With the Leica finally back in my hands after this long and frustrating ordeal, there was only one decision left to make. And it was an easy one.
I will sell the SL2-S.
Not because I need the money. Not because I lack appreciation for the legacy of the Leica brand. But because I simply cannot trust this camera—or this company—ever again. The repeated failure of the SL2-S, the arrogant and dismissive handling of my case by Leica’s customer service, and the condescending physics lecture that came with my repair invoice have sealed my decision. I refuse to own a camera that I feel the need to constantly second-guess. A camera that, despite its premium price and supposed professional-grade engineering, has failed me twice in critical moments. A camera that has left me with more frustration than joy.
And with that, I will leave Leica behind. For good.
I have been a passionate photographer for years, and in that time, I have used cameras from various brands—Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus—without ever experiencing this level of unreliability and poor service. Those cameras have been true workhorses, tools I could count on no matter the conditions. I never had to worry about them suddenly failing in the middle of a vacation, a client shoot, or an important moment. I never had to brace myself for a repair saga that dragged on for months, only to be met with corporate gaslighting.
Leica likes to present itself as a brand of excellence, a brand built on heritage, craftsmanship, and a close relationship with its customers. My experience has been the exact opposite. What I’ve encountered is a company that refuses to take responsibility for repeated hardware failures, treats its customers with skepticism rather than support, and hides behind technical jargon instead of standing behind the reliability of its products.
The SL2-S is now repaired, but I will never put my trust in it again. And I will certainly never buy another Leica camera. Some brands earn their reputation. Others merely trade on nostalgia while failing to live up to it.
Leica, for me, belongs firmly in the latter category. And this is the end of my journey with Leica.
Have a great Sunday
Marcus
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Im truly sorry to hear that. I never had a Leica, cant really tell. Im happy with my Fujjs & Nikons. And now mostly with an Iphone:-). Cant even affort the high pricetag of their gear & service.
Thanks for your visit and kind words, much appreciated! I don’t shed a tear for the Leica. Should never have bought it. Fuji, Nikon and iPhone is perfect also for me 😉
This image reminds me of the Dark Hallway from Severance!
🤣 seems kind of fitting, as Leica was subject to my severance 🤣 Thanks for visit and comment, Katie, as always much appreciated!
Hopefully you will have more fun with your new camera. And as a small consolation: For what you might receive for a second hand Leica you can buy a good camera of a reliable brand.
Thanks so much, perfect comment! Did just that 🙂
For a quality brand, the so called customer service was woefully inadequate. Good riddance indeed. Liked the image in this post, BTW
Thanks, Sue, so much appreciate your kind words! Marcus
Makes sense to me.
Thanks, Matt, so much appreciated
I mean, it really does suck when something we love doesn’t work like we want it to. But there’s absolutely no reason to get the business from Leica you got. I’d venture that’s the more saddening/irritating/frustrating thing about the whole experience.
Perfect words, thanks so much, Matt!
Sounds like “Good riddance” is the apt phrase. Or I can imagine a snarky air host/hostest with a : Buh-bye….
So glad your disappointing journey is at an end for you and that you shared it so others may be fortunate enough to avoid that bumpy ride.
Thanks so much for your visit and kind words. Moving on – and Bye Bye Leica!
A more than annoying experience. I can absolutely understand the decision to say goodbye to Leica.
Unfortunately, many manufacturers (not just in the photography sector) find the customer annoying in the event of a problem. However, I wouldn’t have expected that with Leica.
Thanks for your comment, Richard, love your perfect words. So disappointed from Leica. Perception does not match reality, and if Leica does not live up to its reputation, they’ll have a hard time surviving long term!
The M is not immune. This photographer is on his fifth M11 body and still having problems:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2h-f7w6TN0
Also, if you own a Leica and have a problem be prepared for a long wait to get it repaired,
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Very interesting, thanks for your comment and sharing this link! This long repair time with Leica really is annoying. I have a Summicron manual focus lens that needs to be re-calibirated. They told me it could take 5months before it will be returned. Insane…..
Smart move, Marcus. Having the camera fail you twice is bad enough. But the condescending manner (and the ridiculous lecture!) were way over the top, and totally uncalled for. Good riddance to Leica. Hello Nikon. Looking forward to the intro to your new baby.
Thanks for your kind words, Lois, so much appreciated! Enough is enough! Photography should be joy, not frustrations.
I can understand your frustrations. I made the same decision on my laptop. Have a good day ahead.
Thanks so much for your visit and comment! Sometimes we have to move on….have a great day yourself!
I totally understand how frustrating it must be with the customer service issues, but it’s really sad to hear that you’re considering giving up on your Leica camera because of that. It’s hard, Marcus but you have to move on and put this sad story behind you. I own a digital Leica D-Lux 6, bought it several years ago but don’t use it often.
The image is stunning and symbolic.
Greetings.
Thanks for your kind words, Kaya, they are highly appreciated! I have given up on Leica, as photography and using a camera should be full of joy and not full of frustrations. They had their chance…now my love moves on to another brand 🙂
Many greetings to Utah
Marcus
WowI That was quite a post and I appreciate you sharing it. Welcome back to Nikon 🙂 I’ve been a Nikon shooter since 2008. Looking forward to reading more about your new camera.
Thanks for your visit and feedback, so much appreciated! Will do the intro shortly!
Sorry to hear about all of the failures with your SL2-S Marcus. In my film days I always shot with Nikon cameras. When I started shooting with digital Nikon was the obvious choice for me because of my inventory of lenses. In 2011 I bought a Fujifilm X100 camera and despite all of its quirks I fell in love with it. It was meant to be an every day carry camera and I never intended on replacing all of my Nikon gear. I also had bought a Nikon D600 in 2010. As luck would have it the camera was the first Nikon that I ever had any sort of problem with. The D600 was apparently shredding debris off the shutter assembly and every time I used it there would be what looked like oil and dirt stuck to the sensor. Nikon denied there was a shutter problem until thousands of people complained and various photo publications were acknowledging there was a serious issue with the D600. Nikon eventually replaced my D600 with a D610 but by that time I had already decided to sell my Nikon gear and move into the Fuji world. I have been using Fuji cameras ever since 2011 and they have been very reliable for me. So I definitely know what it feels like when you cannot trust a camera to be reliable. Every time I went out to shoot with the D600 I had an uneasy feeling wondering if my images would be useable and how much extra work it was in post processing to remove all of the dirt spots in the images. Sometimes you just have to do what your mind is telling you to do no matter how much you love a particular camera manufacturer.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this, Joe, highly appreciated. It shows how easy a brand can lose the credibility and trust of its customers. For me it is a lot about the joy using a particular system or camera. I want to be exited picking up a camera on any given day for any given work or just pleasure shooting, not dread it, fearing yet another failure. It’s time to move on, also because I’m tired having this senseless discussions with what calls itself customer service. I don’t want to have to justify myself for being a customer….
Seems to me the justification to expect good customer service from Leica would be the amount of money you shelled out to buy a so called “Luxury Brand”. I feel the same way you do Marcus.
Wow, that’s a really poor show by Leica. I hope you find a new system that gives you many years of pleasure and allows you to rely on your gear again.
I’ve been on various Sony cameras since 2012 I think. My little RX100 V is still going strong, must be close to 9 years now – even with some laws of gravity having come into play…
Thanks, Alex, as always your visit and comment is very much appreciated! Photography is also about the joy of picking up a camera. If a brand and its gear doesn’t offer this anymore, regardless the reasons, it is time change. I loved the Leica SL2-S for its simplicity and the image quality it gave me. But being so fragile, there is no trust in it anymore. Let alone the customer experience I had with their service. I love my Fuji XT-2 and my m4/3 Olympus, but I do need a full frame camera as well. So unfortunately the Leica frustrations will lead to yet another system change. I truly hope this is the last 🙂
I had a feeling that you were going to part ways with the brand, Marcus, it’s so sad how the company mistreated you and misrepresented the product. I have been a diehard Nikon user for years and never once have any of the models use failed me. Of course, I’m a amateur photographer but still put the cameras to good use!!
Thanks for your kind words, John! It is truly a sad story. The brand legacy of Leica deserves better than what the SL2-S and especially their customer service delivered. And you now what? I’m back to Nikon 🙂 I will intro my new baby shortly. And I’m totally in love with it!
Agreed, and that’s wonderful Marcus! I look forward seeing your new baby! 🤙🏻
A sad story, Marcus. Too bad they don’t put the same robust construction that they seem to apply to the M-series.
So true! Then, the M is double the price 🙈🙈