Official Talk Leica thread

I'd posted previously that I couldn't get my Hama DCCS wireless remote to work with my SL2. It turns out the camera was not the problem, I had a poor connection between the receiver unit and the Hama Panasonic Lead. If this connection was pulled apart slightly, it then worked perfectly, so I need to shim the connection to solve the issue completely. It's a good system with a claimed wireless range of 100m. I also found somebody else online using another system, linked as follows:

https://www.adrianstiles.com/journal/remote-shutter-release-on-the-leica-sl2-gear-talk

I don't think Leica has ever made an equivalent system, except by using the app on a mobile phone which for me is less convenient and probably has a limited range. The link above clearly illustrates the 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable adapter needed, which is a 4 pole TRRS specification.
 
Leica Q and Leica CL charging solutions. Both these cameras use the same battery which many believe, myself included, is identical to the Panasonic Lumix BLC-12 battery, I use both Leica and Panasonic at will on my Q and CL. Neither camera allows in camera charging.
Today I acquired a second hand but probably never used Hahnel ProCube 2 charger, the Fuji version in my case. I'd never really looked at this system before because of the price new. These are available in Fuji, Panasonic, Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Sony versions. Each version comes in a different colour, but the actual guts of the units are identical, with a mains charger and car charger lead included. The only difference is the battery plates which are obviously battery make and type specific. The battery plates are removeable in seconds and a new plate can be fitted, regardless of a differing camera make. Plates are typically £10-12 each new. There is a Panasonic BLC-12 plate available, which I will be ordering but no other plates for other Leica cameras. Each plate allows two batteries to charge at once and include an actual percentage charge figure for each battery. Worked perfectly on my fuji batteries and highly recommended so far, especially for users of multiple systems, that use batteries for which plates are available.
 
I don't think this is a very serious question, but I'm interested in any experiences of Leica repair costs and turn around times in the UK.

I have picked up some horror stories of waiting years for a repair, "servicing" costs of over $1000, and poor reliability, but I would be interested in any UK based examples.

As I say, I don't really think this is all that serious a question, but I keep going round in circles of wanting a Leica Q/Q2/Q3. (Q2/Q3 really, as I want the weather sealing and cropability of the larger sensor)

I can't afford one in the first place, and I am additionally put off by the repair situation. And, even if I could scrape the money together to buy one, repair costs apart, as it would replace existing cameras, I wouldn't want to see it disappear for multiple months to be repaired/serviced.

None the less, I can't come up with anything that properly fills the same niche for me, hence I keep coming back to it, even if I then almost immediately reject the idea.

A large part of that rejection is based on the repair situation, and knowing about people's experiences would be useful.
 
myotis said:
I don't think this is a very serious question, but I'm interested in any experiences of Leica repair costs and turn around times in the UK.

I have picked up some horror stories of waiting years for a repair, "servicing" costs of over $1000, and poor reliability, but I would be interested in any UK based examples.

As I say, I don't really think this is all that serious a question, but I keep going round in circles of wanting a Leica Q/Q2/Q3. (Q2/Q3 really, as I want the weather sealing and cropability of the larger sensor)

I can't afford one in the first place, and I am additionally put off by the repair situation. And, even if I could scrape the money together to buy one, repair costs apart, as it would replace existing cameras, I wouldn't want to see it disappear for multiple months to be repaired/serviced.

None the less, I can't come up with anything that properly fills the same niche for me, hence I keep coming back to it, even if I then almost immediately reject the idea.

A large part of that rejection is based on the repair situation, and knowing about people's experiences would be useful.
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I recently (last year) had one of my M9s repaired by an independant who used to work for Leica Mayfair (there his speciality party trick was demonstratiing strip and assembly of a Q in minutes in the store on open days) he replaced my shutter and did a full service for less than £500 and it was turned around in about 3 weeks. He doesn't do it full time but in his spear time as he works for a big digital filming company now. I also know he can do strip and cleaning of the D-Lux range.
 
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Topsy said:
I recently (last year) had one of my M9s repaired by an independant who used to work for Leica Mayfair (there his speciality party trick was demonstratiing strip and assembly of a Q in minutes in the store on open days) he replaced my shutter and did a full service for less than £500 and it was turned around in about 3 weeks. He doesn't do it full time but in his spear time as he works for a big digital filming company now. I also know he can do strip and cleaning of the D-Lux range.
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Thanks

That sounds acceptable to me. I've used Nikons for over 50 years now, and only had one service (shutter recall which was free, and my shutter didn't actually need fixing) and one shutter replacement (which was a Nikon 1 V2 and cost £250 many years ago).
 
myotis said:
I don't think this is a very serious question, but I'm interested in any experiences of Leica repair costs and turn around times in the UK.

I have picked up some horror stories of waiting years for a repair, "servicing" costs of over $1000, and poor reliability, but I would be interested in any UK based examples.

As I say, I don't really think this is all that serious a question, but I keep going round in circles of wanting a Leica Q/Q2/Q3. (Q2/Q3 really, as I want the weather sealing and cropability of the larger sensor)

I can't afford one in the first place, and I am additionally put off by the repair situation. And, even if I could scrape the money together to buy one, repair costs apart, as it would replace existing cameras, I wouldn't want to see it disappear for multiple months to be repaired/serviced.

None the less, I can't come up with anything that properly fills the same niche for me, hence I keep coming back to it, even if I then almost immediately reject the idea.

A large part of that rejection is based on the repair situation, and knowing about people's experiences would be useful.
Click to expand...

Probably not that helpful.. but..

I had a Lux 50 ASPH lens repaired at the end of 2021. Took iirc (...) 3-4 weeks and cost €300ish (it was de-centred)
 
Adam Bonn said:
Probably not that helpful.. but..

I had a Lux 50 ASPH lens repaired at the end of 2021. Took iirc (...) 3-4 weeks and cost €300ish (it was de-centred)
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Thanks, that doesn't sound too bad at 3-4 weeks, and I don't expect any Leica repair to be "cheap" so while £300 is a lot of money, it's still within the bounds of what I might have expected.
 
myotis said:
Thanks, that doesn't sound too bad at 3-4 weeks, and I don't expect any Leica repair to be "cheap" so while £300 is a lot of money, it's still within the bounds of what I might have expected.
Click to expand...

It was €300 (I did it all whilst I was in Portugal) so about £260ish, to be fair perhaps a little quicker/easier doing it all from within the EU
 
TP_Heads_9_Mar_26.jpg
 
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