M9 sensor replacement poll....

M9 sensor replacement poll....

  • My M9/ME still has the original sensor

    Votes: 23 22.8%

  • My M9/ME has the replacement sensor

    Votes: 78 77.2%
  • Total voters
    101
George Mann said:
Hopefully the M10 will prove to be more reliable.
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there hasnt been any corrosion issue on the M240 so M10 will probably be ok.

raid said:
I sent my M9 to Leica NJ even though I had no evidence that there was corrosion of sensor. I was lucky, and they replaced the sensor for free.
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when did you send your M9?

There's an online listing that I'm following for an M9 still with the original sensor and corrosion free. They are asking too much for it IMO (same price as an M9 with replaced sensor) but not sure if I should go for it or just keep looking for an M9 with a sensor already replaced.
 
I sent my M9 to Leica NJ in July 2018, I think. It was close to the deadline. I would NOT get an M9 with the original sensor. Subtract $1200-$1500 from its price to save for sensor replacement.
 
The only evidence of corrosion free original sensor is photo showing this original sensor at f16 or less as corrosion free. Do not trust if it is only the statement.
 
Bought my ME new in July 2013. Had the sensor replaced under warranty in 2015 because it had cracked. Knowing the warranty would run out in July 2018 early in the year I did the test for corrosion. Yep, sure enough the signs were there. Adelaide in South Australia has a Mediterranean climate, coolish winters and hot dry summers, not the conditions that favour corrosion. Camera Clinic in Melbourne replaced it for free. Hopefully I'll get a decade or more of use out of it because it most certainly will be my last digital Leica.
 
alan davus said:
Bought my ME new in July 2013. Had the sensor replaced under warranty in 2015 because it had cracked. Knowing the warranty would run out in July 2018 early in the year I did the test for corrosion. Yep, sure enough the signs were there. Adelaide in South Australia has a Mediterranean climate, coolish winters and hot dry summers, not the conditions that favour corrosion. Camera Clinic in Melbourne replaced it for free. Hopefully I'll get a decade or more of use out of it because it most certainly will be my last digital Leica.
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No evidence that humidity is the culprit. Urban legend.

One wonders whether the 4.5% who still have the old sensor have corrosion (?edges) and don't know it. Hopefully it will remain inapparent.
 
If you have an MM that is within the 5-year warranty, you'd be crazy not to have it replaced for free. As I understand it, the sensor corrosion is a matter of when, not if.
 
james.liam said:
No evidence that humidity is the culprit. Urban legend.
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The IR absorption filter in the original M9 and MM cameras was probably Schott S8612, and if not was a similar product. Once the coating is no longer integral, it allows moisture infiltration and rare earth corrosion occurs. This is mentioned in the data sheets for the Schott product and is a well described phenomenon for these types of glass. What is an urban legend about that?

I am also in Adelaide. My original MM had three sensor replacements while it was with me between August 2012 and June 2015. There is more than enough moisture in any earthly atmosphere to facilitate rare earth corrosion in IR filtering glass. Whether it happens or not probably mostly depends on the quality of the coating on the filter.

Another RFFer has my old MM now, and had the sensor replaced again immediately after he got it. I am not sure if it had a replacement corrosion prone sensor or the new corrosion resistant one. I also haven’t heard how the sensor is.

Marty
 
james.liam said:
There’s moisture in the air everywhere. A sensor can’t be made for use only on the moon and in the Sahara
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It wasn’t made to be used on the moon, and the air in the Sahara has quite enough moisture to facilitate corrosion in this type of glass. It is quite simple - Leica needed a very thin sensor stack to allow the microlenses to work. This type of glass is the easiest way to achieve that. After the M8 IR debacle Leica were very sensitive to the IR contamination issue. They thought they could coat this glass type reliably to keep the moisture out, but they were wrong.

Mistakes happen.

Marty
 
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