Christoph13 Posted June 28, 2011 Share #1 Posted June 28, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi all yes, I know there are several old threads but all of them got derailed at some point so I thought it was better to open a new one. For a while now I had the impression that my M8 used to be faster in writing files to the SD card. Because I never measured any times directly and don't have a second M8 to compare with it is not more than a feeling. But taking a picture and pressing the play button resulted in a lag of several seconds during which the red LED blinked. I also had the dreaded "SD-card full" symptom but so far switching the camera on and off or formatting the SD card (Sandisk Extreme III) solved the problem. Zooming into pictures on the SD card inside the camera also used to go fairly quick and took around 5 seconds recently. Not so now. The camera complains that the card is full and now my computer clearly states that the card is unreadable which it was not previously. I have reset the camera to factory setting, changed picture numbering to standard mode, reset file and folder numbering, etc. I can format the card ok, but it takes now several minutes to complete versus a couple of seconds before. Every once in a while I can take a picture immediately after formatting the card but switching the camera off resuscitates the problem and all pictures on the card are gone, even the ones I took only seconds earlier. Formatting the card in another camera makes the computer happy but not the M8 which stubbornly insists the card is full. To add insult to injury, another SD card which works fine in the computer and the LX3 shows exactly the same symptoms. I hate to say this but it looks like it may be my M8 dying. Does anyone else have the same problem? Or better yet, a cure? Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 28, 2011 Posted June 28, 2011 Hi Christoph13, Take a look here my M8 complains about "SD-card full". I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
TshawM8 Posted June 28, 2011 Share #2 Posted June 28, 2011 Strange, I would send it off for repair if it is occurring with multiple cards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 28, 2011 Share #3 Posted June 28, 2011 Try cleaning the contacts first Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph13 Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share #4 Posted June 28, 2011 Oh, d**n. The problem has become worse. Even before asking Jaap how to go about cleaning the contacts so deeply recessed inside the body, the camera now sports an always-on LED and little else. After repeated trials I got so far as to reformat the SD card, but to no avail. Oh dear, the least I am looking forward to is another costly repair and having no camera for the next weeks (summer vacation with the family). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimofnyc Posted June 28, 2011 Share #5 Posted June 28, 2011 Have you tried a different SD card? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted June 28, 2011 Share #6 Posted June 28, 2011 Format your card in your computer first. Please, relax. K-H. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted June 28, 2011 Share #7 Posted June 28, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Yes try another SD card. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph13 Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share #8 Posted June 28, 2011 I am not hysterical, just trying to proceed in a logical fashion. As stated above, I see the same symptoms with two cards (both SDHC) and now also with an older SD (no HC) card. I have also formatted the cards in the computer using FAT32 and FAT16 to no avail. Mostly the red LED is on, in which case neither the small LCD display on the top plate nor the large display at the rear of the camera are on. Interestingly the red LED stays illuminated even after switching the camera off. Any ideas as to what next? Thanks for your compassion BTW Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted June 28, 2011 Share #9 Posted June 28, 2011 Hi Chris, Thanks for your cool response. I think you have proceeded in a very logical fashion. What I would do next is send Leica an email describing the issue. Then follow up the next day with a phone call referring to the detailed email. That's a good basis for a conversation and see what they suggest as further action. Best and good luck, K-H. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph13 Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share #10 Posted June 28, 2011 That's what I have done now, write an email to the Leica support that is. I'll give them a call tomorrow and post any and all progress here. Thanks again. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_newell Posted June 30, 2011 Share #11 Posted June 30, 2011 In-computer (computer OS) format tools may not be the best choice. Have you tried the "official" SD format utility? Unfortunately, Windows only, not Mac. It may not solve the problem, but it's worth a try. I do a base format on cards with that utility and then do an in-camera format. I've never had a problem (knock on wood) with a card. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph13 Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share #12 Posted July 1, 2011 The camera is on its way to Solms, in fact it should have arrived there already. I did not format the card with the utility you mentioned but in three different cameras neither of which had a problem using a card formatted in any other camera. So long as it was not the M8 that did the formatting, that is. The customer service immediately suggested it may be a physically broken contact inside the SD card slot. Seeing as vacation time is coming I did not want to lose more time tinkering. Hopefully the repair won't take too long... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted July 1, 2011 Share #13 Posted July 1, 2011 The camera is on its way to Solms, in fact it should have arrived there already. I did not format the card with the utility you mentioned but in three different cameras neither of which had a problem using a card formatted in any other camera. So long as it was not the M8 that did the formatting, that is. The customer service immediately suggested it may be a physically broken contact inside the SD card slot. Seeing as vacation time is coming I did not want to lose more time tinkering. Hopefully the repair won't take too long... Or cost as much as your vacation. My philosophy is buy a dedicated card for camera and leave it in, download from camera to computer, the reformat the card in camera. I just bought 16GB cards for my Nikon D3 and I never intend to remove them. Sure I use a little battery, but I can buy new ones. I can not fix pins for CF cards and I have broken the slide locks on SD cards, don`t know how. Fortunately it was a cheap card. The case actually cracked down the side and the card was rendered useless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph13 Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share #14 Posted July 1, 2011 Or cost as much as your vacation. The purchase of the M8 was an experiment for me and looking at how the repair is handled is certainly part of the equation. I like how small the camera is and love the quality of the photos (not at higher ISO though). My philosophy is buy a dedicated card for camera and leave it in, download from camera to computer, the reformat the card in camera. I just bought 16GB cards for my Nikon D3 and I never intend to remove them. Sure I use a little battery, but I can buy new ones. I can not fix pins for CF cards and I have broken the slide locks on SD cards, don`t know how. Fortunately it was a cheap card. The case actually cracked down the side and the card was rendered useless. It is not so much the cards I am worried about (and they all appear to be fine) but the contacts inside the camera in my case. Yes, anything can break but removing the card and inserting it is the intended use so I'd expect some precautions being taken in the construction of the hardware. Also, when traveling I'd rather take some extra SD cards and leave the photos on them when not near a computer. A camera should really be able to withstand this kind of use (inserting SD cards) or else it is not for me. Well, for now I can do little but wait and hope. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted July 1, 2011 Share #15 Posted July 1, 2011 Hi Chris, Good luck with your camera. When mine was in Solms, after they received it, I gave them a call to find out how long it would take. They prediction was pretty accurate. Best, K-H. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_newell Posted July 1, 2011 Share #16 Posted July 1, 2011 I have a lot more faith in the durability of the card contacts than the durability of the cable jacks. Or cost as much as your vacation. My philosophy is buy a dedicated card for camera and leave it in, download from camera to computer, the reformat the card in camera. I just bought 16GB cards for my Nikon D3 and I never intend to remove them. Sure I use a little battery, but I can buy new ones. I can not fix pins for CF cards and I have broken the slide locks on SD cards, don`t know how. Fortunately it was a cheap card. The case actually cracked down the side and the card was rendered useless. The purchase of the M8 was an experiment for me and looking at how the repair is handled is certainly part of the equation. I like how small the camera is and love the quality of the photos (not at higher ISO though). It is not so much the cards I am worried about (and they all appear to be fine) but the contacts inside the camera in my case. Yes, anything can break but removing the card and inserting it is the intended use so I'd expect some precautions being taken in the construction of the hardware. Also, when traveling I'd rather take some extra SD cards and leave the photos on them when not near a computer. A camera should really be able to withstand this kind of use (inserting SD cards) or else it is not for me. Well, for now I can do little but wait and hope. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph13 Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share #17 Posted July 2, 2011 I have a lot more faith in the durability of the card contacts than the durability of the cable jacks. And for a good reason, too. This is what the inside of the SD card slot looked like in my camera. The cast resin frame that holds down the springy contacts is broken in one and cracked in some others, giving them more room to wiggle and eventually brake. While the construction as such looks ok to me I am not so sure about the brittle resin material. From what I hear it is not the first time this broke and I can't say I am surprised. Let's hope it is an easy repair then. Thanks everyone for their comments and advice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph13 Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share #18 Posted May 22, 2012 Digging out this old thread because the "SD card full" seems to be a recurring issue for some and it may be interesting how it worked out for me. My M8 ended up with a very costly repair. After I sent her to Solms, I got a quote for replacing the entire sensor because apparently nothing much can be repaired, only replaced and the battery contacts appear to be strategically placed on the nerve center of the camera. A phone call to a competent and understanding Leica specialist at Solms confirmed this and it appeared that it could have come worse than this because in this offering Leica took over the cost for replacing the defective hardware even though the warranty period had already ended (about a year ago). I still ended up having to pay close to 700€. The repair was carried out within two or three weeks and returned in time for the holiday season. The upside of it is: I have a basically new camera, new shutter, new sensor and - new battery contacts. Christoph Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph13 Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share #19 Posted May 22, 2012 oops, of course I meant SD card contacts, not battery contacts (see photo above). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
amnesiac Posted May 22, 2012 Share #20 Posted May 22, 2012 I had this problem when I was on the old firmware.. problem never came back after I upgraded to the latest firmware Hope your m8 issue gets resolved promptly! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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