Does Leica still service R lenses in 2024?

[Anbaric]

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I guess there are some lens designs that have lubricants etc. that are more likely to find their way on to the glass, or have glass that for whatever reason goes hazy (e.g. Summars are usually worse than Elmars of similar vintage). It probably depends on storage conditions too. You can find older lenses where some examples are hazy and others not. But it's easy enough to check the one you have.

[OR120]

4 hours ago, Adam_James said:

   The 35 Summilux-R comes in today.  I’ll thoroughly inspect it as it was pretty expensive.  What system will you be using it on if you buy it?  I’ve kind of been obsessing over this lens, and have read countless articles, and done a lot of research on it.  By no means am I an expert, but I figured out exactly what years or iterations of this lens based on this forum and lens databases.  If you are looking to use it on an L mount camera, I’d look for one with ROM contacts, and silver box packaging.

Cheers,

Adam

Would use on my SL2-S

[Mute-on]

10 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

Not really. If everything is OK upon visual inspection - elements, diaphragm, focusing mechanism and performance - there is ABSOLUTELY NO NEED to send anywhere.

This is 100% reasonable and correct. However, even if there was some reason to have the lens serviced, the last place I would send it to have this done is Leica. The reality is a Leica service will cost more than it should by a multiple, take longer than it should by a greater multiple, and will probably have to go back again to get it done properly. 
Find a known to be competent independent Leica technician, and send it to them instead. I’ve used Kanto Camera in the past. YMMV. 

[hepcat]

I had Don Goldberg add the third cam to two of my R lenses last year and he cleaned and serviced them while he had them apart.   The rest of my R lenses are around 40 years old and none of them have haze or mechanical issues.  I use them on my S5 and S1 all the time.   Look the lens over, and shine an LED light into the elements.   If it's clear, it's clear.  If the mechanicals work, they work.  If it's got fog, haze, or fungus, or mechanical issues send it to DAG.

[Stuart Richardson]

I also would just chime in and say that I am also a perfectionist, and I would still not recommend sending it in unless there is a clear problem. I have been at this for twenty five years and I have had cases where I sent lenses in and they came back worse than they were to begin with. I have had this with Hasselblad and very reputable technicians. Disassembling and reassembling lenses can be a delicate affair and you are relying on the attention and care of the technician, and that may be different on different days. If the lens you have is already performing very well, I would say there is little to gain from servicing it unless it is clearly hazy or otherwise demonstrating a problem. Think of it this way -- it is elective surgery. Most of the time it is going to go perfectly fine. In a statistically small but not negligible amount of the time, something goes wrong. Manual focus, non-electronic lenses that focus smoothly and don't have visible issues do not really need service. If it is properly centered, the focus is nice, aperture works etc, I think it is best to leave it. I would say the odds that it comes back better are pretty close to the odds that it comes back worse, but with the overwhelmingly most likely outcome that it comes back performing the same, but perhaps a bit smoother and cleaner. Of course this is easier to judge if you have a reasonable expectation of what the performance should be. If you are able to read MTF charts, you can get a decent idea. The 35mm Summilux R is pretty sharp in the center at most apertures, and quite good about halfway across the frame from the center, but even stopped down it is not particularly sharp in the edges and corners. It is definitely a character lens. If the performance you experience lines up with that, then you are probably ok barring any other visible issues.

[OR120]

On 6/11/2024 at 8:38 AM, Adam_James said:

   The 35 Summilux-R comes in today.  I’ll thoroughly inspect it as it was pretty expensive.  What system will you be using it on if you buy it?  I’ve kind of been obsessing over this lens, and have read countless articles, and done a lot of research on it.  By no means am I an expert, but I figured out exactly what years or iterations of this lens based on this forum and lens databases.  If you are looking to use it on an L mount camera, I’d look for one with ROM contacts, and silver box packaging.

Cheers,

Adam

So----------- did you get the 35mm R Lux? How is it? How about some photos? 

[Adam_James]

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On 6/15/2024 at 10:15 PM, OR120 said:

So----------- did you get the 35mm R Lux? How is it? How about some photos? 

I got it in.  I’ll clean my desk off and post some pictures tonight!  It’s pretty sweet.

- Adam

[Adam_James]

As promised, here are some pictures of my newly-acquired Leica 35mm Summilux-R…

Thanks to everyone for your help,

Adam

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[Adam_James]

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Edited June 25, 2024 by Adam_James
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[OR120]

Looks very clean. Would love to see some available light portraits and maybe some night photography shots with this lens - when and if time permits. I’m always being selfish as that’s how I would use this lens. Low light/available light shots. Congratulation - enjoy your new Lux!

[Adam_James]

2 hours ago, OR120 said:

Looks very clean. Would love to see some available light portraits and maybe some night photography shots with this lens - when and if time permits. I’m always being selfish as that’s how I would use this lens. Low light/available light shots. Congratulation - enjoy your new Lux!

Now I have to save up for the R adapter L…pfft.  It never ends…

[Stuart Richardson]

Looks great. I would say that with it being ROM and given the box, that is a very late model R 35mm Summilux. A great find you have. If it is working out the box, I rally doubt you need service. It is probably less than 15-20 years old. Not quite sure when Leica started those boxes, but I think it was in the early 2000s.

[wizard]

vor 5 Stunden schrieb Stuart Richardson:

I would say that with it being ROM and given the box, that is a very late model R 35mm Summilux.

I second that. I own quite a few M lenses bought between 2000 and 2005, and they all came in the white box. I also bought an R9 and a Vario-Elmarit 28 - 90mm lens in 2007 or 2009, and that lens came in the silver package as above. So definitely no need for a CLA, That Summilux-R 35mm looks pristine and should work just fine.

[Adam_James]

According to Leica Wiki, my lens was manufactured in 2002.  I’m very grateful to have this lens…

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[rubidium]

I have owned the 1983 variant of this lens for three-and-a-half decades (dating back to my original R3) and have been everywhere with it. To this day the optics shows no haze or fungus, and the focusing ring and aperture ring work perfectly. With the R-to-L adapter, the lens was given a new life when I got my SL-2. My point being, from the appearance of your lens, I would not do anything with it except to simply take photographs - and enjoy it. It appears to be in great shape, so mount it and do some shooting. As others have mentioned, why take the risk of having someone disassemble it when it's clearly not necessary?

Jim

[dkCambridgeshire]

16 hours ago, Adam_James said:

Now I have to save up for the R adapter L…pfft.  It never ends…

Unless you are using ROM zoom lenses, it's a lot cheaper to buy a good quality non-ROM R to L adapter and enter the R lens type into the camera manually via the camera menu's  'lens profile' options.  URTH R to L adapters cost £45 and I.M.E. are as good as Novoflex adapters. The ££ saved could help fund another R lens. £690 for a Leica R to L ROM adapter is expensive and it does not transmit selected aperture. 

dunk

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[Adam_James]

3 hours ago, rubidium said:

I have owned the 1983 variant of this lens for three-and-a-half decades (dating back to my original R3) and have been everywhere with it. To this day the optics shows no haze or fungus, and the focusing ring and aperture ring work perfectly. With the R-to-L adapter, the lens was given a new life when I got my SL-2. My point being, from the appearance of your lens, I would not do anything with it except to simply take photographs - and enjoy it. It appears to be in great shape, so mount it and do some shooting. As others have mentioned, why take the risk of having someone disassemble it when it's clearly not necessary?

Jim

Thanks for the good advice.