I think that Leica was at a crossroads due to digital catching on among pros. They obviously felt that they waited too long to enter the digital world and were making up for lost time (and revenue). It would not have been so much of a problem had they owned up to the problems and fixed them quickly and quietly. I do think they were overwhelmed by the large number of returns of defective cameras, and Leica USA chose to simply ignore non-professionals (after all, an oil spill that damages a commercial fisherman is much more of a problem than an oil spill that damages a weekend fisherman). But I spent the same amount of money and had the same warranty. Perhaps I should have created some fake letterhead stationary when writing to them.
Tony Rose of popflash has told me that he will intervene on my behalf if I have future problems with the M8, but I simply stopped using it. I do appreciate Tony's help, as I didn't buy the camera from him. I have been told that the fellow who ignored all of my phone calls and emails at Leica USA has been reassigned to other duties, so I obviously wasn't the only amateur shooter who was ignored when his camera died after a week. So, things may be better at Leica USA now, but I'll never buy another Leica product as long as I live (and I have sunk over $25,000 into that company over the years). After the 50th time you are told "He just stepped away from his desk", you know what it is to be treated like an untouchable. Jeffery On May 18, 2010, at 10:05 AM, Tom C wrote: > Wow... > > Thanks. So it seems they totally dropped the ball. What's hard to > comprehend is how the camera made it through QA with such a crippling > defect. It sounds to me like little QA or a very very defective test > plan. Or as sometimes happens in the software world, people at lower > levels realize there are problems but because management is determined > to meet a farcical release date and at the same time has created an > environment in which people fear to speak up, plans go forward and > management ends up with the mess they deserve. > > Tom C. > > > On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 10:52 AM, P N Stenquist <pnstenqu...@comcast.net> > wrote: >> >> On May 18, 2010, at 10:31 AM, Tom C wrote: >> >>> Makes Pentax sound wonderful by comparison. But surely the problem >>> was not limited to Jeffrey's camera, so there's somewhat of a >>> disconnect for me. Wouldn't just about every (or certainly many) Leica >>> owner(s) that paid $6K for their tool be up in arms? >>> >> >> Many M8 owners were up in arms. A pro shooter friend of mine who had used >> Leica film cameras for years bought an M8. He struggled with it for a few >> months, then sold it. Apparently, the M9 is a much better camera, but Leica >> definitely damaged its reputation with the M8. >> Paul >> >>> On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 10:17 AM, Bob Sullivan <rf.sulli...@gmail.com> >>> wrote: >>>> >>>> Jeffery, >>>> Well thats a word or two to the wise... >>>> Saves me a lot of money. >>>> Regards, Bob S. >>>> >>>> On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 9:09 AM, Jeffery Smith <jsmith...@gmail.com> >>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> I got flamed on the Leica Users Group forum for mentioning this, but my >>>>> M8's were anything but reliable. My first one died after about a week, and >>>>> Leica ignored all of my phone calls and emails until I finally contacted >>>>> the >>>>> president of the company personally. If you aren't a professional >>>>> photographer, you can forget about customer service from Leica. You don't >>>>> exist. The second M8 body would not recognize any of the memory cards I >>>>> used. Leica blamed the memory cards and refused to repair or replace the >>>>> camera. I bought every different brand of memory card listed as compatible >>>>> on Leica's site, and all gave me a "no memory card" error until I removed >>>>> the battery, waited a few minutes, and then reinserted the battery (which >>>>> apparently rebooted the camera). I had to repeat this every time I wanted >>>>> to >>>>> shoot a frame. Once the camera was turned off or turned itself off, the no >>>>> memory card error reappeared. Until a new firmware upgrade appeared last >>>>> year, the M8 just sat in a drawer. The firmware upgrade seems to have >>>>> fixed >>>>> the memory card problem. >>>>> >>>>> Pro photographers and photographers wealthy enough to afford an attorney >>>>> get good service from Leica USA. Grunts like myself (a teacher) aren't >>>>> given >>>>> the time of day. I have refrained from mentioning my problems on the LUG >>>>> except when a pro photographer posts a message saying that Leica customer >>>>> service is absolutely the best. I then mention the problems I had and get >>>>> my >>>>> ass flamed as a heretic. I finally unsubscribed from the LUG as it became >>>>> less and less a forum about photography. The die hard photojournalist >>>>> types >>>>> on the LUG now post incessant photos of their dog, their flowers, or >>>>> buildings. >>>>> >>>>> Leica film rangefinders are great, and reliable. Leica doesn't seem to >>>>> know anything whatsoever about digital cameras. If you want a digital >>>>> camera >>>>> with a Leica lens, buy a Panasonic! They are great! If you can live with >>>>> only wide angle to normal lenses, the GF1 is a wonderful little camera. >>>>> >>>>> Jeffery >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On May 18, 2010, at 8:22 AM, Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> I worked with Leica RF cameras on and off from 1969 to 2002. I'd enjoy >>>>>> an M4-P again, but I know I'd never work with film enough again to >>>>>> warrant the expense. I'd enjoy an M8 or M9 now. >>>>>> >>>>>> Have fun with it. Although it's expensive, it's just a camera ... a >>>>>> darn good one with a great lens. >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> Godfrey >>>>>> godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>>>>> PDML@pdml.net >>>>>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>>>>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>>>>> follow the directions. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>>>> PDML@pdml.net >>>>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>>>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>>>> follow the directions. >>>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>>> PDML@pdml.net >>>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>>> follow the directions. >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>> PDML@pdml.net >>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>> follow the directions. >> >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> PDML@pdml.net >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. >> > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.