rsolomon Posted March 19, 2007 Share #1 Â Posted March 19, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Leica Digital-Modul-R firmware update Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:00 GMT Â Â "Leica has today posted firmware update 1.2 for the ten megapixel Digital-Modul-R back for the R8 or R9 SLRs. This update includes improved image display, improved color, compatibility with 4 GB SD cards, compatibility with Mac OS X 10.3, improved Japanese menu and some bug fixes / optimizations. This update can be installed by simply loading the firmware file onto an SD card." Â unfortunately, this tracks to a year now since the "flawed" firmware was deleivered.... i know we have beaten a dead horse here but a year for firmware updates ?? Â Â btw: called imacon this week to get an update of the DMR firmware, they suggested discussing with leica as it's their product.... so i am back to leica where no real answers are provided...however leica does say it should be coming !!! Yeah, just how long i ask ? and the answer ..... "i don't know, they don't tell me".... that was provided by the head of parts and service in the USA. Â ..so i told them.... i don't know if i am going to but more leica gear... and i don't know if im going to tell my friends that leica is undependable in the digital world, and i don't know if i am going to share this with the other camera companies to make a point....i don't know if you have lost a 20 year customer... and i don't know why you can't supply basic guidence... Â so now Leica and I both don't know ..... and guess what we all loose..nobody wins in a situation like this... Â mint condition DMR soon available .....(depending on the adapter for the Rlens to D3) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 19, 2007 Posted March 19, 2007 Hi rsolomon, Take a look here Leica Digital-Modul-R firmware update..oh the date is 2006...... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Julian H Posted March 19, 2007 Share #2 Â Posted March 19, 2007 unfortunately, this tracks to a year now since the "flawed" firmware was deleivered.... i know we have beaten a dead horse here but a year for firmware updates ?? Â Â I totally agree with your sentiments, sometimes I feel as if Leica is treating owners of the DMR like scum! To sell a product for such an amount of money and not to give satisfactory support is disgusting. I don't care that Leica have had other problems to sort out, this issue was around well before the arrival of the M8. Leica's silence speaks volumes about their attitude. I find it impossible to believe that adequately experienced people are not available to write their firmware, more like its a financial decision not to invest in them. Â There are several lenses I want and obviously a new R10 in the offing. Rest assured I will be jumping ship to another product if a viable solution is not forthcoming. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbstitt Posted March 19, 2007 Share #3 Â Posted March 19, 2007 I got tired of waiting and the run around. Best pictures I ever took when I worked within the constraints but just a pain in the &%$#, along with much bigger. 5D is not as sharp but works all the time. Sorry, Leica, lost another long time user. Except I will keep my SL and the lenses that fit it. Â Maybe someday they will come out with something that will bring me back into the fold, but fantastic lenses alone do not make a photographic system. REALLY DISAPPOINTED! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsteve Posted March 19, 2007 Share #4 Â Posted March 19, 2007 Richard: Â I almost posted the same one year complaint about a week ago. I think it was March sixth or so. When you open the firmware 1.2 zip file, the date on the firmware file is from the first week of March 2006. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 19, 2007 Share #5  Posted March 19, 2007 Rob  Make a diary note for 6/3/08... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmb_ Posted March 19, 2007 Share #6 Â Posted March 19, 2007 Make a diary note for 6/3/08... Â March 2008 we can begin the 6 month countdown for the R10! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 19, 2007 Share #7 Â Posted March 19, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Whoopee! Â Another three grand for an R camera, but this time with decent firmware? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsolomon Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share #8  Posted March 20, 2007 received my leica world today ..they have an article on the D3 and the new R adapter...  leica i'm thinking you can keep the firmware, this it might be my answer.... holly %^%& i would have a  50(24x2) 2.8 100mm(50x2) 1.4 - wow ! 160(80x2) 1.4 - wow ! 200(100x2) 4 macro 270 (135x2) 2.8 - wow ! 360mm (180x2) f2.8...... wow !  potential plan: i sell the DMR (and maybe the Digilux 2 ), keep the R9 for film, go with a Digilux 3 for normal-tele shooting , for wide angle i shoot film R9...love that R9  anybody know about focus confirmation on the adapter ?  just think: leica still wins, i buy a D3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loretdem Posted March 20, 2007 Share #9 Â Posted March 20, 2007 Y'all are CRAZY!!! Â No argument from me about Leica's inability/reluctance to deliver the v1.3 firmware. Yes it has been an inexcusably long time, without a doubt. But are you seriously going to trade in a DMR for a D3??? The long awaited firmware update that we are so fed up waiting for will hopefully make our DMRs better cameras. But really is it that bad right now with the current firmware? Even with v1.1 I am extremely happy with the results I'm getting from my DMR and I am sure that no matter how wonderful the bells and whistles on the new D3 are, it simply will not compare favorably with my DMR's image quality. They're two completely different beasts! Â I have often had to deal with some of the nuisances of v1.1, particularly in regards to automatic white balancing. But I would rather work around these inconveniences than trade down to a camera of lesser image quality. I'm not knocking the D3 at all, it's just that I print very large and the D3 is probably not going to cut it for my needs. Â I do think that adding a D3 + R Adapter to your existing R kit would be a fun/good thing to do. But to substitute/replace a DMR with a D3, because the technology is so last year? That's insane!! That's Canon/Nikon insane!!! Â The DMR is certainly not for everyone and if it is too much camera for you then I completely understand. The D3 may be more to your liking. That's why the Digilux line exists. I'm sure someone out there would love to take your DMR off your hands for a fair price, especially now that they're hard to come by. Â For your sake I hope they don't release 1.3 the week after you dump your DMR and get your D3. But for my sake I hope they do! Â What is the point of punishing Leica for punishing us with this Imacon debacle that they had little to no control over? By all current accounts, Leica is committed to their R system. The R10 and/or DMR2 will arrive in due time. Those of us lucky to have DMRs are using our R lenses to produce some of the best digital image files possible (in some ways even better than the M8 IMHO). The DMR will easily keep me content until the next digital R solution. Nonetheless I, too, strongly urge Leica to get v1.3 to us as soon as possible and to announce their digital R plans by this summer. I do not think it is a good idea to keep the R line completely analog for too long in this day and age. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicamr Posted March 20, 2007 Share #10  Posted March 20, 2007 Y'all are CRAZY!!! No argument from me about Leica's inability/reluctance to deliver the v1.3 firmware. Yes it has been an inexcusably long time, without a doubt. But are you seriously going to trade in a DMR for a D3??? The long awaited firmware update that we are so fed up waiting for will hopefully make our DMRs better cameras. But really is it that bad right now with the current firmware? Even with v1.1 I am extremely happy with the results I'm getting from my DMR and I am sure that no matter how wonderful the bells and whistles on the new D3 are, it simply will not compare favorably with my DMR's image quality. They're two completely different beasts!  I have often had to deal with some of the nuisances of v1.1, particularly in regards to automatic white balancing. But I would rather work around these inconveniences than trade down to a camera of lesser image quality. I'm not knocking the D3 at all, it's just that I print very large and the D3 is probably not going to cut it for my needs.  I do think that adding a D3 + R Adapter to your existing R kit would be a fun/good thing to do. But to substitute/replace a DMR with a D3, because the technology is so last year? That's insane!! That's Canon/Nikon insane!!!  The DMR is certainly not for everyone and if it is too much camera for you then I completely understand. The D3 may be more to your liking. That's why the Digilux line exists. I'm sure someone out there would love to take your DMR off your hands for a fair price, especially now that they're hard to come by.  For your sake I hope they don't release 1.3 the week after you dump your DMR and get your D3. But for my sake I hope they do!  What is the point of punishing Leica for punishing us with this Imacon debacle that they had little to no control over? By all current accounts, Leica is committed to their R system. The R10 and/or DMR2 will arrive in due time. Those of us lucky to have DMRs are using our R lenses to produce some of the best digital image files possible (in some ways even better than the M8 IMHO). The DMR will easily keep me content until the next digital R solution. Nonetheless I, too, strongly urge Leica to get v1.3 to us as soon as possible and to announce their digital R plans by this summer. I do not think it is a good idea to keep the R line completely analog for too long in this day and age.   Loretdem,  I could not have worded it better. Why would any DMR owner replace it with a D3 and R adapter! I guess hissy fits cause some people irrational thoughts!  Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rubidium Posted March 20, 2007 Share #11 Â Posted March 20, 2007 Like I said before in an earlier thread on the topic, for me the DMR firmware problem is not a performance issue so much as it is a nagging quality control issue on an instrument that I consider a significant investment. I respect the fact that the problem may strike a different "balance point" with other owners. Since I shoot RAW and perform all subsequent processing outside of the camera, my images are just as good with 1.2 as they are with 1.1. I recently changed to 1.2 and am staying with it because I prefer having the advantage of being able to reliably use 4GB SD cards, which are now considerably more affordable than they were a year ago when 1.2 was released. Nevertheless, after spending all of that money, the nagging orange cast to the DMR display cheapens the "experience" for me just as much as would a gritty focusing ring on a Leica lens. Â I'm not a pro making a living with my gear. In addition to being a serious amateur who simply enjoys spending much of his free time exploring the world around him through the viewfinder, there are other times when I just want to hold a Leica in my hands, operate the controls, feel detents click, and admire the commitment to precision that is embodied within. Having an engineering team get the firmware right is no different to a Leica owner of my ilk than a technician installing a screw in a bayonnet mount without rounding off the slot. After a year without progress on the firmware, I am most saddened by the silence. Â Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loretdem Posted March 21, 2007 Share #12  Posted March 21, 2007 Like I said before in an earlier thread on the topic, for me the DMR firmware problem is not a performance issue so much as it is a nagging quality control issue on an instrument that I consider a significant investment. I respect the fact that the problem may strike a different "balance point" with other owners. Since I shoot RAW and perform all subsequent processing outside of the camera, my images are just as good with 1.2 as they are with 1.1. I recently changed to 1.2 and am staying with it because I prefer having the advantage of being able to reliably use 4GB SD cards, which are now considerably more affordable than they were a year ago when 1.2 was released. Nevertheless, after spending all of that money, the nagging orange cast to the DMR display cheapens the "experience" for me just as much as would a gritty focusing ring on a Leica lens. I'm not a pro making a living with my gear. In addition to being a serious amateur who simply enjoys spending much of his free time exploring the world around him through the viewfinder, there are other times when I just want to hold a Leica in my hands, operate the controls, feel detents click, and admire the commitment to precision that is embodied within. Having an engineering team get the firmware right is no different to a Leica owner of my ilk than a technician installing a screw in a bayonnet mount without rounding off the slot. After a year without progress on the firmware, I am most saddened by the silence.  Jim  I hear you loud and clear. But if there is one thing I've learned being a Leica user for decades now is that Leica takes its bloody time! This is not the camera system to go with if you have to have the latest and greatest bleeding edge gear at any given time. Most Leica photographers that I know use and keep their gear practically forever. In fact one of the things I appreciate most about Leica is that they do not keep drowning us with new products every year that force us to constantly reevaluate our equipment choices. Just look at what Nikon recently did with their D40 and D40x. And some folks are compelled to upgrade their Canon 20D to 30D. Why? I have no idea! This camera gear rat race holds no allure for me.  Through some very judicious purchasing decisions I have been able to build up over time a very useful R and M kit that not only suits my quality requirements but ought to do so for quite some time down the line. IOW I feel my investment is safe. This is something that is very difficult to do now that photography is hurling down the digital spiral and changes are so fast paced. That, plus the impact of internet forums like this, have made some of us either impatient or nervous or feeling like we're missing out. If that is the case I say relax and get yourself a 1DMarkIII. After all it is the most perfect camera, right? And let the race begin!  BTW FWIW I am a "pro" *trying* to make a living at this and even though Leica is all I use in the 35mm form factor I mostly work in larger formats (using film... remember film?) and I have never felt that my gear has ever limited the kind of work that I do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgcd Posted March 21, 2007 Share #13 Â Posted March 21, 2007 The DMR functions superbly with firmware version 1.1, it was always meant as a RAW machine as such it's not for everyone. If it does not suit your needs, by all means go for the solution that makes sense for you. The rest of us will continue to be extremely happy with our DMRs. Â Cheers, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsolomon Posted March 21, 2007 Author Share #14 Â Posted March 21, 2007 i also agree, if shooting raw and willing to post process each frame - there may be no better way to go. Â I want the DMR to be more accomodating to those who want to spend time behind the viewfinder verse infront of the screen - i have come to the conslusion that the DMR is a digital component that changed the spirit of the R9 for me. Â The R9 allowed me to do everything manual - or everthing automatic - or anything between those ...the DMR component was not an extention of that methodology, it only expanded the "everything" manual .... by this i mean shoot only raw and post process. Â i am not a pro..and this is designed for professionals or those willing to post process each frame...This is the reason why i look forward to the firmware because i beleive firmware changes could make this fantastic piece of hardware fit more to my usage.....meaning more "out of the box" .... i realize the folks shooting raw see no reason for improvement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loretdem Posted March 22, 2007 Share #15  Posted March 22, 2007 i also agree, if shooting raw and willing to post process each frame - there may be no better way to go. I want the DMR to be more accomodating to those who want to spend time behind the viewfinder verse infront of the screen - i have come to the conslusion that the DMR is a digital component that changed the spirit of the R9 for me.  The R9 allowed me to do everything manual - or everthing automatic - or anything between those ...the DMR component was not an extention of that methodology, it only expanded the "everything" manual .... by this i mean shoot only raw and post process.  i am not a pro..and this is designed for professionals or those willing to post process each frame...This is the reason why i look forward to the firmware because i beleive firmware changes could make this fantastic piece of hardware fit more to my usage.....meaning more "out of the box" .... i realize the folks shooting raw see no reason for improvement.  Excellent points, but what makes you think that v1.3 will be your panacea? Personally I'm only expecting an AWB band aid and the ability to use 4GB cards and little else of much consequence. Definitely worth it, for sure, but will that suffice for you?  BTW I believe the DMR on an R8/9 is a lot more akin to, say, a Hasselblad with an Imacon back or a Mamiya with a Leaf back than a Canon or Nikon DSLR. There are pros and cons to both approaches. Just a matter of picking one's poison. For me the DMR/R9 is a happy medium between the two. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsolomon Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share #16  Posted March 22, 2007 you're probably right.....  agreed: support for the the 4gb is needed, and even 8 gig sd cards are (or will be ) availalbe soon.  agreed : AutoWB is nice (and needed imho) but when shooting raw does it really matter so much ? , i guess if they fix the "warm" monitor issue as well then the AWB has even more value.   and just my .02.....i also think they should consider removing the ability to shoot jpeg, this would clearly send the message of what this tool is designed for .. the DMR probably is the best 35 mm raw shooter out there ... it would also remove the guys like me from the pain in the $%$^ list ..Leica should not do anything half way and their jpeg support/results are "half way", so clean it up or get rid of it would be my advice . just think it pushes the folks who want to be able to do jpegs etc.. to the D3...perhaps where we belong.  BTW i love the R9 and will most likely never give it up   thoughts ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loretdem Posted March 22, 2007 Share #17 Â Posted March 22, 2007 - i have come to the conclusion that the DMR is a digital component that changed the spirit of the R9 for me. .. the DMR probably is the best 35 mm raw shooter out there ... Â I find these two comments hit the bull's eye. As someone who shoots often with a view camera, the DMR really suits me as a digital solution. In fact, as far as Leica, I was strictly an M user until the DMR, so I was one of those who acquired an R9 just to be able to use the DMR. Contrary to popular belief, I believe there are many of us out there whose first exposure to the R system was through the DMR. Now I'm hooked and awaiting Leica's next digital R move. Â I agree with your assessment of the JPEG situation but I would actually prefer it if the DMR could shoot DNG + JPEG like the M8. Unlike you I really do not care about the quality of my JPEGS, but they would be convenient for me as quick proofs or for snaps that I simply do not want to keep a DNG of. If v1.3 ever comes out and it improves JPEG quality then great, but if it gives us DNG + JPEG then awesome! (highly, highly doubtful) Â But if v1.3 never shows up I'll just accept the camera as it is: "the best 35 mm raw shooter out there". Couldn't have said it better myself. Â FWIW my recommendation to you, Richard, if you are interested, is to get a D3 (if you like its viewfinder!) and KEEP the DMR for when you need that kind of image quality. If Leica does not come out with a replacement for it, there are a lot of R8/9 users out there who will continue to seek it out second-hand for its unique ability, so it will probably retain most of its value for some time to come. I don't know you, but I think you may end up regretting the loss of your DMR sometime down the road. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsolomon Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share #18 Â Posted March 25, 2007 Checked out the D3 ...... it's no R9......i am still hoping for firmware Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsolomon Posted March 31, 2007 Author Share #19 Â Posted March 31, 2007 it's April.... an no word..... hopes of firmware are starting to fade .....theres already talk on the forum of R10 - ofcourse with no real detail. Â Â will R10 raw files beat the DMR raw files...... that'll be one to watch.... Â therfore i am assuming the R10 will be mostly about feature/function and not final RAW DNG quality. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsteve Posted March 31, 2007 Share #20 Â Posted March 31, 2007 I bet they are waiting until tomrrow to release firmware 1.3, "April fools day." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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