Cost of 6 bit coding and CLA in US

[illuminatus]

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I sent 2 lenses (50mm and 90mm Summicrons) to the US workshop for 6 bit coding and CLA.  The estimate for 1 lens was $770.3!!!   They charged $602 just for labor!  When I called them the rep said the quote is probably correct.  Is this normal?

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[jankap]

Do not complain. Some years ago I send one lens for a small repair and 6 bit coding. The bill was around 400 to 500 Euros. That was in Germany.

Still longer ago, the technician, who serviced my car, said he was obsessed to own a Ferrari. I said, why don't you buy one, ask your bank, a Ferrari keeps its value. He answered, you must know, that alone the service of a Ferrari costs 7000 Euro every year.

Edited May 12 by jankap

[Robert Ardinger]

1 hour ago, illuminatus said:

The estimate for 1 lens was $770.3!!!

Cost just about that ($700) for a CLA on one of my lenses (just got the notice the work was finished).  BTW, I had dropped the lens off at the Bellevue Leica store and was given a turn around timeframe of about 6 months since the work had to go to Germany. (lens is 43 years old and well out of production).  It took almost exactly 6 months. (Customer service at the Bellevue store was great).  

As an aside, when I bought an M8 (long gone now) I received a "coupon" from Leica good for 2 lenses to be coded (also received a certificate for 2 IR cut filters!).  I had sent the recently CLA'd Lens and a much younger 34 year old lens in at the time to New Jersey and received them back with new mounts in about a week or so. (At the time, I thought they would add the coding to the original mounts somehow but they simply just changed the mounts to ones with the proper code).

[odoomi]

well I guess that's including tariffs - what do you expect? 😆

[mottykytu]

You can buy a tool that worth $20- $70 and code 10 lense by yourself ! just google it or find on youtube

Why paid that much for Leica to have exactly the same result ?

[Ecar]

1 hour ago, mottykytu said:

You can buy a tool that worth $20- $70 and code 10 lense by yourself ! just google it or find on youtube

Why paid that much for Leica to have exactly the same result ?

Self coding sometimes requires some trial and error and will often result in the paint wearing off after some time.
Leica will replace the flange with one (the "bayonet ring" in the invoice above) that has the recessed 6-bit pits and that is dimensionally identical, unlike some replacement flanges also found on eBay. In addition they will check the lens, and in particular focus calibration, to ensure that it meets the factory specs - a valuable service, especially for fast lenses.
I'm not sure this is still the case as it was several years ago, but when I sent some of my lenses for coding they returned in perfect condition and Leica had effectively performed a full CLA on them, at no extra cost.

[mottykytu]

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27 minutes ago, Ecar said:

Self coding sometimes requires some trial and error and will often result in the paint wearing off after some time.
Leica will replace the flange with one (the "bayonet ring" in the invoice above) that has the recessed 6-bit pits and that is dimensionally identical, unlike some replacement flanges also found on eBay. In addition they will check the lens, and in particular focus calibration, to ensure that it meets the factory specs - a valuable service, especially for fast lenses.
I'm not sure this is still the case as it was several years ago, but when I sent some of my lenses for coding they returned in perfect condition and Leica had effectively performed a full CLA on them, at no extra cost.

If the Cost is X10 times, I'm willing to Re-code my lens after every 3 month !

Remember that, with 50$ tool kit, you can Code 10 lens by yourself

if you sent 10 lens to Leica, it will be 2000 USD just for the coding, so the gap is HUGE HUGE HUGE !

Edited May 13 by mottykytu

[adan]

22 hours ago, illuminatus said:

I sent 2 lenses (50mm and 90mm Summicrons) to the US workshop for 6 bit coding and CLA.  The estimate for 1 lens was $770.3!!!

The base price for adding factory-grade 6-bit coding to one lens is now about $300, including the pre-machined/painted mounting ring.

That also includes an optical bench test to check the collimation and focus calibration both before and after the ring swap.

However, since Leica is going to provide a warranty covering the whole lens, for a year or 6 months (I forget which), Leica also checks for, and adjusts, any other hidden problems the lens may have developed over time (such as a misaligned aperture-index dot), to make sure the lens will not come back for another servicing within the warranty period.

(A story from around 2006-7, when 6-bit upgrades were introduced at $125 US. A long-time Leica tech told my Leica rep that that price was insanely low for the actual work he had to perform, making sure any lens went back to the owner in perfect order. He estimate Leica was losing $150-200 every time it performed a 6-bit upgrade. I guess Leica finally figured that out for themselves.)

The last 3 six-bit upgrades I got from Leica (since 2019) have ranged in quoted estimates from $0 to $350 to $650 per lens. Just depended on what Leica discovered once they inspected the lens themselves.

The $0 estimate was because Leica refused to even attempt a 6-bit upgrade (to a 1980s 28mm Elmarit v3) after the initial visual inspection.

It has minor separation (visible Newton Rings, but no effect on imaging at that time) between two cemented elements, for which Leica no  longer had spare parts, and therefore could not put "in good working order." Therefore they could not warranty the result, and therefore would not service the lens at all.

[jaapv]

There are - or used to be- Chinese pre-coded rings on eBay. However, if one uses them for DIY, there is obviously no guarantee that the lens calibration will be correct. 

[84bravo]

2 hours ago, jaapv said:

There are - or used to be- Chinese pre-coded rings on eBay. However, if one uses them for DIY, there is obviously no guarantee that the lens calibration will be correct. 

I've had good luck with the Chinese rings from eBay. They are cheap enough that if there are problems with calibration, it's really no big deal to just return to the original mount.

I've coded a 35f2 (v4), 50f2 (v4), and 28f2.8 (v4) with excellent results and about $60 total investment. YMMV

[rcusick]

Cla is worth it.  Not so sure about six bit coding if it’s not your most used lens.  I bought the self coding kit.  It works fine.