The Next Step for my Leica M9 - Returning from Leica Service USA

Back on December 13, 2014, I wrote about the newly-acknowledged sensor coating corrosion problems with the Leica M9. (Click Here) to read about Leica's announcement and "goodwill arrangement" to replace affected sensors.

 

I sent my M9 off soon after, and began inquiring about options. As of today, here's the situation:

1. Leica USA Service has checked my camera, cleaned the sensor, and shipped it back, free of charge.
2. Leica USA Service has indicated that my camera does not have the sensor issue. I'm surprised, but must assume that they're better equipped to diagnose it than I am.
3. In Leica's announcement, they promise "an attractive offer" to upgrade. Despite trying as nicely yet persistently as I can, no information about my options for upgrading to a new model with different sensor has been forthcoming.

I was not, and still may not be in the market for the new Leica M240. I really like a lot of things about my M9, and for the way I use a digital rangefinder, see no need for a costly upgrade. However, this widespread sensor problem does worry me. If I could assume that Leica will continue this "goodwill arrangement" for several years, I would stop worrying about it, and simply keep shooting my M9. Perhaps that's what I'll do.

 

Or, maybe I'll step out of Leica's digital rangefinder world for a while, and sell the M9, straight back from service. At least I could sell it with full certification from Leica regarding its condition.

 

The truth is I've used this camera and enjoyed it very much. If it were not the most expensive camera I'd ever purchased, I would consider it money well-spent, and use it as long as I can. I've made a lot of pictures with it, and definitely enjoyed the process. I'll just have to wait until it returns, see if the rest of the goodwill arrangement (the upgrade offer) ever materializes, and decide.

 

I have mixed feelings about Leica's handling of this so far. I respect that they acknowledge the issue, and checked and cleaned my camera for free. I paid for the same service one year ago, just because it needed cleaned. However, it's pretty clear that Leica was not ready to actually make the attractive upgrade offer they promised in their announcement, and no one at Leica USA or the Leica Store have any information with which to make an offer. The company needs to get this part coordinated, quickly.

 

So, do I feel I've been treated fairly? Kind of. Do I feel that I've been treated as I would if I were a Mercedes-Benz owner with a known, acknowledged potential defect in my car? Absolutely not. Leica, at least to me, is a premium camera seller. I paid more for the features on this camera than I would with any other camera manufacturer, just as a Mercedes owner does with their car. Leica, you need to take a page out of the premium car manufacturer's book in terms of customer communication and retention.

 

My M9 story's not over yet, but even I don't know exactly where it's going.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Dodge and Burn Presents Their Newest Camera T-Shirt - The Graflex Speed Graphic With Aero-Ektar Lens!

 

The Newest Dodge and Burn Shirt - Speed Graphic With Aero-Ektar!

Image Source: dodgeandburn.com

 

I've written about Dodge and Burn before. They make the coolest t-shirts with classic camera designs. (Click Here) to go to their home page and see all of their designs.

 

(Click Here) to read my previous post.

 

I want you to know that I'm not financially connected with them in any way; I simply love their products. In fact, I now have three - the Street Shooter, the Rangefinder Classic, and now, the MAPC (Modified Aerial Press Camera) shown above.

 

The Aero Ektar is a 178mm lens with fast f2.5 aperture. It was built for the US military to use for aerial photography.

 

The Graflex Speed Graphic needs little introduction. It was the most popular press camera (4x5 film) for many, many years.

 

A quick google search for either the camera or lens will yield more information than you can consume.

 

(Click Here) for a single page with lots of good information.

 

One more plug for Dodge and Burn - I had a minor flaw with one of my shirts. They took care of it immediately and efficiently. Their customer service is exactly as it should be - customer-focused. Thanks, Dodge and Burn!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Final Days for Brick and Mortar Camera Stores? Are These Store Owners Crazy?

Unknown, by Reed A. George

 

I love walking into a camera store, a real one, with people in it, as much as anyone. But, I'm afraid they're about to go the way of bookstores here in the USA.

 

It seems the latest problem is "showrooming," which means that customers come in and handle and test cameras and lenses, only to leave and order theirs online for a lower price. In the US, that usually means no sales tax, either.

 

Even worse for store owners, they sometimes buy a product, use it for a weekend shoot, then return it. It is now no longer eligible for sale as "new," and the store owner eats the loss.

 

I read an article about an Australian camera store that is reacting to this by charging admission - what??? No, it's not April Fool's Day any more. They charge customers $5 to come in. The charge is applicable to a purchase, but if you don't buy anything, you forfeit the entry fee.

 

(Click Here) to read about it on steves-digicams.com

 

So, how else can a camera store react to these challenges? I say take the higher road - provide such great customer service that people are willing to pay a little more to keep your store open. Yes, I'm sure that's easier said than done. But, if you're going to stay in this business, you have to offer something of real value to the customer, something they can't get online.

 

I remember hanging out at the camera store, comparing notes, debating equipment choices, maybe even meeting for a photo walk or class. I remember trusting the guys behind the counter to really know something about photography.

 

My own local camera store is more like the one in Australia. Though they do have some real resident expertise, I've tried multiple times to engage them. They're more interested in a sale than a discussion. In fact, they've instituted a 20% (!) restocking fee for returned equipment, to respond to the weekend use-and-returners. That is insane, in my humble opinion.

 

I would be more than willing to pay at least the differential of the sales tax for a more engaging relationship. As it is, there's no freaking way I'm going to pay more, lose the free return opportunity (which I use when necessary, no more than that), and put up with attitude!

 

I'm sure the pressure to make sales in today's world is excruciating for these small business owners. However, if there aren't better ways to deal with it, I'm afraid their days are numbered. As it is today, I wouldn't use my local store even if they did offer free returns like the rest of the world. The attitude is simply a deal breaker for me.

 

Amazon has never given me attitude. Neither has B&H, Adorama, or KEH.

 

Rant over.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Another Great Place To Write Your Blog - In Hakone, Japan

Coffee Shop "Maurice Utrillo," Hakone, Japan

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 25mm f1.4 Summilux

iso400, f1.8, 1/40 sec

 

Today, I decided to take the easy way out, and show you where I stopped to write my daily blog entry. This is a gourmet coffee shop on the main drag in Hakone Yumoto, Japan called "Maurice Utrillo." If you're seriously ever looking for it, it is easy to find; there is a big red Fuji Royal Coffee grinder out in front.

 

 

 

Coffee Shop "Maurice Utrillo," Coffee Grinder, Hakone, Japan

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 25mm f1.4 Summilux

iso400, f2.8, 1/800 sec

 

Maurice Utrillo was a French artist, who specialized in painting cityscapes. Here's an interesting entry about him from wikipedia:

 

An apocryphal anecdote told by Diego Rivera concerning Utrillo's paternity is related in the unpublished memoirs of one of his American collectors, Ruth Bakwin:

"After Maurice was born to Suzanne Valadon, she went to Renoir, for whom she had modeled nine months previously. Renoir looked at the baby and said, 'He can't be mine, the color is terrible!' Next she went to Degas, for whom she had also modeled. He said, 'He can't be mine, the form is terrible!' At a cafe, Valadon saw an artist she knew named Miguel Utrillo, to whom she spilled her woes. The man told her to call the baby Utrillo: 'I would be glad to put my name to the work of either Renoir or Degas!'"^[5]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Utrillo

 

 

This shop's coffee menu includes "blended," "weak," (500 yen each) "Cafe Au Lait," "Viennese," (700 yen each) and "Dutch Coffee, High Roast Strong" (850 yen). Since I plan to sit here and take up space for a while, I threw caution to the wind and ordered the Dutch. Let's see, 850 yen, at 80 yen per dollar, oh well, it's somewhere North of $10. But boy, does it live up to its description! Lovely, dark, strong.

 

"Dutch Coffee, High Roast Strong"

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 25mm f1.4 Summilux

iso400, f1.8, 1/125 sec

 

The lady serving coffee is very nice, and even dug up an English menu for me. My Mom would love this place; it is full of old dolls, mostly from Europe I imagine.

 

This is a place I can relax, unwind, write, and read. Perfect before getting back on the train for Tokyo in about an hour, heading directly into Friday night rush hour...

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Help me buy an original Utrillo, or at least some coffee! Use the link below to order your Amazon items!

 

 

 

 

 

Panasonic's New President Focuses on Improving Efficiency

 

Panasonic's New President, Kazuhiro Tsuga

Image Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2012/nb20120301a1a.jpg

To be officially formalized this June, Kazuhiro Tsuga, currently the Managing Director and President of Panasonic's Audiovisual Products Unit, will take over as the President of all of Panasonic. He will replace the current President, Fumio Otsubo.

(Click Here) for an article in the Japan Times.

Panasonic has just predicted its largest loss ever, 780 million yen in this business year, largely due to strength of the Japanese currency, and decreased demand in televisions and semiconductors.

Mr. Tsuga stresses that the company must eliminate inefficiencies, and develop the "Environment Business" through revolutionary new product development.

When I spent a year working at a Panasonic factory in Kofu, Japan, I was very impressed by the difference in how Panasonic responded to tough economic times, as compared to my own experience in American companies. At that time (1994), the Japanese bubble economy had just burst. Panasonic executives uniformly stressed the importance of engaging customers, ensuring customer satisfaction, and making customers life-long fans of the company and its products. I hope that message isn't lost on Panasonic's new President.

Panasonic has made some revolutionary product introductions in the Micro 4/3 camera market, in my opinion. They still have a long way to go in developing excellent customer service, at least in the United States, in my opinion. Inefficiencies in dealing with service and internet systems are obvious. Sorry for the frank talk, but I want to see this improve.

I remain a loyal Panasonic customer, and look forward to a new era for the company. Their products have always been first-rate in my opinion. The latest G series camera products continue that tradition.

Onward and upward, Panasonic. Your founder, Konosuke Matsushita, would have certainly expected no less!

DMC-365.blogspot.com