Lets help a fellow member!!!

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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.

From: Anon Terry >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 >

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), March 20, 2002

Answers

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

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), March 20, 2002.

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.

-- Joe Brugger (jbrugger@pcez.com), March 20, 2002.

Jack:

Maybe he will have a 75 Summilux for you.

-- Mark A. Johnson (logical1@catholic.org), March 20, 2002.


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

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), March 20, 2002.

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

-- Dayton P. Strickland (daytonst@bellsouth.net), March 20, 2002.


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.

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), March 20, 2002.

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?

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), March 21, 2002.

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.

-- Doug Landrum (dflandrum@earthlink.net), March 21, 2002.

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. :)

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), March 21, 2002.

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?!

-- Patrick (pg@patrickgarner.com), March 21, 2002.


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.

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.

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.

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]).



-- Anon Terry (anonht@yahoo.com), March 21, 2002.

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.

-- Anon Terry (anonht@yahoo.com), March 21, 2002.

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.

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), March 21, 2002.

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';-)

-- Steve Barnett (barnet@globalnet.co.uk), March 23, 2002.

Dear Anon,

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).

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.

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.

Anyway, good luck whatever you do.

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@pp.iij4-u.or.jp), March 27, 2002.



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