Brand new M8 - Totally misaligned finder

[plasticman]

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The destructive: Well I guess I only have myself to blame - not like I didn't go into this with open eyes: came home today to find the freshly delivered M8 shipped over from Ffordes after a couple week's wait. While the battery charged I fitted a lens in order to check the finder and generally play around...

 

It was actually a deep disappointment (and quite a surprise) to see immediately that the vertical alignment was totally off by a long chalk. Surprised mainly because I can't understand how Leica's quality control can let these faults through after so much controversy and so many endless problems with the camera.

 

The constructive: Now given that the fault may have arisen in transit, I'm not so keen on sending back to Solms immediately for a fix, as it may simple get knocked out again on the way back (if they can actually align a viewfinder, that is - and also wondering whether the packaging for the camera is resilient enough to withstand normal transportation). So can a local Leica expert do this job on the M8?

What really are the options - never had anything like this problem on any of my film Ms.

 

Rather sad after contemplating this for so long because of all the problems people have had, and then deciding to try to make the most of what we have now, after all, only to encounter a problem straight away.

 

Mani

[cbretteville]

Mani,

I'm sorry to hear about this. First thing you should do is to email ffordes and see what they say. If it is still under warranty talk to one of the Leica dealers in Stockholm (or ask the Swedish distributor) and see if they will ship it for you. If it isn't under warranty consider asking ffores to take it back. A friend of mine did this with an item he bought from them and they refunded him the full value of the item pluss the return shipping cost.

 

Best of luck,

- Carl

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[plasticman]

Mani,

I'm sorry to hear about this. First thing you should do is to email ffordes and see what they say. If it is still under warranty talk to one of the Leica dealers in Stockholm (or ask the Swedish distributor) and see if they will ship it for you. If it isn't under warranty consider asking ffores to take it back. A friend of mine did this with an item he bought from them and they refunded him the full value of the item pluss the return shipping cost.

 

Best of luck,

- Carl

 

Thanks for the tip Carl - I should maybe stress the camera is brand new and not one of their used items, so the warranty is definitely valid. I don't think Sweden has a distributor of it's own unfortunately - as far as I'm aware the distributor for Scandinavia is based in Copenhagen.

I've mailed Ffordes anyway - we'll see what they say.

 

Thanks again for your help - I was really hoping these sorts of problems were no longing happening.

[marknorton]

Highly unlikely to be transit related. The vertical alignment is set through the hole behind the red dot which physically moves the optical group projecting the rangefinder image into the viewfinder up and down. The adjustment is quite tight and Leica make a tool which is inserted into the locating hole and a cam moves the lens group.

 

It's an adjustment any Leica specialist can do, but of course should never have left Solms like that.

[marknorton]

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[plasticman]

Highly unlikely to be transit related. The vertical alignment is set through the hole behind the red dot which physically moves the optical group projecting the rangefinder image into the viewfinder up and down. The adjustment is quite tight and Leica make a tool which is inserted into the locating hole and a cam moves the lens group.

 

It's an adjustment any Leica specialist can do, but of course should never have left Solms like that.

 

Oh - thanks for the information Mark. I wholeheartedly agree - I was really surprised at this after all the mishaps we've read about here, and sadly disappointed to be frank. The vertical alignment isn't even close, and I spotted it after less than a second of inspection.

[cbretteville]

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I don't think Sweden has a distributor of it's own unfortunately - as far as I'm aware the distributor for Scandinavia is based in Copenhagen.

 

I'd forgotten that. The Danes handle Denmark and Sweden (at least), here in Norway we have our own, Interfoto/Farnes.

 

Fingers crossed!

- Carl

[lct]

...I was really surprised at this after all the mishaps we've read about here, and sadly disappointed to be frank. The vertical alignment isn't even close...

Reminds me of my R-D1 4 years ago. Vertical misalignments were easy to adjust by DIY though. Shame that Leica can drop at this QC level. Sorry for you Mani but at least you can send your M8 in for free i guess.

[plasticman]

Reminds me of my R-D1 4 years ago. Vertical misalignments were easy to adjust by DIY though. Shame that Leica can drop at this QC level. Sorry for you Mani but at least you can send your M8 in for free i guess.

 

Thanks LCT - Yes I had a similar problem with my RD1s (although much less severely misaligned), but it took less than an hour for me to fix it myself, and haven't had any problems since.

 

Looking through the viewfinder again last night and this morning, I simply can't understand how the camera came through QC - the alignment is so waaaay out, the double image doesn't even come close. Focussing on text at one meter that was approx 5mm high gives me two clearly separated lines of text.

 

Well, well - I'm hoping that the problem can be adjusted locally so that I don't need to send the camera away for the first of its (many?) holidays in Germany...

[epand56]

It was actually a deep disappointment (and quite a surprise) to see immediately that the vertical alignment was totally off by a long chalk. Surprised mainly because I can't understand how Leica's quality control can let these faults through after so much controversy and so many endless problems with the camera.

 

The constructive: Now given that the fault may have arisen in transit, I'm not so keen on sending back to Solms immediately for a fix, as it may simple get knocked out again on the way back (if they can actually align a viewfinder, that is

 

Mani, the same happened to me. I bought my M8 in a big shop (Leica dealer) in my town and the viewfinder was vertically misalligned. I kept it the way it was for a while since the problem was mild with short lenses, but when I bought a 90mm i had to send the camera to Solms to be fixed up because it was totally impossible to focus with a long lens.

I've got it back in two weeks and now is perfect. They realligned it spot on.

Hope this helps.

[ho_co]

Mani--

Sorry for the problem. Very surprising this late in the product cycle. They should be able to build M8s with their eyes shut. Hmm. No, better not go there...

 

My guess is that most subsequent factory visits will be voluntary, seeking upgrades and the like. I've found the M8 to be just as trouble-free as previous models, after its first requisite visit.

 

One thing can be said: Losing one out of the box builds fellowship.

[Guest volkerm]

I have received several shipments from ffordes, and most of them where not packed well. Personally, I would not send sensitive goods that way.

[jaapv]

Thanks LCT - Yes I had a similar problem with my RD1s (although much less severely misaligned), but it took less than an hour for me to fix it myself, and haven't had any problems since.

 

Looking through the viewfinder again last night and this morning, I simply can't understand how the camera came through QC - the alignment is so waaaay out, the double image doesn't even come close. Focussing on text at one meter that was approx 5mm high gives me two clearly separated lines of text.

 

Well, well - I'm hoping that the problem can be adjusted locally so that I don't need to send the camera away for the first of its (many?) holidays in Germany...

 

All M cameras are individually adjusted by hand in the last stage of production. So either the technician doing so was blind drunk - not very likely I would say- or the package containing the camera got dropped rather roughly sometime in the transport process. A rather more probable scenario. I'm sorry to hear about it. Can't ffordes simply exchange the camera? If the camera got bumped hard enough to throw the RF out of alignment it must clearly be checked by Solms to rule out any other damage.

Much as I repect Mark, in this case he is wrong. Over the years it happened to me twice, on an M4 and an M6. Dropping the camera - in a camera case- from about 2 m high threw out the vertical alignment of the RF. I suppose it shifts something inside the mechanism, a prism or mirror.

Edited February 17, 2009 by jaapv

[marknorton]

Given the bangs and knocks the camera is likely to receive while being used, it doesn't bode well if a bumpy transit to Stockholm sends it out. I still think it's more likely to be a Solms problem. The tightness of the adjustment makes it unlikely to be otherwise.

[jaapv]

Did you read the late Fritz Poelking's account of luggage-handling in his "Digitale Naturfotografie in der Praxis"? Hilarious if it were not so sad. The guys loading DHL and UPS planes are no better. No amount of damage would surprise me. Anyway, whatever the cause, I feel the camera should be exchanged rather than repaired. My experience with Leica in that respect is excellent. I once received a 35-70/4.0, brand new, with heavy circular scratching, looking like cleaning damage, on the front element. Even though it looked like I could easily have done it myself (but I didn't!), I got a new lens straight away.

Edited February 17, 2009 by jaapv

[wizard]

I have to second Jaap here. Vertical misalignment is what yout get if you bump an M too hard. Quite common, actually. And yes, I wouldn't be surprised if it happened in transit. I have seen hard shell suitcases that were bent like a banana, must have been dropped from some metres height ...

 

Andy

[delander †]

Mani,

 

Send it back to Ffordes for another one or a refund.

 

Alternatively, phone Solms and ask for them to adjust it immediately if you send it there. They may well arrange collection and delivery.

 

You've paid for it so getting it working as quickly as possible is the number one priority.

 

It is very unfortunate because you have agonised over this purchase for some time now.

 

Best of Luck,

 

Jeff

[plasticman]

Thanks everyone for support and information.

 

Ffordes have offered to replace the camera - the only alternative was sending back to Solms, according to the Leica agent in Denmark.

 

A couple of observations though:

- the box in which I received the camera is in good shape and definitely hasn't been dropped from a couple of meters height (any height, as far as I can see);

- if the camera sustains damage so easily, then maybe the packaging should be made more resilient?

 

Naturally I'm most worried that the replacement camera will also sustain some damage in transit - and then I'm back to square one. It's all a big disappointment, really, and very unlike my experience with film Ms. The journey to Sweden is hardly made over mountain and flood...

 

On the other hand, I chose a chrome M8 - the first I've seen in the flesh - and it's a beaut!

 

Mani

[jaapv]

Hi Mani! Well done! It's not surprising that the box would not show damage. It would have been in a container and it is the deceleration that does the damage. Don't worry, it is not fragile at all. You really need to drop it from distances of more that 2m when in a case or 1 m without protection onto a concrete floor to do this. That might damage the shutter as well and/or misalign the the sensor. It takes all normal wear and tear better that most other cameras.So happy shooting!

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[plasticman]

You really need to drop it from distances of more that 2m when in a case or 1 m without protection onto a concrete floor to do this. That might damage the shutter as well and/or misalign the the sensor. It takes all normal wear and tear better that most other cameras.

 

Oh well - so I guess it must've been totally inadequate quality control in that case. Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better.

 

But on a serious note, thanks for the kind words, Jaap.