Lets help a fellow member!!!

[kristian dowling]

Below is an email I have just recieved from a fellow member, Anon. The email is self explanatory and I think it would be nice to offer Anon some words of advice and support in Leica's favour. Maybe we can renew his faith in the cameras most of us love so dearly.

Anon was initially inteding to purchase the 35/1.4 Asph.

 

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From: Anon Terry <anonht@yahoo.com>

>To: leicashot@hotmail.com

>Subject: Re: Response to WTB: 35/1.4 ASPH

>Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 09:07:36 -0800 (PST)

>

>Hey Kristian, thanks for your note. Actually it seems

>that this isn't going to happen... last week my

>remaining working M6 had its shutter speeds go funny

>during a shoot (1/15 would occasionally, like every

>7th or 8th shot, fire at 1/8). This is the latest in

>a long line of problems I've had with Leicas... I'm

>dumping everything and going back to Nikon.

>

>Anon

>

[jackflesher]

Anon: What are you selling, and how much do you want for it?

[graham_line]

I expect Terry is fully capable of making his own decisions. There are

many reasons for choosing a piece of equipment, the reasons differ

from person to person, and there is nothing worse than something that

doesn't work.

[mark-j]

Jack:

 

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Maybe he will have a 75 Summilux for you.

[jackflesher]

Mark: LOL! If the price is right, I may take yet another test-spin!

[dayton_p._strickland]

Anon, I just recently dumped a complete and very expensive Nikon

system in favor of Canon because of terrible reliability problems with

the Nikons and the inability of Nikon USA in Melville to resolve them.

I also shoot a Leica M-6 and feel that if I ever have a problem it can

easily be resolved compared to the computer-packed SLRs or today.

Something to think abo

[douglas k.]

I don't know how it "helps" this person if we try to talk him into

keeping gear which is obviously not satisfying him. If I lost

confidence in a piece of equipment, I'd dump it in a heartbeat.

[kristian dowling]

Wasn't quite what I had in mind guys, but hey, these are your

opinions. So how about reliability issues for the rest of you? Any

problems more with one camera compared to another?

[doug_landrum]

I just got the M3 DS and Rigid Summicron 50 that my father gave to me

back form Sherry Krauter. It's unbelievably perfect. The Sherry

CLAed Summicron (2nd generation) produced images that rival my 3rd

generation Summicron 50 purchased with my M6.

Anon, before you dump your Ms, call Sherry.

Sherry Krauter

Golden Touch Camera

118 Purgatory Road

Campbell Hall, New York 10916

845-496-8834

She loves to talk Ms and is very helpful. Call in the evenings up to

midnight or 1:00 am New York time. You owe it to yourself to see if

a quick repair will get you going. A full Sherry CLA to a lens or a

body is a masterpiece.

[kristian dowling]

Thaks Doug. I hope that can help Anon, if not to keep him using

his M, but so it can be fixed before selling it. We surely don't want

any dud M's floating the S/H market. :)

[pcg]

Anon, think thrice before dumping everything Leica. I know from

personal correspondence w/ you that your depth of photo

knowledge is vast & impressive. So if the camera body is failing,

you know as well as any of us where to go for repairs & how to

proceed. So I suspect something else is afoot. But a good CLA

from Sherry or DAG makes sense. My M3 & M6 have never failed

over the course of 20 years (M3) or 5 yrs (M6), though I've had

DAG CLA the M3 twice in that time... A couple Nikons in the

same period were genuine lemons, & I finally "dumped" the

whole Nikon system many years ago. Who knows, huh?!

[anon_terry]

<p>Hi guys, thanks for the support. Maybe a little more history

would be in order. I first got into Leicas around 1998. Since that

time, I have bought four new in box M6s. Of these four, two were

returned/exchanged before ever seeing film, because of manufacturing

defects. One had a misaligned rangefinder and the other, believe it

or not, had a misaligned body assembly, meaning that the front and

rear rectangles between which the shutter runs were not aligned, such

that the corners of my pictures were cut off (I like to print full

frame). This latest one to mess up was the last one I bought new,

and it worked fine for the last 6 months before I noticed the shutter

problem. It might have started happening earlier but I failed to

notice due to the fact that I usually shoot prints with this body (my

slides body is in for CLA at the moment). OK, now that's just the M

side of the story. I have also bought two R6.2s and one R7, all new

in box. My first R6.2 had its mirror detach from the assembly during

a shoot. It was fixed under Passport. I actually demanded that

Leica replace the body, but Ms. Olesin stated that it looked like it

was done on purpose (I was speechless at how thinly veiled that

accusation was) and said no replacement was warranted. So when I got

it back I sold it and replaced it with my second R6.2. When I

received this unit, naturally I inspected it immediately. And of

course inspection of a mechanical camera includes testing the slow

shutter speeds. Well, on the 6th wind or so, the film advance

jammed. Off it went to Leica USA, and this time, they sent me a new

in box replacement which I also sold. Then I tried an R7 which I

bought mint used. Within one week it began to power off

intermittently, and my best efforts at cleaning the battery contacts

(which were pristine but I did it anyway) and changing the batteries,

etc., failed to solve the problem. Off it went to Leica USA, where

the electronics were replaced at the tune of $400. I sold it as soon

as it came back.</p>

 

<p>I don't of anyone who has the number of problems that I do with

this stuff, so I'm chalking it up to bad luck. I want to be able to

use Leicas, and as you can see I have tried my best, but I use my

cameras to put food on the table and these sorts of problems are

simply unacceptable.</p>

 

<p>Counter to Dayton's experience, my own experience with Nikon has

been flawless. Before I went Leica I had two N90s bodies with 28/2.8

and 80-200/2.8, used them hard, and never had a single problem with

any of it. Nikon Professional Service here in CA is also very

efficient and helpful.</p>

 

<p>Thanks again for the support. I will still stop by from time to

time to see if I can contribute to anything (and I promise to try to

keep the sarcasm as low as possible... [grin]).</p>

[anon_terry]

BTW don't worry about dud Ms, I've just sent in the above referenced

M6 to Leica for repair and my remaining R7 seems to work fine. But

I'm not taking any more chances, as soon as everything comes back

they'll be on the auction block. I already have two Nikkors on the

shelf waiting to get to work (28/1.4 and 85/1.4), and I'm trying to

decide between a pair of ol' faithful N90s bodies or the F100.

[bobtodrick]

I've owned Leica, Nikon and Olympus, as well as Mamiya 645. It is

funny how sometimes it seems as if a certain brand and person just

don't mix. My best cameras have been the Leica's (I shoot probably

300 roll a year), though none of the 35mm have given 'bad' service.

But the Mamiya - hoo boy. I tried using them for about 3 years and

in this time, with two different bodies (1000s and 645J) I had the

shutters replaced a total of 6 times. It seemed every 6 months or

so they shutter would just quit - 4 times on one body, twice on the

other. Yet I know a handfull of working pros who swear by the

things. If I was anon Terry I'd run screaming from these things.

[steve_barnett2]

Bob

You have a good point about certain people and certain cameras, a

little bit 'spooky' but I think true. I can honestly say that in

thirty years of photography I have never had anything go wrong with

a camera (touch wood) other than little things I can fix myself.

This covers both Leica, Hasselblad, Nikon, Bronica, Canon, and

Gandolfi, and all getting hard use. But some people do, somehow or

other, manage to create havoc with a cameras innards that others who

may try will never emulate. I'm not saying there are no bad cameras,

but maybe more people should read 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle

Maintainence';-)

[Alex_Es]

Dear Anon,

 

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These are stories that keep one from sleeping. I've had an M6

shutter freeze on me (after 12 years of hard labor) and you cannot

believe the repair rip offs offered me here in Japan. I'm sending it

to-- Tell you later. But in some 18 years of Leica use my Ms have

led a pretty Newtonian existence. Few probs--and those that were

were my fault most of the time (bicycles and rangefinders don't mix

well).

 

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I have a wild idea Anon. If you must toss the M6 bodies (and I

suggest not doing it) keep the lenses and use them on a Bessa T or a

Bessa R2 when it comes out. They're cheaper than Leica bodies,

pretty well made and are cheap to repair. You can use them as

secondary cameras to your Nikons. I can vouch for the T. It's a

kitchen table repairable camera. I had to tighten the scews to the

external finder shoe right after I got it and replaced the rubber

covering on the grip of the Triggerwinder with leather after the

former came off. Focusing is spot on, though I've taken it on a

bicycle.

 

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Anon, your stories horrify me. I've had similar experiences with

Olympuses--all bought used--except the one made by Cosina. But I

cannot believe that certain brands and people don't mix--that sounds

a bit too supernatural. Where have you been buying your Leicas?

That may explain things.

 

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Anyway, good luck whatever you do.