Leica CM is not repairable

muf

muf

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Hi all,

I've been considering purchasing a Leica CM recently. I was concerned about the rarity of these beasts and asked Leica to confirm if they are repairable. I didn't want to outlay the best part of £500 to discover that it was not repairable. Leica UK have confirmed that the CM is NOT repairable but that the Minilux is. I'm quite shocked tbh. This has prompted me to purchase a Leica Minilux for a third of the price of a CM. If I get any problems(i.e E02 failed shutter) then I have money to spare to get it repaired. Am I the only who is shocked at this discovery? I would have expected more lifespan on something that only ceased production 4 years ago.
 
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must have gotten it mixed up... the Minilux was made in Japan.... in a Leica facility or perhaps third party? the CM was made in Germany...
 
I can definitely sympathize with you on this. I've wanted a CM since they first came out but they were crazily overpriced from day one. I managed to hold my CM-lust in check, hoping to find a "reasonably priced" one on the used market one day. They've been so very rare on the used market I wonder just how many were sold by Leica, probably not many. A long time ago, probably two years ago by now, I found one, still overpriced, but I was deciding to just go for it when I heard they were no longer serviced by Leica AND that there was a mystery electronic illness they suffered from.

* Hope its not the same electronic board used in the M7! ;) * (Shameless reference to another current thread at RFF) :D
 
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Mine was repaired about a year ago. I bought it second hand without warranty but Leica fixed it for free.
Great little camera. Much better then the Minilux.

Cheers,
Michiel Fokkema
 
There was definitely a fault with earlier serial numbers where the battery meter was showing as empty/flashing even with fresh batteries. If my memory serves me correctly they fixed that under warranty.

As for the rest of this thread, it would be worrying if it's true. This was Leica's last film compact, it's even nicer than the Minilux, it was slightly higher spec and unlike the Minilux was actually made in Germany. It would be an odd state of affairs if they'll keep repairing those E02 errors on the Minilux but won't touch the CM with a barge pole.

I have a CM so I'm interested in any feedback anyone has in case (god forbid) it goes wrong. Lovely camera.
 
To be honest, I was sure that Leica would respond saying that the CM is repairable. I couldn't expect them to guarantee this indefinately as there are electronics involved and those things have been known to give up the ghost especially after a significant length of time. I think the last CM's were manufactured in 2007, so it's very poor form for Leica to admit that they can't repair them any more. I noticed a thread at another forum back in July 2007 when the problem was known then! And here's me thinking It's a new revelation! I'm shocked at how quickly they've pulled the plug on this camera.
http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/customer-forum/29107-leica-cm-problem.html
It's a shame because I was really looking forward to getting my hands on one. I started getting suspicious when I was drawing a blank in my search. I suspect this must have been a flop for Leica, probably selling a small number of them. Looks like they've quickly drawn a line under it and moved on...
 
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if the camera stopped production 4 yrs ago, aren't they at least obliged to provide service support for 5yrs? Can't rem which piece of legislation it is....
 
I purchased a Leica CM through classifieds, and it broke. The aperture blades are stuck at the smallest aperture, regardless of manual settings or changes in light.

I contacted Leica NJ and Leica Germany directly; neither will repair the camera. Essex Camera and Nippon Camera in my area will not repair it either. I even contacted Japanexposures to see about the lens being converted. No luck. Dead camera. $540 down the drain.
 
I just read in another thread that Bellamy at Japan Camera Hunter might know of a place to have the CM repaired. I will try and report the progress.
 
lic4 said:
I just read in another thread that Bellamy at Japan Camera Hunter might know of a place to have the CM repaired. I will try and report the progress.
Click to expand...

Ok, so Bellamy does NOT have a source for Leica CM repairs.
 
Just bought a Leica CM, tested it in front of the seller and everything was ok. The next day, first 10 photos of the first roll came ou but after that the iris got stuck at f5.6 and then at f22. Then EI shut01 error and gone :(
Called leica repair and they said no repair parts available, sorry. I went to a repair guy in Oporto, he looked at the camera and smiled, said to me wait a second and went in. After 5 minutes he came out and said to me that the soft cable that links the camera to the lens is broken and that he will try to make a new custom cable. If I get good news from him I will let you know.
 
RSilva said:
Just bought a Leica CM, tested it in front of the seller and everything was ok. The next day, first 10 photos of the first roll came ou but after that the iris got stuck at f5.6 and then at f22. Then EI shut01 error and gone :(
Called leica repair and they said no repair parts available, sorry. I went to a repair guy in Oporto, he looked at the camera and smiled, said to me wait a second and went in. After 5 minutes he came out and said to me that the soft cable that links the camera to the lens is broken and that he will try to make a new custom cable. If I get good news from him I will let you know.
Click to expand...

wow that is pretty ridiculous. the minilux was known to have the E02 issue which is the lens ribbon cable slowly deteriorating and causing the shutter to misfire or something. The CM was the newer model and should have fixed that. that is pretty disappointing from a person who bought into such an expensive camera. (The CM is worth at least a couple of times more than the minilux too)

time to repair it yourself: http://www.minoltakid.com/12
 
I owned a CM and sold it not long after it was discontinued when the practice of non-repair started. The issue involved a key part (parts) that are no longer EU compliant. I was very annoyed, sent lots of notes to people I know at Leica. It was one of the worst customer focused moves I've seen Leica make, chopping off premium compact buyers at the knees.

Great camera BTW. Lens is terrific. VERY quiet as well.
 
I received a call from the repair centre today to tell me how much the repair would be :)
I never felt so happy about receiving such a call, it means they will do the task!
So let´s wait and see... crossed fingers!
 
Received my Leica CM today already repaired! :)
"Fototécnica" in Oporto repaired the camera in less than 24h, the same camera Leica would not repair because they don´t have spare parts for it. The technician was not there but the invoice mentioned "repair of the shutter circuitry". This is good news because owners of the Leica CM that receive the "EI SHUT01 error" still have an option to get their camera repaired.
 
That's one of the best post's I've seen for years. It gets so depressing to read about all those cameras being junked. I hope they do a mail order service.

Regards, David

PS So now you wonder about all the other repairs that have been refused over the years.
 
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