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M8 upgrade - prices from Leica's website


stunsworth

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One litle thing that I wanted is missing from the list: replacement of the vivid red dot that says "Steal Me."

 

The pictures of silver M8.2s still have red dots, as if the supplier forgot to send the new ones that are supposed to be silver.

 

I've heard that one can get a film-camera black dot (late M6TTL?) for a replacement - cost about $100. I wonder if this is true?

 

Kirk

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One litle thing that I wanted is missing from the list: replacement of the vivid red dot that says "Steal Me."

 

The pictures of silver M8.2s still have red dots, as if the supplier forgot to send the new ones that are supposed to be silver.

 

I've heard that one can get a film-camera black dot (late M6TTL?) for a replacement - cost about $100. I wonder if this is true?

 

Kirk

 

$18 bucks from DAG Camera once he gets them in stock. I have one on my M6TTL and it is nice and, well, black...:D

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Hi,

why would it be OK to have leica replace that shutter with an original model when you really want the newer quieter slower shutter and then have to ship the camera back and pay the full price for the newer shutter.

...

It just seems counter productive and overly expensive to have a failed shutter replaced with one that you are going to change out anyway.

Yes, it is in fact counter productive, and a Green boss should be aware of that. ;)

 

I think about this upgrade since it was made public. Here my (actual) thoughts about that :

My M8 #1 is under guaranty until next February. If the shutter should break before that time, i would let change it with the same old one and have a one year guaranty on this new/old shutter.

After one year, i would let upgrade it and get another year of guaranty on the whole body.

If the shutter works well till February, then i will have the upgrade made right away and have a scratch free screen in the mean time.

Same with M8 #2, some month later.

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One litle thing that I wanted is missing from the list: replacement of the vivid red dot that says "Steal Me."

 

If a thief is capable of recognising a red dot and thinking "That's a Leica, I'll steal it", he'll also be capable of recognising a Leica with a black dot, a pink dot, or no dot. Thieves are opportunists, they'll steal something that's available to steal.

 

The black dot is cosmetic, nothing else IMHO.

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If it's true that you cannot upgrade an M8 to include the delayed shutter wind, Leica has already broken their promise (or SKL's promise) to allow the M8 to be kept up to date.

 

This is not rocket science. The shutter has two electromagnets to release the first and second curtains, there are two optical sensors to sense the position of the wind on mechanism and the shutter lock and there's circuitry to run the motor and release the shutter lock. I didn't look at the circuit in detail but each of these should be under separate sense/control of the microprocessor and therefore changeable through firmware. If they have implemented hard wired logic, for example, to kick off the wind on after the shutter is closed, the micro will be powerless to stop it, in which case I would send the designer to the naughty corner.

 

We know the micro can sense the position of the shutter release in each of the positions so I doubt that's a problem.

 

I don't get it.

 

I'm passing Solms tomorrow on my way back from Audi at Ingolstadt. Perhaps I should sort them out...

 

PLEASE Mark - drop in and shown them how it can be done. I can't believe that this hasn't been thought through from an engineering perspective - and if this functionality is being withheld for purely marketing reasons I for one feel that a promise has been broken. We depend on you!

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Hi,

Yes, it is in fact counter productive, and a Green boss should be aware of that. ;)

 

I think about this upgrade since it was made public. Here my (actual) thoughts about that :

My M8 #1 is under guaranty until next February. If the shutter should break before that time, i would let change it with the same old one and have a one year guaranty on this new/old shutter.

After one year, i would let upgrade it and get another year of guaranty on the whole body.

If the shutter works well till February, then i will have the upgrade made right away and have a scratch free screen in the mean time.

Same with M8 #2, some month later.

 

If you have a shutter failure and Leica replaces it with a original shutter you don't get your warranty extended. The warranty would still be up in February.

You only get a warranty extension if you do one of the upgrades.

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I thought (and i got once) repairs are warranted.

 

You may be right but I think that only hold true after the original warranty runs out and only for the part/s that were replaced.

I could be wrong but if what you think is the case then both of my M8's are good for the next 2 years at least.

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How Leica can justify charging $330 to change the stick on body covering is beyond me. It really takes about 15 minutes to do and the materials aren't expensive. Everything else I can justify as normal expensive Leica prices, but that one seems absurd.

 

I just paid 100euro for a -1 dio correction glass on the rangefinder.

And 20 euro for a lens cap worth maybe 1eur.

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Guest kirkmingle
One litle thing that I wanted is missing from the list: replacement of the vivid red dot that says "Steal Me."

 

The pictures of silver M8.2s still have red dots, as if the supplier forgot to send the new ones that are supposed to be silver.

 

I've heard that one can get a film-camera black dot (late M6TTL?) for a replacement - cost about $100. I wonder if this is true?

 

Kirk

 

Yes you can get the black Leica dots. $100 sounds unrealistic - I got one for free from Meister Camera Berlin some time ago. DAG has them listed also.

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turnaround time:

 

does anyone have any information as to how long of a turnaround time the upgrades will take? I realize it depends on how many upgrade options a person requests...but let's say the LCD glass + shutter upgrade.

 

Yes, I'm know by the Leica Customer Care that they can make all the available upgrades in a single day, plus a day or two for testing.

The fact is, and this is just my speculation, that they'll make the upgrade by "reservation" only.

It's been told before that you have book your upgrade in order to get the camera in the fastest time. Still dunno exactly how to book except by asking via email at the Customer Care.

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Just got off the phone with Leica New Jersey - they have 100 M8 owners in line, looking at around mid-November, says they can only do about 7-8 M8's a week, 2 week turnaround. I asked if they can install parts to make the on-off switch stiffer if I pay for said parts, but she checked and the answer is no : (

 

Eric

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I spoke to Leica UK yesterday and they said they have not yet set their prices. It will very likely be more than the conversion from Euro to £stg to allow for postage and handling. When I spoke to Leica Solms, they said I could not leave my camera there for the upgrade when I drive past next Friday. Thanks a lot Leica - that is really customer orientated service. I will take it up with someone on the stand at Photokina. If we are paying top dollar or above for the equipment, the least we can expect is top dollar or above service. This is all smelling of the lens coding debacle of last year, when chaos reigned in Solms.

 

Wilson

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$1275 for shutter/framelines in the US? That's actually a bit lower than I calculated from Euros minus VAT ($1350). I'm gonna go for it - but I'll wait until after the rush is over.

 

No - actually I have a defective sensor (a bright line of pixels at ISO 320 or higher) so I guess I'll just send THAT body in for a) warranty repair (runs out Nov.) and B) have them put it in line for the upgrade at the same time. Guess I'll actually see it again in the New Year - but that's why I have 2 cameras.

 

Oh - and BLACK photo tape or SILVER duct tape cut in a small patch covers the red dot for pennies - while also adding a little low-rent, bought-from-a-junk-dealer je-ne-sais-quoi. (I got that hint direct from Martha Stewart!)

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If it's true that you cannot upgrade an M8 to include the delayed shutter wind, Leica has already broken their promise (or SKL's promise) to allow the M8 to be kept up to date.

 

This is not rocket science. The shutter has two electromagnets to release the first and second curtains, there are two optical sensors to sense the position of the wind on mechanism and the shutter lock and there's circuitry to run the motor and release the shutter lock. I didn't look at the circuit in detail but each of these should be under separate sense/control of the microprocessor and therefore changeable through firmware. If they have implemented hard wired logic, for example, to kick off the wind on after the shutter is closed, the micro will be powerless to stop it, in which case I would send the designer to the naughty corner.

 

We know the micro can sense the position of the shutter release in each of the positions so I doubt that's a problem.

 

I don't get it.

 

I'm passing Solms tomorrow on my way back from Audi at Ingolstadt. Perhaps I should sort them out...

 

Mark, please do! How was your visit to Audi? I'm itching to update the Avant soon...

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