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Another Instance Of My M-240 "Going Crazy" While Storing Images


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Another idea, are you using a card reader or USB cable to upload images? The USB method can cause conflicts on the card, especially if images are being reviewed on a laptop or PCM before disconnecting. So while you probably already do this and know this, it is a good idea to always use a card reader for uploading your pictures, and on re-inserting the card in the camera the first thing to do to ensure it is completely clean is re-format it before doing anything else. In other words don't plug your card/camera into anything, review the images in Lightroom etc, then carry on shooting because other files may be being written to the card as if it were a normal storage device.

 

Steve

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Another idea, are you using a card reader or USB cable to upload images? The USB method can cause conflicts on the card, especially if images are being reviewed on a laptop or PCM before disconnecting. So while you probably already do this and know this, it is a good idea to always use a card reader for uploading your pictures, and on re-inserting the card in the camera the first thing to do to ensure it is completely clean is re-format it before doing anything else. In other words don't plug your card/camera into anything, review the images in Lightroom etc, then carry on shooting because other files may be being written to the card as if it were a normal storage device.

 

Steve

I always lock the card before putting it into the card reader.
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Again, helpful advice.

 

I find it hard to believe it is the card, since as mentioned, this has now happened on two different cards.

 

I am certain this is not due to any button being pushed.

 

However, I will a) reformat the card after each time I upload images, B) turn off any sort of automatic review, c) call Leica in NJ to see if they have any thoughts on this. I don't really want to reinstall the firmware, but will if I have to.

 

Finally, the only thing that is different between the period before I sent this to Solms and after is that I am now using different/other batteries. Lou (algrove) has gotten me to thinking I should monitor which battery is causing this effect, in case one is sending a weird charge or something...

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One easy step I would do before the above is to reload the SW if possible. Many times when a SW update takes place a few code lines don't write/ transfer correctly and odd things happen. It's quick and easy and if it fixes the problem, you are way ahead. If not, nothing except some short time loss.

 

I always download my images, and then when reloading the card, I format it in camera before shooting more. A clean slate, so to speak, to avoid ghost images in the card file directory. A more thorough job can be done with disk utilities that overwrite the card from the computer before placing it back in the cam and reformatting, but I've never done that and haven't had problems with just a camera reformat before each use.

 

I turn off auto review in all my cameras to save battery and have done that for years. I do not do much review of pictures on camera as a general rule, but the times I have done so on the M and on the ME the function has worked as it is supposed to.

 

Nicely said and so true.

 

I might add I do not review images until the processor has written completely to the card and then I turn it on /off manually for a few seconds.

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Again, helpful advice.

 

I find it hard to believe it is the card, since as mentioned, this has now happened on two different cards.

 

I am certain this is not due to any button being pushed.

 

However, I will a) reformat the card after each time I upload images, B) turn off any sort of automatic review, c) call Leica in NJ to see if they have any thoughts on this. I don't really want to reinstall the firmware, but will if I have to.

 

Finally, the only thing that is different between the period before I sent this to Solms and after is that I am now using different/other batteries. Lou (algrove) has gotten me to thinking I should monitor which battery is causing this effect, in case one is sending a weird charge or something...

 

 

I agree. If I were in your situation the plan of action would be to find out a work around or else exchange the camera. As your M doesn't appear to be the only one affected, let's call it a feature until Leica gets around to rectify the problem. Intermittent issues are hard to debug. Unfortunately, for the M9 and derivative products they never quite managed to address similar issues completely. So, let's hope for the best in this case.

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  • 6 months later...

Damn, it is happening again.

 

I long ago ceased having any auto review of images taken with my M, because I thought that might be the problem. But yesterday, a couple of times, I needed to chimp quickly to see how the picture turned out. And I found that as soon as I tried reviewing the picture I'd just taken, ALL of the images on the card were being scrolled rapidly. I had to turn the camera off, then back on, then hit play in order to get the last picture without it turning into a fast slide show on the LCD.

 

No, this isn't a card issue, as I've used multiple cards. No, it's not a formatting issue, as improperly format my cards. It is some kind of weird playback issue.

 

Has anyone had this experience since I began reporting it last May? It's not such a big deal that I would send it to Solms or Leica NJ to get it fixed. But it is weird.

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(I suspect it was partly because I'd taken a picture of his girlfriend, in a bikini...) I wanted to show him the image, partly to prove the bikini-clad girlfriend was incidental to the photo....

 

I'm certain I have you problem figured out and I'm confident I can tell you how to solve it. The only thing I need to complete my analysis is for you to post the shot of the girl in the bikini. If you can do that right away I'd be happy at that point to make up some BS "solution" to your problem ;)

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  • 2 months later...

My M240 started doing the 'mad scrolling' thing yesterday. Removing and re-inserting the battery only temporarily solved the issue.

 

So, John, any solutions before I start experimenting? Or is this just a DC/Baltimore issue?

 

Jeff

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The original description of the problem reads as if the "left" or "right" side of the direction pad was being pressed. Does the problem resemble what you are seeing when applying that control while in viewing mode?

 

If the direction pad was not actually being pressed (intentionally or not), then I would suspect the contacts of the direction pad.

 

My first M did this- and I strongly suspect there can be an issue just as you describe- a fault in the direction pad. Discussing my issue with Leica rep they mentioned encountering it before...

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  • 1 year later...

Very strange update: so, it has been two years since I reported this phenomenon -- occasionally, after taking a series of photos, when I looked at my screen, either various of the pictures on the SD card would be flying by, or -- a variant -- the screen would be black but the image numbers would be flying by.

 

I never had it dealt with on my M, never sent it to NJ, I just learned to live with it.

 

It never happened on my M9 Monochrom, only on my M.  And then I got a Monochrom Typ 246, and damn if it has not happened a few times. And also on a new M-P Typ 240.  So it's not an issue with a single camera or card. I have now had this phenomenon happen on three cameras and multiple cards.  All the cards are SanDisk Extreme Pros, either 16 or 32gbs. All formatted in the cameras.

 

Now that there are so many more Ms, M-Ps, and now Mono246s, is there anyone out there having these kinds of issues? I can live with it, though it is annoying -- I turn off auto review, so I don't notice it.  But still, what is this? And does anyone have a fix?  (I pray no one says, It must be you...) 

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A few weeks ago, I reported on a phenomenon where, after taking a few pictures in rapid succession, I was unable to take more, and when I looked at the LCD to see what was going on, a number of pictures from the SD card were all rapidly going by like they were on a carousel.

 

It is quite simple. Don't do that.

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Hope I don't jinx myself….mine hasn't had a recurrence since the single time last year.  Maybe a coincidence, but I bought a new battery shortly after.  I think I might have also cleaned the contacts and used a new card.

 

Jeff

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Hmm, Jeff.... New cameras, new cards... But, not all new batteries.  Okay, I am going to take a battery out of the MP and put it in the penalty box... If this doesn't happen with a different battery, we will know the culprit.  Fingers crossed.

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Many times when a SW update takes place a few code lines don't write/ transfer correctly and odd things happen. 

 

This is a myth.

 

All half-decent firmware updaters will read back and verify data written to flash-memory and tell you the update has failed.

Even if Leica didn't do that, and let you run a with a firmware not correctly updated, this issue would always happen (not once in a while).

 

This is probably a hardware failure of some camera buttons incorrectly reporting keypresses, and/or a firmware programming bug in handling user input events while the camera is still busy with other background tasks.

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Jaap, CheshireCat, all: I don't use a half case, so there's nothing mechanical pressing on any button.  It's unlikely that it's a firmware issue, since two of the cameras on which I have had this phenomenon were brand new.  

 

The single variable, and what I am now pinning my hopes on, is an errant battery.  I have five of them now, with the two new ones from the Monochrom and M-P additions.  When I bought the Monochrom, I put an existing charged battery in it, and began shooting away.... It is very possible this is the same battery I used in the M-P, as I charged a number of batteries one day, likely recharged the one I had been using in the Monochrom, and put it back in the bag.  I've now taken the one in the M-P out of the rotation.  I'm going to see if I have the same problem with the two cameras using different batteries.  Fingers crossed.  Thanks for the suggestions.

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my first M240 did exactly this- the mad scrolling. It also had a fault with the self timer actuating when it wasn't turned on. The camera was replaced by Leica. At the time I recall my dealer saying that they had heard of the scrolling issue before- and that it was caused by a mecahanical issue with a faulty scroll wheel. Can't say if that was true- but that's what i was told.

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my first M240 did exactly this- the mad scrolling. It also had a fault with the self timer actuating when it wasn't turned on. The camera was replaced by Leica. At the time I recall my dealer saying that they had heard of the scrolling issue before- and that it was caused by a mecahanical issue with a faulty scroll wheel. Can't say if that was true- but that's what i was told.

 

I had the crazy scrolling issue occur once on my new M last month. I had to turn off the camera to make it stop. I was using a SanDisk card as well.... 

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