Big dust particle in EVF

[LeitzcameraAG]

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Feeling quite bummed today. 

Got my Q3 3-weeks ago, and used it on my Europe trip. Absolutely beast of a camera. Love it.

Came back home, used it a few times, no issues. Picked it up today, and looked through the EVF and surprised to find a BIG, I mean actually BIG black dust particle. It is easily covering 1-2% of the EVF. Lens/Sensor is clean, checked via live-view and full-res images. 

I don't know the architecture of the EVF, but looks like it could be underneath the diopter lens and it's getting reflected larger on the EVF itself? I feel I could remove it if the rubber eyecup was removable. But not sure. 

Any suggestions? 

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[Miltz]

Hmmmm… maybe you can use something to vibrate the dust particle so it falls out of view? It was probably sealed in the camera when it was made and it got dislodged at some point in your travels. Maybe one of the rubber face massagers. You hold it next to the viewfinder for a few seconds. I’m sure we both know the proper way is to send it in to Leica, but I’m sure you also aware it would take weeks or months to get it back. 

[Simone_DF]

I had the same problem with a Q2 right out of the box. It had to be sent to Leica for cleaning, and it took about 3 weeks. Contact customer service asap.

[jankap]

Isn't there an exploded view of the construction? I assume, that one looks with a loupe on an LCD screen. Strong vibration could do it. The particle is shown sharp, so is perhaps on the screen.

Edited October 14, 2023 by jankap

[LeitzcameraAG]

5 hours ago, Miltz said:

Hmmmm… maybe you can use something to vibrate the dust particle so it falls out of view? It was probably sealed in the camera when it was made and it got dislodged at some point in your travels. Maybe one of the rubber face massagers. You hold it next to the viewfinder for a few seconds. I’m sure we both know the proper way is to send it in to Leica, but I’m sure you also aware it would take weeks or months to get it back. 

Yeah it will take a long time to get it back and not to mention, my unit is so perfectly calibrated right now, that I know if I send it back, it’ll come back without the dust particle, but I won’t recognize my own hardware. Happened to my previous Q, I didn’t feel the same way about it once it was back. Felt like a different camera. 
 

Let me try to see if I can gently vibrate and move it out of sight. 

[LeitzcameraAG]

3 hours ago, Simone_DF said:

I had the same problem with a Q2 right out of the box. It had to be sent to Leica for cleaning, and it took about 3 weeks. Contact customer service asap.

Do you recall if they replaced the entire EVF+leather covering or just cleaned the dust out somehow? 

[LeitzcameraAG]

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2 hours ago, jankap said:

Isn't there an exploded view of the construction? I assume, that one looks with a loupe on an LCD screen. Strong vibration could do it. The particle is shown sharp, so is perhaps on the screen.

Pretty sure it’s lodged on the diopter lens or whichever piece is before the EVF display itself. 

[Miltz]

4 hours ago, LeitzcameraAG said:

Yeah it will take a long time to get it back and not to mention, my unit is so perfectly calibrated right now, that I know if I send it back, it’ll come back without the dust particle, but I won’t recognize my own hardware. Happened to my previous Q, I didn’t feel the same way about it once it was back. Felt like a different camera. 
 

Let me try to see if I can gently vibrate and move it out of sight. 

I highly doubt they will send you a different camera. That’s all in your head. lol.

[LeitzcameraAG]

1 hour ago, Miltz said:

I highly doubt they will send you a different camera. That’s all in your head. lol.

No, that’s not what I mean. The calibration/feel of the camera would change once it’s been in service. Like your connection reduces. of course it’s in my head, but doesn’t mean I’m mistaken. lol 

also, I’m not talking about “oh it’s been ripped apart and put together again, it’s not new shiny anymore”. If nothing happened to my camera, I use it for years, scratch it, abuse it and even then it went for service and came back, I may feel the same reduced connection. 
 

of course it’s possible I feel even stronger connection once it’s back… but worth the risk? lol 

[Simone_DF]

6 hours ago, LeitzcameraAG said:

Do you recall if they replaced the entire EVF+leather covering or just cleaned the dust out somehow? 

I honestly don’t know. I assume it was cleaned. It was only a dust speck 

[LeitzcameraAG]

26 minutes ago, Simone_DF said:

I honestly don’t know. I assume it was cleaned. It was only a dust speck 

Was this at Leica Service center or in-house Leica store repairman? If it’s Leica service center, you must have the service document they sent right? 

[Simone_DF]

It was serviced in Wetzlar. The service document was a paper document. It’s gone, together with my Q2. 

[viramati]

Had a dust particle in the viewfinder of my Q2 and I took it into Leica Mayfair in London and got it back cleaned 2 days later. Probably the only benefit of Brexit in that leica UK do repairs of the the q series cameras in house so they don't have to send the camera back to Germany which now takes around 3 months because of customer paperwork!!