too much seeing that it apparently needs it every few years.

Sits in a drawer collecting dust...

Edited September 5, 2023 by Huss

[jakontil]

I stop stressing myself when buying leica since m240, when hot pixels in the sensor was common and leica or LR didnt really provide the mapping solution

worse is when i preview each shot through the LCD when i first thought, there was a fault or hot pixels or even dead pixels on my LCD, unboxing quite a few in store making myself so foolish, with each of them have different problem pixels location lol

[a.noctilux]

For decades, I see (and use as such) Leica M (or Leica R before those * were less than usable/perfect for the job = plenty of malfunctions)

even not "perfect" at any means, those tools work perfectly.

...

*

those Leica R not reliable untill R6,

Leicaflex SL most foolproof of all but not able to use all R lenses I used by then

[Huss]

My two Leica R-Es were rock solid, as was my R7.  Now using an R9.

The R-E was very under-rated.