What do you do with a dead M8

[former member]

Oh, a funny.

I wonder if I could rip the sensor out, keeping the meter, the wonderful 1/8000 shutter and RF mechanism, and install a film advance and rewind mechanism.

I'd have a film M8.

It was easier to do with a Kodak.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84251&highlight=flash+imprint

But I could take a crack at yours.

 

[tlitody]

you can keep it in the bag as a burglar decoy ;-)

Why? Don't they bother with old generation digital kit? I guess it has zero value.

 

[Ben Z]

umm, yeah, but at what cost?

That is a big issue. Leica is not known for economical repair costs.

I waited good and long, for M8 prices to drop into my "discretionary dollar range", and for Leica demo units to appear, with warranty. The warranty expired in April for my camera.

...V

For the LED, it might not be that big of an expense. The display is a replaceable unit in the vicinity of the frameline masks, requires some disassembly under the top plate, but nothing as radical as a shutter replacement, and that (IIRC) is around $700. You might also contact Don Goldberg. He might be able to handle replacing the finder display, and do it cheaper than Leica. But first I'd soak Leica with plenty of tears and honey and see if they'll at least partially goodwill the repair.

As for next year and beyond, as with anything out of warranty, it comes down to cost of repair vs cost of replacement. Only you can decide at what point to "total" it. The big issue long-term will probably be the availability (or lack thereof) of various electronic subassemblies. These were made by outsourcers, and presumably Leica has a supply of spares, but when they're gone it isn't likely that replacement will be an option, at least not so it makes economic sense. That's the big problem with being led to believe that an M8 or M9 or M10 is a digital equivalent of the all-mechanical film M bodies. A craftsman will always be able to replicate some part for an M6 to keep it running, even if the meter circuit is unrepairable. All it takes is one unreplaceable circuit board and an M9 will be a doorstop. I think of these cameras as, once I've shot the equivalent in film and processing, disposible. If they're still running, from then on it's gravy.

At some point I suspect dead M8's may always have some salvage value as parts donors.

 

[victoriapio]

Send it to Leica and find out it will cost. They will ship it back if the cost is prohibitive. And yes, a sob story might help.

umm, yeah, but at what cost?

That is a big issue. Leica is not known for economical repair costs.

I waited good and long, for M8 prices to drop into my "discretionary dollar range", and for Leica demo units to appear, with warranty. The warranty expired in April for my camera.

...V

 

[ruby.monkey]

Advertise it on eBay as 'minty'.

 

[JohnnyT]

Make a film camera with? 🙂

Or... Change the top, and sell it as a dead M9... Would worth more... 🙂

 

[f16sunshine]

One more vote to send it to NJ. They where great with fixing my out if warranty m8 at no cost but the shipping from Seattle to NJ. You have a better than 50/50 chance of the same if you give them a friendly phone call.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Same as you do with a dead photographer.Give it a decent send-off and hope it had a good life.

With one that's reparable, the same as you do for a live photographer. Send it to hospital.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Gumby]

Advertise it on eBay as 'minty'.

Also, squirt some lighter fluid or WD-40 near it (not directly on it, of course) and say it has been "freshly CLA'd".

 

[Ronald M]

reminds me why I don`t own Leica digitals. Their repair dept has no mercy.

The way customers should look at it is if you buy a Rolls Royce, you don`t worry about gas, and maintenance.

Rollex watches are the same thing. Fine when they work, but.

 

[enasniearth]

Ultimate demise

Ultimate demise

Most of the old film cameras are collected shelf queens that rarely see film

You are using the m8 , at least repairs are available .
Any portable electronic device will suffer more than a mechanical one in certain environments . Hopefully leica will continue to support the m8 , it is their best interest to do so - reputation is based on the device lasting when others fail .


I had a camera I was very attached to - a film camera .
Guess again the konica hexar rf , purchased brand new with extended warranty . One day an error code , shutter motor problem .
Minolta bought konica sold to Sony . No parts no repairs .


Fate is telling you to buy an m9 .
Just joking. .

 

[sc_rufctr]

...I think of these cameras as, once I've shot the equivalent in film and processing, disposible. If they're still running, from then on it's gravy...

This is the best response so far.
At today's prices you may be surprised how quickly you'd break even on the cost of the body.

As an example, $6 for a roll of film and lets say $20 a roll for processing...

M9 = $9,000 = 26 x 346-ish rolls = 12,456 photos.

 

[35mmdelux]

When my laptop died I smashed it to bits in the street. The neighbors must have thought I was going postal.

 

[former member]

The DCS200 was easier to repair. Comes apart quickly, reseat the SCSI cables to the hard disk, started working again.

Getting any modern digital camera repaired is expensive. The photographer that took Nikki's Communion Portraits showed me a two week old Nikon D2x that was knocked over at a wedding, smashing the screen. The damage was not covered by the warranty. The repair estimate was over $1,000. Leica is not the only company that charges for repairs, it is expensive to work on these cameras. They are jam packed with electronics, more difficult to tear down, and more difficult to find the bad part or connection.

I've taken some computers apart to fix them, again easier with the older ones. Today's electronics are made to last about 5 years. If you are lucky. The stuff from the 90s was made to last longer, as hard as that is to believe. I still have 1GByte IDE drives working daily without problems. I keep multiple physical drives in my older computers, keep a copy of work on them.

 

[mooge]

When my laptop died I smashed it to bits in the street. The neighbors must have thought I was going postal.

you know there's mercury in the screen lights, right? 😱

dead electronics? be kind, please recycle. :angel:

cheers.

 

[fotomeow]

I do believe eventually, the M8 will be dead.

Then - what? It becomes ...

- a planter?
- a cup holder?
- ...

...what are your ideas?

Vick[/QUOTE]


...sell it on eBay like everyone else!😛:bang:😱

 

[dogberryjr]

Advertise it on eBay as 'minty'.

I laughed.

 

[Artorius]

if only there were a way to convert them into rd1s...

😉

Or convert it to film.😀