Replacement hotshoe for M9

[Nooby]

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I purchased an M9 with a broken hotshoe, namely the left tab with the serial number on it. Is there some type of part that I can replace it with to regain hotshoe functionality? I want it for possibly attaching a thumb grip, not for an actual flash. Thanks in advance for any insight!

[jaapv]

As the serial number is engraved on the hot shoe this is not a simple part to find. Leica will always retain the old hot shoe when replacing the top for instance and will never send out a spare one. Your only chance is buying a broken M9 for spare parts or use it without thumb  grip -I have never used one. Or send it to Leica for repair. 

[Nooby]

Dang. I reached out to Leica and they said they won't accept cameras for repair that have an illegible or non-existent serial number engraving so it seems I'm out of luck. I got such a good price on it I jumped at it but maybe it wasn't such a good idea.

[dpitt]

33 minutes ago, Nooby said:

Dang. I reached out to Leica and they said they won't accept cameras for repair that have an illegible or non-existent serial number engraving so it seems I'm out of luck. I got such a good price on it I jumped at it but maybe it wasn't such a good idea.

Why is that? The serial number is in the EXIF of every file this M9 makes. So Leica can identify it easily if they want. Not sure how this serial can be changed in the FW, but I can imagine it is pretected and can only be done by Leica, as it should be.

Edited October 8, 2023 by dpitt

[dpitt]

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

... Your only chance is buying a broken M9 for spare parts or use it without thumb  grip -I have never used one. Or send it to Leica for repair. 

With a little bit of luck you can find a M9 with a dead sensor. I have seen some in bad cosmetic condition with dead sensor go on ebay for €500-ish. Because of the sensor corrosion issue, lots of users try the third party repair option. When this fails, it results in a dead sensor that can not be replaced or repaired. Even after removing the hot shoe, its parts value will be largely unchanged, I presume.

[insomnia]

vor einer Stunde schrieb Nooby:

 I got such a good price on it

This might be strongly related  If you don't have any documentation stating its serial number I would suppose it was stolen at some point. I think with the M9 you can also read out the serial number from the files in case you want to further inquire.

[Topsy]

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There is a thumb grip that sticks to the back of the top plate not using the hotshoe, I think it is called a "Thumby".

[Nooby]

The one I bought comes with the box with documentation which Leica says the serial number can also be found on but the customer service rep specifically said in their email that it has to be visible and legible on the physical body. They even asked the repair manager who told them that for them to "repair the camera or replace the hotshoe, the serial number would need to be readable" by the techs, and that "cameras with no or illegible numbers are unable to be repaired" which I assume was their way of saying we won't replace your hotshoe because that's what I originally asked them.

[jaapv]

I would talk to Leica CS Wetzlar. The serial number can easily be read in the firmware, even in EXIF. 

[Nooby]

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

I would talk to Leica CS Wetzlar. The serial number can easily be read in the firmware, even in EXIF. 

I will try. I sent a message to customercare@leica. I don't know if that's what you meant but it was the email provided on the Leica Germany page as opposed to the Leica US provided repair@leica that I emailed previously.

[jaapv]

You can also Phone (Skype) them. Note the time difference. Their English is excellent. 

[69xchange]

I believe they won’t repair it because they are worried about possibly a second hot shoe with the same serial number circulating around. Someone can easily swap the hotshoe with a broken one, save/keep the original and ask Leica for a “second copy”. This may lead into a many issues for them in the future.