This is a replacement of the entire sensor stack. This service will replace the stack with a fully functioning Leica CCD sensor including our corrosion resistant BG61 glass. CCD ID 15 sensor will have OEM Leica glass. This service fixes the dreaded failed sensor, half screen, or “purple curtain” type failures, that can look like a fully or half dead screen, or like the effect shown below. If your sensor only has spots, you most likely only need our corroded sensor glass replacement services which can be found HERE  

CCD ID Number

Leica made a range of sensors throughout the lifespan of the M9’s production line. CCD 11+ sensors came at a later point and did not suffer from the acid gel formation issue present in earlier models. CCD 11+ sensors have a much harder original adhesive bonding the glass to the sensor and are more time consuming to replace with Schott Glass. CCD ID 15 sensors are the best sensors that Leica made, they’ve had no known issues that we’ve seen.  

Acid Gel Formation

Earlier Sensors (CCD ID 3-8) have been discovered to suffer from a unique issue stemming from the adhesive used to attach the protective sensor glass to the sensor. This adhesive has been found to denature into an acid gel. If this gel shifts onto the bond wires that feed information from the sensor to the board of the camera, it can corrode these wires and result in permanent digital sensor failure as shown in the image above. It is for this reason we recommend earlier CCD ID sensors be sent in for glass replacement sooner rather than later as the change of this corrosion and subsequent failure happening has been shown to increase with time. When we receive a Leica M9 with CCD ID number 3-8 we will inspect the sensor under a microscope to determine the level of acid gel formation and ingress onto bond wires. If we see this gel has shifted onto the bond wires we will reach out before proceeding with the glass replacement due to the higher risk involved. If the gel has not yet shifted onto the bond wires we will proceed with the repair and remove any gel present from the sensor area. This should prevent any future corrosion, and in combination with the corrosion resistant glass, should provide a full life to your Leica M9 unit. We also cover all Leica’s against future glass corrosion when our Schott BG glass is used.

Hot Pixel Lines

As we have stocked these units and performed work over the last 3 years, we have unfortunately discovered a 3rd issue that can develop. This comes in the form of colored vertical or horizontal hot pixel lines. These lines may develop before or after glass/sensor replacement and can appear on entirely unmodified Leica cameras when left long enough. We do not use any heating techniques when performing glass replacement specifically to avoid this kind of issue, however, this appears to still occur regardless of any work being performed. This issue instead appears to be related to aging internal board components or possibly from failing sensor array bond wires. This issue appears to predominantly effect CCD11 and CCD12 sensor arrays, though it has occasionally been seen on lower CCD ID number sensors. CCD15 and CCD16 sensors appear to be unaffected by this issue as we have not seen this occurring on these models to date. Due to the increasing age of these sensor arrays, we’re unable to guarantee this issue will not appear at some point down the line after we’ve performed our service work and as such cannot be held responsible should this occur. With that said we have partnered with Extend who can fully cover these cameras against any eventuality, including these pixel lines, when the camera is purchased, pre-modified, from us. We have a range of Leica cameras listed on our site that you can find here. *** Please note: We are unable to replace the sensor on Leica M9 Monochrom cameras. 

BG61 vs the M9 Original Glass

We are now using a new BG61 glass with anti-reflective coating, which is nearly an identical match to the original M9 glass filter. We designed the BG61 to be the same thickness as the original filter while also matching the transmission properties. This is a highly specialized glass made by Schott that is inherently corrosion resistant, even before we put an additional protective anti-reflective and anti-smudge coating to seal it from the environment. This filter cannot corrode by design, even if the coatings get scratched.  

Our Warranty Against Corrosion

We cover all Schott BG61 glass we install in Leica cameras for life against corrosion, this includes a Leica camera you may have purchased second hand that was previously worked on by Kolari. If your Leica camera glass was replaced prior to 12/12/23 we can cover the replacement glass and installation fees. For glass replaced on Leica cameras after this date, or cameras purchased second hand after our service was performed, we can cover the cost of replacement glass, but unfortunately, cannot cover the associated installation fees ($150). For domestic (US) customers this coverage includes the cost of return shipping. For international customers we require shipping both ways to be covered by the customer. For open a glass warranty service claim please contact our customer support team via email and provide the original order number if possible. We can provide a coupon code to place a new replacement service through our website at the pricing described above.