Zeiss 'attitude'

[Augenblick]

I recently acquired a mint used example of a Zeiss ZM body and am very pleased with it. Although the camera is easy and intuitive to use, it would still be nice to have an instruction manual for the camera. My instruction manual was in Japanese. The dealer who sold me the camera does not have an English (or German manual).

I contacted Zeiss in Germany to ask them if they could email me a pDF, or send me a copy of the instruction manual in English . The blunt answer was no, because the camera was not 'new'. To my mind this is ridiculous: I am using their products, and will probably buy more lenses and equipment from them. So why this parsimoniousness?

I later contacted a reputable and well know dealer in the UK who is the main importer of Voigtlander equipment, and who also sells all the main rangefinder brands, new. He had nothing favourable to say about the Zeiss sales department in Germany. He did not have an English or German manual either.

A smallish group of dedicated camera enthusiasts buy the Zeiss ZM products, and to my mind, their sales and pr departments should be given a DARN good shakeup, and their lofty marketing team knocked off their ever so superior perches! Leica make the actual instruction manuals for the M7 and MP available on their own website, and why not, for heck's sake? They have nothing to lose, and everything to gain by this.

Anyway, enough ranting. Anyone got a scan of the ZM manual?

Cheers

Paul

 

[ferider]

Google is your friend.

 

[Kim Coxon]

No need for Google. I have put a copy on my site.

http://pentax-manuals.com/manuals/range/ikon_s.pdf

Kim

 

[David Murphy]

I agree this is horrible customer service. They should be thrilled to have customer interest in their consumer products. I would contact a higher authority in the company if I were you.

I recently acquired a mint used example of a Zeiss ZM body and am very pleased with it. Although the camera is easy and intuitive to use, it would still be nice to have an instruction manual for the camera. My instruction manual was in Japanese. The dealer who sold me the camera does not have an English (or German manual).

I contacted Zeiss in Germany to ask them if they could email me a pDF, or send me a copy of the instruction manual in English . The blunt answer was no, because the camera was not 'new'. To my mind this is ridiculous: I am using their products, and will probably buy more lenses and equipment from them. So why this parsimoniousness?

I later contacted a reputable and well know dealer in the UK who is the main importer of Voigtlander equipment, and who also sells all the main rangefinder brands, new. He had nothing favourable to say about the Zeiss sales department in Germany. He did not have an English or German manual either.

A smallish group of dedicated camera enthusiasts buy the Zeiss ZM products, and to my mind, their sales and pr departments should be given a DARN good shakeup, and their lofty marketing team knocked off their ever so superior perches! Leica make the actual instruction manuals for the M7 and MP available on their own website, and why not, for heck's sake? They have nothing to lose, and everything to gain by this.

Anyway, enough ranting. Anyone got a scan of the ZM manual?

Cheers

Paul

 

[Kim Coxon]

I am not sure that it will do much good. Pentax at least do have PDF versions of manuals on their site aor at least did. Some are now only available on the Canada site.

However, most of them apart from the latest digital products are nasty scans of a photocopy.

When I started doing the Pentax manuals, I offered them to Pentax to replace the almost unreadable ones they had and they weren't interested. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be unuasual for camera companies 🙁

Kim

I agree this is horrible customer service. They should be thrilled to have customer interest in their consumer products. I would contact a higher authority in the company if I were you.

 

[Colin Corneau]

I downloaded a manual for my M6 from a site...this is not hard to do and frankly you're sort of to blame for your own frustration on this one.

In 2010 with Google being so easy to use, there's really no excuse for not going this route. In the time it took you to type out your frustration you could have found the site, found what you need and downloaded the PDF.

I trust the irony of expressing your frustration online, when the solution to said frustration is easily found online, is not lost on anyone.

 

[Augenblick]

ZM manual

ZM manual

Hey Kim

Many thanks for the manual. Really appreciate it!

Paul

 

[sig]

There is a multi language pdf on dioplodocs.com (german, english, french, spanish, italian and chinese)

 

[Kim Coxon]

You're welcome.

Kim

Hey Kim

Many thanks for the manual. Really appreciate it!

Paul

 

[chris00nj]

In general, compared to other cultures, it seems typical of German manufacturers. They are very unwilling to make any modifications to please a client.... even if you are buying a mulit-million dollar gas compressor.

 

[kevin m]

They are very unwilling to make any modifications to please a client....

Remember how hard they fought putting cupholders in their cars? The thought of a Big Gulp sitting between the seats of one of their sports sedans must have driven them nuts! 😀

 

[sahe69]

They are very unwilling to make any modifications to please a client.... even if you are buying a mulit-million dollar gas compressor.

I think that goes for just about any process compressor manufacturer regardless of the country. Especially if the deal is done. Unless you are prepared to pay ridiculous prices for that necessary service.

Sorry for the OT. 😱

 

[thegman]

That is indeed pretty cruddy service, however I'll say that I've only had good experience with Zeiss. I managed to splash salt water on my Ikon, and the power switch seized up. I sent it off to Zeiss for repair, and awaited a nasty bill. However, they sent it back repaired with a bill for $0. This was a camera I bought second hand, way out of warranty, with damage caused entirely by my own hand.

 

[Tim Gray]

I have a decent number of manuals on my site, collected from the net:

http://125px.com/docs/manuals/camera/35mm/zeiss/

 

[Bruin]

That is indeed pretty cruddy service, however I'll say that I've only had good experience with Zeiss. I managed to splash salt water on my Ikon, and the power switch seized up. I sent it off to Zeiss for repair, and awaited a nasty bill. However, they sent it back repaired with a bill for $0. This was a camera I bought second hand, way out of warranty, with damage caused entirely by my own hand.

You sent to Zeiss Germany I assume? Attitude aside, at least they're more generous than Zeiss here. No way Zeiss NJ would fix that gratis... they charged me for a frame counter defect that was probably a lot easier to fix.

 

[maddoc]

In general, compared to other cultures, it seems typical of German manufacturers. They are very unwilling to make any modifications to please a client.... even if you are buying a mulit-million dollar gas compressor.

... it depends a lot on the way how you ask. 😉 We bought many expensive laboratory equipment for research in my former lab and all German manufacturers were very helpful and interested in any modification we requested. 🙂

 

[ferider]

And at least when you call them, you don't get transferred to a support center in India. 🙂

 

[dcsang]

And at least when you call them, you don't get transferred to a support center in India. 🙂

ZING !!!

Too true 🙂

Dave

 

[David Murphy]

I happen to be a proficient user of Google, but this does not substitute for old fashioned person-to-person customer service. The issue in my view is broader than a technical one. Impersonal treatment says something (not positive) about the company I'm afraid.

BTW, as an obvious disciple of the digital age, have you ever dealt with Apple? Their personalized customer service is first rate - one key to their success.

I downloaded a manual for my M6 from a site...this is not hard to do and frankly you're sort of to blame for your own frustration on this one.

In 2010 with Google being so easy to use, there's really no excuse for not going this route. In the time it took you to type out your frustration you could have found the site, found what you need and downloaded the PDF.

I trust the irony of expressing your frustration online, when the solution to said frustration is easily found online, is not lost on anyone.

 

[gavinlg]

I've contacted zeiss germany quite a few times over the last year or two with questions and requests and have gotten more than I asked for each time in a handwritten email. First time I asked for information about a lenses release date, and they express mailed me a full pack of brochures for all their lenses plus emailed me the date. Recently I emailed asking about a rumoured update to the 25mm f2.8 distagon SLR lens, and they answered back telling me they were indeed developing a new one, and that it should be available early 2011. Not many companies would do that.