espiekermann Posted January 4, 2014 Share #1 Posted January 4, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) after having those 2 cameras in 2 separate checked suitcases on 3 different flights, they do not work at all. The screen doesn't light up. Batteries are fully charged and i have tried different SD cards in both cameras. The display in the viewfinder on the M says SD. The shutter works, but only after toggling between the single- and multiexposure buttons. No images arrive on the card. I have tried 3 different lenses on the M. I cannot even reformat the cards because i cannot get to any of the menus. The screen on the X1 lights up a little when i switch it on but shows no messages at all. The M screen is totally dead. I fear that some process by the TSA (who opened at least one of our suitcases) may have zapped the electronics. Is there a way to reset the cameras (some weird 2- or 3-button reset like on my computer) without access to the screen and its menus? The M is only 6 weeks old and worked very well before i packed it. So did my wife's X1. I've been using Leicas for 40 years including pretty much all the electronic models. Next to the new M240, I shall keep my M8 and use it for b/w only. I travel a lot and usually check baggage with the camera inside as they are so heavy and security people (especially in the US) often freak out when they find a camera made from real metal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Hi espiekermann, Take a look here M240 and X1 dead after flight. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
randyman Posted January 4, 2014 Share #2 Posted January 4, 2014 This is horrid news... very scary. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 4, 2014 Share #3 Posted January 4, 2014 I would never put a camera in checked in luggage, especially a relatively fragile rangefinder camera. Have you ever seen how 'carefully' your luggage is handled behind the scenes? And if your case was opened you have no idea what somebody has done to your camera. Hopefully your insurance will cover it. Standard travel insurance is very limited regarding valuable items. If the cameras are under warranty I'd try that route too but it depends as to what the actual problems are, so don't be surprised if Leica decline to repair them for free. Of course you could always try to hold the relevant airport luggage handlers to blame but I expect that would be very difficult. I hope you find a solution one way or another. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted January 4, 2014 Share #4 Posted January 4, 2014 That is really bad news; multiple faults without explanation. A swift insurance claim I think. Check you instructions. You should be able to reset factory defaults on both cameras. Have you tried using reserve batteries in case that is the cause? I would never allow my cameras to leave my side, on any trip. While that is not the ultimate safeguard, I just like to have ready access to them. If that means carrying fewer lenses, I will accept that penalty. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted January 4, 2014 Share #5 Posted January 4, 2014 I would never allow my cameras to leave my side, on any trip. While that is not the ultimate safeguard, I just like to have ready access to them. If that means carrying fewer lenses, I will accept that penalty. Agree. Apart from access, there is the handling issue of course, and I would absolutely never check a camera or a computer. If I had to lighten up, I would be willing to put lenses in secure cases in checked luggage, but not a camera. There are small rolling bags that are acceptable for carry-on. A very hard lesson for the OP, who has my sympathies. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
espiekermann Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted January 4, 2014 Check you instructions. You should be able to reset factory defaults on both cameras. Have you tried using reserve batteries in case that is the cause? Instructions say nothing about resetting. You need the screen to do anything but my screens are dead. Does anybody know how to reset without having access to menus, i.e. screens? And, of course, I know it was foolish to check both cameras, but I often do so in Europe and nothing has ever happened. I suspect that the TSA have equipment that does things which are harmful to electronics. And I did try new batteries (I always carry a spare set) and new SD cards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdriceman Posted January 4, 2014 Share #7 Posted January 4, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) If removing the battery and re inserting it doesnt reboot the camera, im afraid it will have to go back to Leica. Other ideas - re-format tha card in your computer; try re-charging the battery; Good luck. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannybuoy Posted January 4, 2014 Share #8 Posted January 4, 2014 Not good news at all. Hope you're managing to cope during what must be quite a distressing situation. I often wonder how powerful/dirty the radiation they use to check hold luggage. I cringe every time I put my laptop and M through the hand luggage xray. The hold scanners must be pretty harmful to delicate items. Hope you manage to salvage your cameras or get them replaced with insurance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted January 4, 2014 Share #9 Posted January 4, 2014 Let me see, you put a $7000 camera in a locked bag that only the "security" people can open in a dark corner. In my opinion, TSA should inspect only in your presence and they can not touch anything. They can ask you to take anything out they want , but they can not touch. What do you expect from a bunch of power hungry people with less than high school. Then they to feel you up with gloves they occasionally change. They are protected, but what about you? No airplanes for me. Some day we will get the same treatment on trains and busses. For now , keep the camera with you. Where have you been? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
espiekermann Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share #10 Posted January 4, 2014 I checked our luggage. i.e. handed it in, but they do open some suitcases even then and inspect them. They leave a note saying they did so. That is why they would never steal anything, but who knows what type of radiation they put the luggage through before they decide to inspect it. Leicas appear as big black chunks of metal on detectors and always raise suspicion in those minds that are full of prejudice. A German aluminium suitcase with a piece of precision equipment inside seems to trigger all of them. If only there was a method of resetting the cameras (this happened to both a harmless X1 and a brandnew M) without having to use the screens. The shutter works, but only after I turned another dial apart from selecting S. Weird. Mechanically, everything seems in order. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest odeon Posted January 4, 2014 Share #11 Posted January 4, 2014 For that reason i never travel with a suitcase. I use only the hand luggage on my trips. The airport staffs are too insensitive. They deliver the suitcases as "shaken and stirred". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndReini Posted January 4, 2014 Share #12 Posted January 4, 2014 I know this has been suggested above, but have you tried reformatting the SD card in the computer or tried a new SD card yet? If an M says SD, then that's the first thing I would try. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
espiekermann Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share #13 Posted January 4, 2014 If you’re moving between homes in Berlin and San Francisco with a vacation stop in between, hand luggage may not be enough. I also hate the competition for overhead luggage space and prefer not to carry my luggage through airports. Easy enough on short national trips, but not when you go long distance and change planes often. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
george + Posted January 4, 2014 Share #14 Posted January 4, 2014 Sorry to read about your problems. Have you tried to reload the firmware? Download from the web, insert the card, then turn the camera on? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
espiekermann Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share #15 Posted January 4, 2014 The SD card cannot be reformatted on my Macintosh computer. It can be erased, but that is all. Unless I am overlooking something really simple. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
becker Posted January 4, 2014 Share #16 Posted January 4, 2014 #14 seems to be worth it to try. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdriceman Posted January 4, 2014 Share #17 Posted January 4, 2014 If you’re moving between homes in Berlin and San Francisco with a vacation stop in between, hand luggage may not be enough. I also hate the competition for overhead luggage space and prefer not to carry my luggage through airports. Easy enough on short national trips, but not when you go long distance and change planes often. Call or send an email to Leica Customer Service. Perhaps they have seen this before and have a simple solution for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgeenen Posted January 4, 2014 Share #18 Posted January 4, 2014 How do the cameras behave without cards? Johannes Sent from my SM-N9005 using Forum Fiend v1.1.5. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
espiekermann Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share #19 Posted January 4, 2014 thank you, everybody (und dankeschön). I have a reply from Leica USA: they weren't in the office on friday because of weather! Oh well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
espiekermann Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share #20 Posted January 4, 2014 Johannes: genauso. Es tut sich nix, weswegen auch das firmware update nichts nützt. Der Bildschirm bleibt tot und damit der Zugang zu allen Funktionen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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