an_austrian
Member
I just thought I'd share some experience here, particularly as I couldn't find any information myself on this when I tried to figure out what to expect, price wise.
So here goes:
I had purchased a Summicron 35 V3 on ebay in late 2010. The surprise when I opened the box: the focussing tab had a crack through the entire width in the middle of it.
So in January or so the crack must have penetrated the whole piece of plastic as one half of it came off.
A screw thread, with the head of the screw hidden inside the lens, was visible, as it must have been in the crack's way.
The guys at Leicashop Vienna (Austria) estimated that the repair of "the focussing tab of a Summicron 35 should be around 120 euros, after tax". ( currently: 120 euro= 165 USD)
When I turned up in the shop they were all"We'll have to see if we can repair this at all" - because it's not a new Summicron, that is! I admit that it didn't occur to me mentioning it wasn't, but I was quite surprised by their assumption. How many people buy their Summicrons new?
They said they'd try to put the tab of a 'cron 35 ASPH on it, if it wouldn't work, they'd try to order an old, appropriate one from Solms (nearest Leica factory - in Germany), which would take about 4-6 weeks.. this seemed absurd to me, as the shipping can take no longer than 3 days, really.
They made it sound like 120 euros wouldn't suffice, either,At least that's the impression I went home with.
Anyway, one week later, 2 days ago, They called me, told me that using the ASPH's tab worked, costs: 70 euro.
What a nice surprise!
That was the important thing I wanted to conve: the information, what the costs of such a repair in one case.
The whole Solms thing with long waiting, too, as this struck me as curious.
Retrospectively, I must say I should have told them to lubricate the focus ring anew, as it is not as smooth as the ones of other 'crons I've tried.
Conclusion: Leicashop left a good impression with me, and I'm looking forward to using my RF again (the 35 being my only lens - anyone happen to have an inexpensive 50mm to spare?) in the upcoming days.
So here goes:
I had purchased a Summicron 35 V3 on ebay in late 2010. The surprise when I opened the box: the focussing tab had a crack through the entire width in the middle of it.
So in January or so the crack must have penetrated the whole piece of plastic as one half of it came off.
A screw thread, with the head of the screw hidden inside the lens, was visible, as it must have been in the crack's way.
The guys at Leicashop Vienna (Austria) estimated that the repair of "the focussing tab of a Summicron 35 should be around 120 euros, after tax". ( currently: 120 euro= 165 USD)
When I turned up in the shop they were all"We'll have to see if we can repair this at all" - because it's not a new Summicron, that is! I admit that it didn't occur to me mentioning it wasn't, but I was quite surprised by their assumption. How many people buy their Summicrons new?
They said they'd try to put the tab of a 'cron 35 ASPH on it, if it wouldn't work, they'd try to order an old, appropriate one from Solms (nearest Leica factory - in Germany), which would take about 4-6 weeks.. this seemed absurd to me, as the shipping can take no longer than 3 days, really.
They made it sound like 120 euros wouldn't suffice, either,At least that's the impression I went home with.
Anyway, one week later, 2 days ago, They called me, told me that using the ASPH's tab worked, costs: 70 euro.
What a nice surprise!
That was the important thing I wanted to conve: the information, what the costs of such a repair in one case.
The whole Solms thing with long waiting, too, as this struck me as curious.
Retrospectively, I must say I should have told them to lubricate the focus ring anew, as it is not as smooth as the ones of other 'crons I've tried.
Conclusion: Leicashop left a good impression with me, and I'm looking forward to using my RF again (the 35 being my only lens - anyone happen to have an inexpensive 50mm to spare?) in the upcoming days.
Pastor Chris
Well-known
It is always nice to have good experiences at a local shop. FYI those tabs and other simple parts, can often be found on Ebay as well. Also info on basic repairs can be found on the net as well, such as lubricating your focus ring. I would never try to do anything internally to a nice lens, but simple mechanical fixes are not out of most peoples' reach. Enjoy your lens!