Screen damage on Leica M9. Need your advise

[Alex Krasotkin]

Dear friends,

today I had a a small, but bad accident with my M9. It falled down on the icy ground from approx 30cm height, though it was in leather cover. After the accident, when I switch on the camera and found out that half of the screen is black with cracks inside, although the protection screen is totally ok and has no cracks, cracks are only inside. See attached photo.
Camera still focuces and works fine. What will be approx price for repair and do you advise to ask not only Leica Solms, but also side repairshops in Europe? Camera has no warranty.

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts and advises.


kind regards,
Alex

 

[Richard G]

Very sorry to hear of it. Hopefully not too expensive. I think your portraits still best with M9 so I hope you do fix it and not trade 'up'. Best wishes.

 

[Popey]

What a shame. I would contact Leica. If you send it back to them they might also replace the sensor with a new one. They can also check the rangefinder. It will probably come back as good as new.

 

[Alex Krasotkin]

But I guess, that changing a sensor would cost a fortune...I wonder if they can put a sensor of M10.)

 

[raid]

I would check with Leica for repair and get a cost estimate. The sensor exchange (if corroded) should be for free. Getting the M10 sensor of course is not possible.

 

[Alex Krasotkin]

Raid, many thanks for your reply. But if the sensor is corroded, the image will not appear at all, or it will be corrupted. In my case the screen inside is cracked behind the protective cover. This does not effect image itself. So I must say that camera focuses and produce images correctly.

 

[raid]

Hi Alex,
Ask Leica if such a damaged screen is covered or not by them. All depends now on the cost. The M9 sells for $2500-$3000 used. How much are you willing to pay for the screen? $500? $1000?

 

[Popey]

But I guess, that changing a sensor would cost a fortune...I wonder if they can put a sensor of M10.)

Alex,
You can tell if the sensor is corroded by taking a picture of a well lit plain surface at a small aperture. Any spots will look a bit like oil drops on the sensor. Why not visit the Leica User Forum and do a quick search?

If your M9 is starting to show signs of corrosion ( or more accurately
, delamination), then Leica will fix it for free. By all accounts, when they do this, the camera is given a thorough service and any other issues such as your damaged display can also be resolved.

Here's the announcement from the LUF concerning the corrosion issue:
http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/249569-leica-m9-corrosion-sensor-replacement-starts-now/

I think it would be worth your while contacting Leica and asking them for a quote.

All the best

Mark