My 1 week old M9 crash :(

[Renzsu]

Look at this M9, from one of our members.. doesn't it look pretty like that? That's what happens with cameras that are used the way they were intended 🙂

Live with the blemishes, but be smart and get some insurance for your equipment, in case it drops another time and the damage is more than skin-deep.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Turn it round. There could have been real damage, stopping the camera working How would you feel then?

Sure, I felt physically sick when I first saw the black paint on the top of my M8.2 gouged by the foot of a finder that came loose andd scratched up the top of the camera in the bag (the bag was being carried in a Land Rover in Croatia at the time). But that soon passed, and after a day or two, the marring was a 'mark of honour' as on many of my other cameras, showing that they are just cameras, not jewellery.

Cheers,

R.

 

[sper]

Send the kid to Leica, keep shooting with the camera.

 

[jsrockit]

I can understand getting upset that you dented your $7000 camera soon after you bought it... it sucks, but it isn't worth repairing. Seriously, if you bought it to use it... it'll get more wear on it. It happens, but I can sympathize.

 

[swoop]

I dropped my M9 the first week I had it too. But it was 3 feet from my hand onto a carpeted floor while covering fashion week.

I dropped it again two months after buying it. This time onto concrete while running away from the spray of a fire hose while covering a fire. It was completely destroyed and so was I. It took about 3 weeks to get the estimate and Leica said it would cost too much money in parts and labor to fix, so they offered me a new one at cost which after taxes was about $4300 dollars. I had to sell my M8, some stocks and dip into savings to replace it but it was worth it.

About 2 weeks after getting my spanking new in box M9 the sensor died, while I was on assignment no less. I sent it in and they fixed it for free and had it back to me within a week.


If your camera is still usable I would go on using it. If it's damaged in such a way that it seems to have something loose, I'd send it in.

My son is two weeks old. My biggest fear is dropping him.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

I sympathize with the OP to an extent...it's kind of hard, if you spent most of your life living really close to the bone, to adjust to the idea of using the hell out of something that costs so much. To get to a point where it doesn't feel like you're carrying around a paper sack containing seven thousand dollars in cash.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

My son is two weeks old. My biggest fear is dropping him.

I fell down the stairs with my infant son once. Just terrifying. But they turn out to be incredibly sturdy, babies. Way more so than cameras.

The kid survived:

Owen plays-1 by mabel.sound, on Flickr

 

[Bobfrance]

Should have got the M9Ti 😉

 

[zauhar]

Hey, my M3 CAME with a dent!

But honestly, it will make my heart sink when I damage it further.

I agree with all the folks above - you will get over it soon.

Randy

 

[btgc]

My friend, who regularly buys new cars, says that he can not relax until he gets his first bump or scratch (an inevitability in Slovakia - but that's another story!)

When your friend gets new car, feel free to tell him I can speed-up process of liberation, happen I driving somewhere near your city 🙂

 

[B.S.]

Yeah, that baby's ruined. Lucky for you I'm in the market for some M9 parts and will even pay you up to one thousand dollars for the tainted camera.

 

[arunrajmohan]

just4fun:

Be glad that the camera works. Things could have been worse.

That being said, I can empathize with you. Incidents like this sometimes breaks the heart. But time will take care of that. Just go out show the dent to everyone and tell 'em what happened. Boast that your Leica is built like a tank. Cheers.

 

[Thardy]

Could you post a photo of the damage?

 

[nobbylon]

Just4fun,
If it helps you feel better, I chipped the edge of the glass on my Submariner after 10 yrs and was still gutted. Another 15 have passed, the chip is still there and it's still ticking.
Enjoy your M9 and don't worry about the cosmetics. It's a great camera.

 

[ChipMcD]

Don't bother! You will have the camera for many years, and this is just the first of many blemishes that will give it character. If you pay money for a cosmetic fix, you'll just want to do the same next time you damage it.

Be glad you've already passed this milestone.

+1 on this. My X-1 got scratched within the first 2 weeks. Now I can relax about it and just use it.

 

[eleskin]

I like the brassed used look. Very tool like!

I like the brassed used look. Very tool like!

As long as the beast has clean glass and functions! Hell, in a few years, when I get my first M9 after my 2 M8's die (one has 80,000 exposures and is running STRONG) i will actively be seeking a brassed worn finish. I only care about the guts of the camera and its ability to shoot! I bought my first M8 new at $4,700 USD. My second one was $2,000 used Ebay. When I get a well worn M9 , perfectly functional, I expect the same level if price savings in percentage as I got with my second M8.

By the way, If protecting a camera is your goal, nothing works as well as many layers of black electrical tape. Since the camera was painted, get some bondo and repaint if it bothers you. Frankly, I would just use the camera and forget it!

 

[ashfaque]

This goes to my list of funny threads! 😀

 

[eleskin]

I like the brassed used look. Very tool like!

I like the brassed used look. Very tool like!

As long as the beast has clean glass and functions! Hell, in a few years, when I get my first M9 after my 2 M8's die (one has 80,000 exposures and is running STRONG) i will actively be seeking a brassed worn finish. I only care about the guts of the camera and its ability to shoot! I bought my first M8 new at $4,700 USD. My second one was $2,000 used Ebay. When I get a well worn M9 , perfectly functional, I expect the same level if price savings in percentage as I got with my second M8.

By the way, If protecting a camera is your goal, nothing works as well as many layers of black electrical tape. Since the camera was painted, get some bondo and repaint if it bothers you. Frankly, I would just use the camera and forget it!

 

[Turtle]

I once owned a MP-3. Stunning, beautiful camera. As soon as I bought it I had to decide to attach a strap or not and rub off the pain on the retro lugs. I did this and winced just because the first marks would be made by me deliberately, but then it got scratched banging against the buckle as I bounced down dirt roads in Afghanistan and picked up the usual marks... just like a camera should.

These things are not 'damage' but history. I bought the MP-3 with the vit and lux because it was cheaper than all three and I used it like any other camera, but sold it later to fund other things (like the 24 lux). Am I silly bec I could have put it in a box and made an extra $4K off it? *%$K no! Instead there is a MP-3 out there with a real history that has really been used for real prints on gallery walls being seen by real people. That gives me a strange sense of pleasure.

Perhaps commit to doing something really challenging with your M9. Use this wonderful tool to inspire you to excel and push outside of your envelope. Give your Leica some real history!

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I was let it crash on the ground while trying to pickup my son to bed.
The camera is fine but it has a little chip on the edge top left

(...)

I emailed Leica and they said the warranty will not cover, I can however send it i and they can give me an estimate...

So, The camera is fine, but just a little damage, look not too bad...
So it it were you,
- You keep go on using it?
- Send in for repair with a cost?
- or try to repaint or cover it yourself?
- Bring it to local Leica guru to fix it?

I am very sad, My wife was going to buy me a Rolex (for anniversary) but I said I want an M9 so she did, and now I don't know how to tell her 🙁

Tell her you dropped it when you picked up the boy. It would be a good lesson about owning up to whoopsies. Gravity happens.