Jump to content
🇩🇪 Neu: Leica SL3 Reporter ×
🇺🇸🇬🇧 New: Leica SL3 Reporter ×

Poll: M8 Freezing/Failures

sean_reid

By sean_reid
in Digital Forum

Recommended Posts

furcafe

furcafe

Posted
Posted

Advertisement (gone after registration)

9. SanDisk Ultra II 2GB.

 

1. 1, a version 1.09 straight from the factory.

 

2. Yes, but not exactly the same as your scenario. In my case, the M8 would "seize up" in the middle of shooting after the shutter was released (but no picture was taken)--the camera would freeze & none of the menu buttons would work, only the red light below the control wheel would flash continuously. Sometimes this occurred right after the camera was turned on, sometimes in the middle of a series of shots (but perhaps after being awoken from "sleep").

 

3. Sometimes I could correct the problem by turning the camera off, waiting, & then turning it back on. On other occasions I would have to turn off the M8 & then remove & re-insert the battery.

 

4. I have only 1 battery, so was unable to test w/a "fresh" battery when the failures occurred.

 

5. Yes, see response to 3.

 

6. No, but I have returned the M8 for warranty work for other reasons, too, including a mis-aligned RF (backfocus) & the AE/metering issue I posted about here: http://www.leica-camera-user.com/digital-forum/11844-m8-slow-speed-metering-issue-low.html

 

 

7. No.

 

8. Battery level was always either full or 75% full. I did not notice any static.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 160
  • Created
  • Last Reply
jonoslack

jonoslack

Posted
Posted

1. one

2. possibly - it has, at least, hung (but what camera doesn't) - 1st generation 1.09 firmware

3. yes

 

It's currently in Solms being 'fixed'. I have to say that although this may have been the harbinger of disaster, it didn't seem like much of an issue at the time.

Link to post
Share on other sites
sean_reid

sean_reid

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Please keep them coming. I'd love to get a sample size of at least 200 and we're getting close to 100 already today. Please ask your M8 owning friends to chime in and, again, please feel free to respond even if your Leica has *not* shown this behavior. Forum lurkers, c'mon out.

 

Thanks,

 

Sean

Link to post
Share on other sites
primetime1001

primetime1001

Posted
Posted

D) I had to return the camera

 

1) two and a loaner

2) the first one - second generation

6) the camera did not return to normal operation - it was dead - and returned to Leica

7) Leica have supplied no information on the problem, they just replaced the camera

8) battery status was full - I was street shooting that day, and it was cold. It started to show some symptoms during the day, got it home and suddenly it ceased to function

 

 

Hugh

Link to post
Share on other sites
Susan_NYC

Susan_NYC

Posted
Posted

Advertisement (gone after registration)

1. One

 

2. Yes, first generation (received it Nov 6); A several times; D the last time (Jan. 10) when it died for good.

 

3. yes, several times between the time I got it and then when it died

 

4. No - when it really died, a fresh battery didn't work

 

5. The final time I left it overnight without a battery and in the morning tried with another fresh battery. It took three shots, showed each briefly on the lcd, and showed nothing else on the displays at all; then it died again - nothing clicked or showed on the monitors, but the battery red light showed intermittently, even when the camera was turned off.

 

6. Yes. I called the dealer I bought it from and was told to call Leica NJ.

 

7. No. I'm less than an hour's drive from Leica NJ, and they said I could bring it in. They took a careful look while I waited and said they couldn't repair it. I had to hand it over for them to send to Germany.

 

8. I had shot a bit in the morning then met a friend midtown at 5pm to shoot together. When I took it out to shoot, the shutter and lcd were dead. The battery was nearly fully charged. The spare battery was freshly charged. Didn't note any unusual conditions. It was cold out, but we'd had some cold days.

 

Comments:

 

I shot over 10,000 pictures between 11/6 and 1/10 and had battery issues six or seven times as well as the green blob and streaking and flares. I figured all would be taken care of when I sent the camera for the upgrade, but I didn't want to part with the camera during winter break (I teach) since now I have a lot more time to shoot.

 

Tomorrow (January 24) I'm going to Arizona for the last five days of my break. My backup camera is an old Canon point and shoot. The M8 is my first "real" camera, and the elmarit 28/2.8 is my first lens.

 

I told the NJ Leica headquarters about my upcoming trip and showed them my point-and-shoot - I don't go anywhere without a camera. I asked if they could possibly request that the fix be expedited, so I might have the camera for the trip. I was told that the last batch sent to Germany had a two-week turnaround, which meant maybe I'd have the camera in time.

 

I called Leica NJ yesterday (with a glimmer of hope) and was told it would probably be four or five weeks until I have my camera again.

 

I'm reading these posts for the first time and see that some people were given loaners. How much better I'd have felt if I'd been offered a loaner, at least for the trip.

Link to post
Share on other sites
sean_reid

sean_reid

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I was reminded that we should look at one more aspect in this survey. For those of you who have had the camera show this behavior, was it on a tripod at the time? Was the tripod metal? I realize this is a lot of questions but the details may help us to get a better sense of what's going on.

 

Thanks,

 

Sean

Link to post
Share on other sites
philevans

philevans

Posted
Posted

1.. How many M8s have you either owned or used regularly for more than a week?

One camera, purchased in Dec.

 

2. Have any of these cameras shown the behavior described above? Please answer for each camera and note if the camera is "first' or "second" generation.

Yes, on a trip at the moment. Battery was almost full before my trip, was on a domestic flight and upon inspection of the camera it was dead.

 

3. If yes to #2, did the camera return to normal operation after it was turned off and its battery removed briefly and reinstalled?

No

 

4. If yes to #2, did the camera return to normal operation after it was turned off and a fresh battery was installed?

Not tried this yet, only own one battery and didn't pack the charger.

 

5. If yes to #2, did the camera return to normal operation after it was turned off, left without a battery installed for a longer period of time and then had the battery reinstalled? If so, how long was the interval where it sat with no battery?

No this did not work. Left the device without battery for over 12 hours.

 

6. If yes to #2, did the camera fail to return to normal operation after various steps had been taken? Did the camera need to be returned to Leica?

Jury still out, will charge the battery when I return home later this week.

 

7. If yes to #6, did Leica indicate what needed to be repaired on your camera.

N/A (at the moment)

 

8. If yes to #2, did you note the battery level on the camera just before it showed this behavior? What was the level? Did you note static electricity in the area or any other factors that might be relevant?

I thought the battery was full (or at least only taken 10 shots from fully charged). Whilst going through airport security I removed the M8 from my bag (as on a previous trip the TSA agent wanted to inspect the camera as it was in a bag). Flight was about 4 hours.

 

Summary: Will know more this weekend whether this is a battery failure or a camera failure. Very disappointed :(

Link to post
Share on other sites
wparsonsgisnet

wparsonsgisnet

Posted
Posted
... was it on a tripod at the time? Was the tripod metal?

 

Sean,

 

When I had the problem with the battery full, the camera was in my hands.

With the battery 2/3 down, it was on a metal tripod -- again, no signs of static electricity (and no carpet).

Link to post
Share on other sites
fotografr

fotografr

Posted
Posted
I was reminded that we should look at one more aspect in this survey. For those of you who have had the camera show this behavior, was it on a tripod at the time? Was the tripod metal? I realize this is a lot of questions but the details may help us to get a better sense of what's going on.

 

Thanks,

 

Sean

 

Mine was nowhere near a tripod. In answer to a previous question, the memory card was a Kingston 2GB 120X. It works fine in my LX1.

Link to post
Share on other sites
pschork

pschork

Posted
Posted

1. 1

2. 1

3. yes

4. did not try

5. did not try

6. no

7.

8. I think battery was at least 1/2 depleted or more

 

This has occurred probably 4 times over 2mos. In all instances I had been editing either shooting mode, main menu options or browsing images and proceeded to turn the camera off. When I turned the camera back on the battery indicator did not appear and menu screens were still displayed. Shutter release did not work.

Link to post
Share on other sites
jcbjr

jcbjr

Posted
Posted

1. two m8's (one less than a week old); one early model, now w/ 1.09; other new model

 

2. none of the behavior on either; no problems but some infrequent light banding.

 

and not often used with tripods.

 

john

Link to post
Share on other sites
jaapv

jaapv

Posted
Posted

Slghtly OT (Sorry Sean) Mine (the first version one) just returned from Solms for a combined upgrade/ freeze-crash repair, and I noticed Leica replaced both battery and battery-charger.

Link to post
Share on other sites
wparsonsgisnet

wparsonsgisnet

Posted
Posted
Slghtly OT (Sorry Sean) Mine (the first version one) just returned from Solms for a combined upgrade/ freeze-crash repair, and I noticed Leica replaced both battery and battery-charger.

 

Sean, sorry, it's a slight hijack, but, Jaap, would you post a photo of the new charger?

 

Do you want to start a new thread for this? That way the second-wave group can see what charger you have.

 

tnx,

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...