Leica in the final phase of testing its next-gen sensor to fix sensor corrosion issues

This past December, Leica acknowledged a widespread corrosion issue regarding the CCD sensors and glass covers inside its M9, M9-P, M Monochrom and M-E cameras.

Dubbed ‘CCDgate’ by La Vida Leica, Leica promised to replace all cameras with the affected sensor (KAF–18500) and glass (Schott S8612) while working on a developing a long-term solution. The caveat was that all affected cameras would be replaced with the exact same sensor model that was causing the corrosion in the first place.

Now, Leica says it’s in the final stages of the long-term solution it promised back in December. According to the product advisory, ‘the development phase of a new generation of sensors has now nearly been completed.’ The next phase, Leica says, is to assess the new sensors via independent users who will test the new sensors ‘in practical situations to guarantee that the imaging characteristics of the cameras remain unaltered.’

After the final testing has finished, Leica says they will begin to replace cameras still affected by the corrosion issue with new-generation sensors. Until then, Leica will continue with its initial plan to replace affected sensors with the same sensor/glass combo that was causing the problem in the first place.

The new generation sensors will only be available for replacement for customers whose cameras are affected with the corrosion issue, as a preventative replacement program isn’t being offered.

(via Photoxels)