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M8 battery charger in US... - minor panic


iLikeLeica

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Hello -

 

I'm currently in San Fransisco looking forward to a couple of days of shooting away.. however - just got back to the hotel and wanted to charge one of my batteries - no green/amber light on the charger... no good i guess...

 

charger worked well when i left Europe so should not be the issue... and as far as i understand a simple powerplug converter should do the trick....

 

so i'm confused... either my adapter is broken - big issue... OR adapter is not fit for US usage (big issue too...), or maybe the green/amber does not lit up in US ?....

 

it's in the plug now but does not look good...

 

If not loaded - any advice for me where in San Fransisco i have access to a Leica dealer to buy a charger or any dealer/volunteer where i can charge my batteries so i can make the best of my next 3 days in San Fra.

 

thanks a lot

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The original (larger) charger came a set of swappable plugs for different countries but not every country might have every adapter supplied with it. The compact one (same as with M9) just needs a universal appliance lead with appropriate plug or adapter on the end of it. It is designed for 100V-240V 50/60hz. I have used mine in Europe, USA and Australia.

 

It will adjust within that range by itself. You only need to sort out the right plug pins not get a voltage adjuster. Any tourist oriented out-let and the airport shops etc should have something suitable.

 

If your charger has gone to the lost charger graveyard in the sky you might talk to Popflash in Thousand Oaks (very helpful) or Keeble and Schucat in Palo Alto?

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You might try contacting Calumet Photo or Fireside Cameras. They both carry Leica brand cameras and accessories and are open during the weekend. Enjoy your stay in San Francisco!

 

-keith

 

Calumet Photo

2001 Bryant Street

San Francisco, CA 94110

415.643.9275 M-F 8 to 6

Saturday 9 to 5:30

Sunday 12 to 5

 

Fireside Camera

2117 Chestnut St. San Francisco, CA 94123 : 415.567.8131

Our hours are: M-F: 9AM-6PM : Sat: 10AM-6PM : Sun: 10AM-5PM

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@All -

 

many thanks for all the helpful suggestions...

 

i ended up with Fireside camera who did not have a charger on stock but after a phone conversation where willing to charge 2 of my batteries for a small fee which i was more then happy to pay instead of a 200$ replacement charger....

 

this saved my day - thanks to Ed Lee of Fireside ....

 

ofcourse will now drop a note to Leica to understand why this happened in the first place - the charger is supposed to be compatible with US 110v....

 

cheers

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Glad to hear that you got a temporary fix so you could keep shooting.

Your charger's design IS compatible with US 110V. I don't know what has failed for you of course.

Mine worked in USA, Australia, Netherlands, Catalonia and Germany with only plug adapetrs suitable in each country.

 

Best of luck for a speedy solution for whatever has gone wrong when returning home.

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Recently happened to me with my M8.2 charger. I tried plugging it into the car 12v socket and it worked. By chance I have a AA battery charger which I use for flashgun batteries. This charger has a 12v power supply with a plug that fits the Leica charger so I can now use it in the house again. Saves me driving around for 3 hours waiting on a battery charging! : )

My M8 'brick' charger packed in some time ago and was repaired under the Leica Passport, I thought they would only cover the actual camera. It has been working for over a year since. At the time I tried to run it from the car 12v power but it was completely dead. Might give you another option before you shell out the big bucks for a genuine Leica. If you search the forum I know that a few people have been using various Delkin chargers at a fraction of the price. This frustratingly simple problem can bring your shooting to a complete halt so it pays to have a 'plan B'.

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.............If you search the forum I know that a few people have been using various Delkin chargers at a fraction of the price. This frustratingly simple problem can bring your shooting to a complete halt so it pays to have a 'plan B'.

 

There is another alternative..... :D :

 

LEICA M8 M8.2 M9 COMPACT CHARGER - SMALLER THAN DELKIN! | eBay

 

Best,

 

Jan

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