RED Leica M Mount causing damage to foam gasket

[Steven Dean]

My RED Leica M mount (purchased new from RED.com) is damaging the foam surrounding the OLPF on my Helium. I had a warranty repair last spring, and it immediately started happening again, though it wasn't bad enough right away to send back in. It is now getting pretty bad again.

When I noticed that it was happening again, immediately after the first warranty repair, I called support to let them know. I was told that since it was already "repaired," and was happening again, that it would not be a problem to have it repaired again, at no cost to me.

I am now being told, despite explaining the situation, that it will not be repaired under warranty, since my camera is out of warranty. I understand that my camera is out of warranty, but the damage is not caused by me, it is caused by parts manufactured by RED. I did my due diligence to get my camera repaired under warranty, and I can not help it that a mount that they themselves manufacture is causing this problem.


I am exceedingly careful when I change mounts, so I didn't cause this, the mount itself caused it. Also, I miss the days when this gasket was a harder rubber, not this foam nonsense.





Is anyone else with a Leica M Mount having this issue?


Has anyone had luck getting something repaired by RED when it was caused by one of their parts malfunctioning, or causing the same problem when the camera went out of warranty after a repair?

Thanks!

[Steven Dean]

The foam gunk that is stuck to the RED Leica M mount on the left, directly corresponds with the damaged foam area. At one point there was more foam stuck to the mount, but I removed it so that it wouldn't migrate to the OLPF.





I checked my RED PL mount, and it does not push on the foam the same way that the RED Leica M mount does.


Legitimately - am I being completely crazy to think that RED should cover this repair since it is one of their parts that caused it?

[Les Hillis]

I've seen a similar thing on a RED Leica-M mount (Rev- 04) and an Epic-W.

When the RED Leica-M lens mount is screwed onto the camera properly, the camera and mount gaskets indent each other where they cross over. Then when the locking mechanism is turned to hold a lens in place or release it, the internal movement of the mounts locking mechanism drags on the lower edge of the cameras gasket.

I could be wrong, but comparing what I've seen to your pictures, at some point the gaskets on the cameras and lens mounts were changed to a different, more rubberized and less foam-like material that doesn't fall apart so easily.

I guess RED could replace the gaskets on your lens mount and camera, not sure what their obligations are in such a case though.

It might be easier for you to just remove the gasket material from the parts that are still connecting, if it doesn't impact on some other function of the camera.

[Jarred Land]

I've seen a similar thing on a RED Leica-M mount (Rev- 04) and an Epic-W.

When the RED Leica-M lens mount is screwed onto the camera properly, the camera and mount gaskets indent each other where they cross over. Then when the locking mechanism is turned to hold a lens in place or release it, the internal movement of the mounts locking mechanism drags on the lower edge of the cameras gasket.

I could be wrong, but comparing what I've seen to your pictures, at some point the gaskets on the cameras and lens mounts were changed to a different, more rubberized and less foam-like material that doesn't fall apart so easily.

I guess RED could replace the gaskets on your lens mount and camera, not sure what their obligations are in such a case though.

It might be easier for you to just remove the gasket material from the parts that are still connecting, if it doesn't impact on some other function of the camera.

Sure , contact support and we will sort you out.

[Steven Dean]

Thanks for chiming in Jarred, much appreciated!

[Alan Zarnegar]

Hi Steven,

The Support team will be reaching out today to provide you with warranty instructions for sending your camera and Leica mount in so we can look into why this damage is occurring.

Please look out for an email from the team.

/Alan

[Luke Marcus Rosen]

Not to kick a dead horse here, but could you follow up with what seemed to be causing the issue Steven? What did the red techs say? Also, what lens were you using with the mount?