M8.2 failure

[jdeed1]

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4 weeks ago bought a new M8.2 having sold my M8. The M8 had provided me with 18 months of faultless service however I was tempted by all the upgrades on offer and decided as a better long term option to get the M8.2 .I have to report that my M8.2 appears incapable of producing any shot in poor light conditions that does not exhibit either green blobs green lines or green banding. In addition as of tonight it now produces red blobs and magenta banding. I have read all the threads on these issues and originally had thought that my problems were caused by light sources at the edge of the frame but the problem appears on all shots in poor light where an external light source exists. This occurs at ISO160 as well as 1250. It occurs with filter on and filter off, hood on and hood off. Needless to say tomorrow the camera goes back the Leica dealer who supplied it and my only decision is whether to insist on a new camera or cut my losses and ask for a refund as the camera is clearly not fit for purpose. I truly thought that Leica had ironed out all these known bugs long ago but no the same old problems still exist. If I get a new camera will it work?

John

[sean_reid]

None of us has a crystal ball but it sounds like you got a defective camera. I'd ask for an exchange.

 

Cheers,

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[marknorton]

I may be on a downer with Leica at the moment (for reasons I will not repeat) but the shambles - the dismal quality control of both new and upgraded cameras - continues.

 

Leica's are masters of making lenses but their cameras continue to disappoint. I think they should get out of the camera manufacturing business and entrust it instead to a world class electronics company.

[mgcd]

I may be on a downer with Leica at the moment (for reasons I will not repeat) but the shambles - the dismal quality control of both new and upgraded cameras - continues.

 

Leica's are masters of making lenses but their cameras continue to disappoint. I think they should get out of the camera manufacturing business and entrust it instead to a world class electronics company.

 

Really? Beside the M8, which would those be?

[Shootist]

Really need to see a picture of what you're talking about.

I never had green blobs or banding but I did have a line in the image at ISO 320 and above. Very noticeable at 1250 and 2500.

Now there is a problem when you have a bright light right at the edge of the frame. That will cause a greenish streak in the image and there is nothing you or Leica can do about it.

 

I posted pictures of the line at high ISO when I started a thread. Here's one of them.

 

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[jaapv]

4 weeks ago bought a new M8.2 having sold my M8. The M8 had provided me with 18 months of faultless service however I was tempted by all the upgrades on offer and decided as a better long term option to get the M8.2 .I have to report that my M8.2 appears incapable of producing any shot in poor light conditions that does not exhibit either green blobs green lines or green banding. In addition as of tonight it now produces red blobs and magenta banding. I have read all the threads on these issues and originally had thought that my problems were caused by light sources at the edge of the frame but the problem appears on all shots in poor light where an external light source exists. This occurs at ISO160 as well as 1250. It occurs with filter on and filter off, hood on and hood off. Needless to say tomorrow the camera goes back the Leica dealer who supplied it and my only decision is whether to insist on a new camera or cut my losses and ask for a refund as the camera is clearly not fit for purpose. I truly thought that Leica had ironed out all these known bugs long ago but no the same old problems still exist. If I get a new camera will it work?

John

 

I would have returned it within 1 day - the M8-2 should have the same performance as your M8.

[jdeed1]

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Really need to see a picture of what you're talking about.

I never had green blobs or banding but I did have a line in the image at ISO 320 and above. Very noticeable at 1250 and 2500.

Now there is a problem when you have a bright light right at the edge of the frame. That will cause a greenish streak in the image and there is nothing you or Leica can do about it.

 

I posted pictures of the line at high ISO when I started a thread. Here's one of them.

 

[ATTACH]112567[/ATTACH]

 

picture attached showing green and red blobs-taken at ISO 160

John

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[adan]

OK - so no banding in this shot, but 4 red or cyan spots high on the wall, a softer greenish blur just above the left-hand lamp and outside the doorframe - and maybe a yellowish spot in the center door window top right (could be reality - can't tell)?

 

Look like reflections, to me. And bear in mind that any digital camera can turn up reflections (even without a filter in front) because:

 

a. the sensor itself is a shiny piece of silicon covered by a shiny piece of glass (although all makers, including Leica, coat the glass to minimize reflections), and

 

b. the back element of the lens is also shiny glass

 

So you can get a very bright light (relative to the overall brightness of the picture) reflecting off the sensor, and then reflecting off the back of the lens onto the sensor again, to be captured as part of the image.

 

And yes they will sometimes be "sharp" images, despite the extra distance the light traveled, because the lens glass is not a flat mirror. Especially if there is a concave surface on or near the back, which can act like a "mirror lens" and actually focus the light into a small dot.

 

M lenses with concave elements on the back that might be especially prone to this: 35 ASPH 'cron, 35 ASPH 'lux, and the 50 and 75 ASPHs.

 

There can of course also be "normal" internal flare reflections within the lens itself, just as in film photography.

 

If I'd made this shot, with bright light sources within the frame and a dark background, and seen those spots, I'd have just thought "Ahh, reflections!" and moved on.

 

Banding, now - got any samples?

[jdeed1]

how about this- ISO 1250

John

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[Guest stnami]

What brand of point and shoot digital did this come from:confused:

[arminw]

I have just upgraded my M8 to a M8.2 and shot a lot around London at night with extreme bright street and car lights, and I never had any problems with ghosting or other unwanted effects . I think there must be something wrong with your sensor and I would return it to Leica.

[chrism]

how about this- ISO 1250

John

 

This is the typical bright light at the edge of the sensor problem that you had before. Oddly, I have only spontaneously had it once during my 23 months with an M8 and one month with an M8.2. The green/cyan marks on your previous photo looked like the filter reflections that come with using an IRcut filter.

 

Chris

[Shootist]

how about this- ISO 1250

John

 

Very bright light right at the edge of the sensor/capture.

 

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All the things you have posted pictures of so far are known issues and happen with every M8 ever made.

The first image you posted is has reflections from either the IR cut filter or just reflections off the sensor cover glass and the back of the lens.

There clearly is not a green triangle light in the middle of the crosswalk as shown in this image. It is caused be a reflection.

 

 

I'm not sure why you never saw any of this with your original M8 but if you go back through the images taken with it you'll probably find some.

[rob_x2004]

So if it is normal behaviour will it ever be fixed?

[Shootist]

So if it is normal behaviour will it ever be fixed?

Yes with the M9, hopefully.

New sensor with different cover glass.

[rob_x2004]

So its definitely hardware related and not likely to be fixed with firmware? Thats a bit of a shame.

[chris_tribble]

All the things you have posted pictures of so far are known issues and happen with every M8 ever made.

The first image you posted is has reflections from either the IR cut filter or just reflections off the sensor cover glass and the back of the lens.

There clearly is not a green triangle light in the middle of the crosswalk as shown in this image. It is caused be a reflection.

I'm not sure why you never saw any of this with your original M8 but if you go back through the images taken with it you'll probably find some.

 

Shootist - completely agree with you on this.

 

John - I don't think there's anything new here - they're all known issues. And actually - isn't it much more important to be getting exposure right and to be framing in ways which give some coherence to the image than worrying about a filter reflection ...

[Kasimir]

I understand the reflections, but are You really sure that the green leaking is common to all cameras and an "issue" of the sensor?

It never happened to me, and if the OP states that he has used his M8 for 18 month without any complaint I can understand that he wonders now. I definitely would, too.

[andybarton]

The green stripe, as demonstrated in the interior shot of the cafe, is common and reproducible. It has been discussed here many times before.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[jaapv]

The green band? It never happened to me in two years and two bodies, over 16000 shots, so I think it is definitely camera-related.