Leica SL is an expensive joke

[Guest]

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Do you really expect any kind of sympathy by starting a thread in that kind of manner?

Please elaborate? What kind of way? I don't need anyone's sympathy. When did I state that needed some kind of sympathy? Last time I checked, forums are for posting ones personal opinion which need not be the same as others.

[349A]

Firstly, I would like to genuinely thank you for your suggested solution. I will try them.

 

However, when did I imply you are an idiot? If I bought a Porsche and it broke down, I will be an idiot not to claim that it was a piece of junk. I mean, who would spend a minimum of £80k and at least not expect their car, any car for that matter, to function as designed, at least for a few years?

 

In any case I meant no offence and I apologise if I came across as such. However, one lesson I have learnt today is that many people have bloated egos on Internet forums. I think I will refrain from stepping on them in the future.

 

If you believe that any item at any price is immune from failure, maybe you shouldn't buy anything. Something isn't junk because it has a failure. If it repeatedly fails, then we can discuss if it is junk or not. Everything breaks down from time to time, the more complex, the more the potential for problems. It doesn't make something junk. I read not one display of bloated egos, I saw you post an insulting post and some helpful replies and of course snarky comments like my own because I have very little patience for crybabies. 

[Guest]

I would never suggest fraud or dishonesty. If the camera is defective you can have it repaired or replaced by Leica. I can understand why you feel angry. When my EVF died a few weeks after I purchased mine, I was not at all happy but Leica did replace it. I am not naive enough to say that the camera is perfect because in 55 years of photography I haven't yet found a perfect one.

 

When you imply that rest of us have been duped into buying a "joke," you are just being rude.

When did I imply that? Is this a democracy or dictatorship where unless you say favourable things about the emperor you are committing high treason? I have as much right to my negative view of Leica as you have with your favourable one. Just because I feel this camera is junk doesn't mean that you are an idiot for buying.

[Guest]

If you believe that any item at any price is immune from failure, maybe you shouldn't buy anything. Something isn't junk because it has a failure. If it repeatedly fails, then we can discuss if it is junk or not. Everything breaks down from time to time, the more complex, the more the potential for problems. It doesn't make something junk. I read not one display of bloated egos, I saw you post an insulting post and some helpful replies and of course snarky comments like my own because I have very little patience for crybabies.

You are entitled to your opinion. I don't give a monkey about what you think of me.

[AlanJW]

I think it is fairly implied from your posts(s). If you are not able to pick that up you have bigger problems than a camera that doesn't work. This forum has plenty of posts with complaints about Leicas and anyone is welcome to complain. Rudeness is not welcome.

[leitztozeiss]

Strangely, my startup has gotten noticeably slower and now experiencing blackouts where it seems like the camera freezes.....no button press fixes it, just have to wait it out or turn it off. I'll try cleaning the lens contacts to see if that helps.

[steppenw0lf]

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I see only two possible ways how to continue decently with this problem: Either stop the pain right now or become a die-hard martyr.

 

First alternative: Sell the combo asap (or ask refund). Now you still get a very high price as many are looking for the equipment.

 

Second alternative: Become a martyr. Calm down, take some time and describe your problems in detail. That is still painful, but reasonable, regarding that you invested time and money into the gear. 

 

I would always choose the second alternative. And I am not into SM.

 

So describe the problem in detail and hope that one of the readers of the forum had already the same problem. (and was able to get it solved) The better you describe it, the easier it will be to diagnose. But expect to hear many non-working suggestions, as long as the problem is not obvious. Several possibilities need to be tried and tested.

 

So as a start: My camera starts in 0.5 s with a Lexar 64GB 1000x UHS-II in slot 1. And very little more with a second identical card in slot 2. Try to take a new card. If not possible, try to format it.

At the beginning to make it simpler, do not use different card or cards of different sizes. Turn off as many features as you can, especially GPS, maybe also Wifi.

Tell exactly what happens with one card, etc.   This if you choose the second possibility.

 

And regarding the entries in the forum: Read them until the end, or until a solution is found. That takes time and enough calmness.

[JonPB]

Then you are as delusional as Leica ... So before you let your ego get in the way do your research.

 

 

I think these phrases could be construed as ad hominem. Not literally as "idiot," but an audience rarely affords the speaker any benefit of doubt or narrow construction when the speaker addresses the audience, rather than an idea, with negativity. My point is simply that if you want a congenial discussion, phrases such as these would be better left off.

 

 

I missed a shot of a boat approaching because of the slow start up

 

Personally, I expect to run into unexpected challenges the first time I use any tool, simply because it is a new tool that will work differently from the tools I've used previously. This is true whether it is an advanced camera or a pocket knife. I highly recommend, regardless of whether your keep the SL or not, that you take time to practice with new tools before expecting to achieve flawless performance with them.

 

That said, if this isn't the right tool for you, I do appreciate you sharing your experience of why -- but I would have been more appreciative if you had framed it in terms of, "here's why I'm dissatisfied with this camera" rather than "here's why every copy of this product is overpriced and no good." I've been there before, though, facing disappointment over gear let-down, so regardless of the tone you take I still wish you the best in the end.

 

Cheers,

Jon

[erudolph]

fwiw, my start-up with 28-90 vario-elmarit-r is ~ 3 sec.  card, 16gb sandisk extreme pro 95mb/sec, formatted in SD formatter and reformatted in camera.

 

a lexar 16gb 600x gives about the same result.

 

don't have the 24-90

[thighslapper]

Start up with a manual lens paradoxically is slower than with the 24-90 .... I assume this is a firmware issue as with no electrical contacts, diagnostics or anything else to run it should actually be quicker.

Some report identical times to the AF lens with a new T/M adapter though ..... (implying it may have changed since it was first released for the T) ......

[IkarusJohn]

So, I took the SL with the 24-90 for my first real outting today. Well, aside from the unbelievably slow start up time which no camera I have come across has ever suffered from, even going back to 2003, after the first few shots the camera had a black evf/rear monitor. First I thought I had the lens cap on but alas that wasn't the case. The I notice no aperture info was being passed between the lens and the camera. I detached and re-attached the lens and problem went away. I have bever detached the lens from the camera from new so I am baffled how any dirt could have got into the lens contacts, specially since Leica is targeting the pros with this so called weather sealed camera. I find it hilarious and delusional that in their launch promo Leica was portraying its use in an F1 setting. Ya, right, whatever. And what annoys most is that this piece of junk is worth £8200.

 

There's no reason for the start up to be unusably slow. That said, some SD cards seem to affect start up times in some configurations. The thread you refer to does have considerable helpful discussion on possible solutions. 

 

To be frank, one solution I have is to turn the camera on, and leave it on till I've finished. The switch is not as intuitively placed as the collar on the M digitals so leaving it on works for me, and start up time hasn't been an issue. Much like car sprint times to 100kph, start up times on cameras are irrelevant to me. If I think start up will be an issue, I train myself to keep the camera on. Sure, sometimes that fleeting shot needs a quick response - haven't had a problem so far. 

 

If the black out problem continues, take it to Leica. I had an issue after a few weeks. I'd take a shot, and the screen went black. I could only take another shot if I turned the camera off and on. My camera was the first in the country. The dealer gave me their demo, no questions asked. I took it away for over a month, and they had a replacement waiting for me on my return. 

 

If you expected perfection, you made a mistake. Piece of junk is a bit harsh, though your disappointment is understandable. Your reaction to people here pretty much kills any sympathy you might have got. 

 

Solution? Take the camera back to Leica and insist on replacement (hopefully, you haven't killed any sympathy they may have had), then sell the replacement without opening the box, and chalk it up to experience. You can even shake your head in pity when you see delusional Leica users. I'm sure they won't mind - they seem to enjoy themselves regardless. 

[digitalfx]

In the UK you can't return an item for refund after a 30 days or so. So, you are saying that I should be dishonest and sell a defect camera to an unsuspecting buyer? You must be a very moral person in life then.

 

 

First question is why did you wait beyond the 30 days to figure this out...you didn't notice the issue the first time you turned on the camera?

 

Leica is a great company, if you have a defective camera they won't leave you high and dry...they will resolve the defect...personally based on your posts and attitude I suspect either:

1- Its operator error

2- you don't even own a camera, but you are just a troll coming her to start shit

3- you are a very angry man, and nothing will satisfy you.

 

Hopefully Im wrong, and you own the camera and are just having some issues...we would be glad to assist but unfortunately your bad attitude is preventing us from helping. 

If you would like some advise and support from this forum, id suggest simply asking rather than posting rude comments.

 

The camera if operating properly starts up very fast...is it instant? No.

Is it fast enough? absolutely yes. I have never lost an opportunity to shoot because of a slow startup.

 

One tip I would share is that you simply turn on the camera when you head out to shoot and leave it on until you are finished shooting. The camera has excellent power management and you won't notice any affect on the battery life with this technique. This keeps the camera ready to shoot at all times as it wakes from sleep very fast.

 

The other thing is to make sure you are using cards that are know to be supported by the camera and be sure to format them in camera first.

 

If you still have issues, take the camera back to your dealer...Ive never know a Leica dealer to not support a defective product even beyond 1 year after purchase. Finally Id suggest being a bit kinder in your posts, you will find we are a great group and can offer much help. 

 

Good luck.

[pop]

.... I don't give a monkey about what you think of me.

There's no sense in adding to this thread, then.

 

FWIW, we have rules in this forum: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/page/rules.html.

We also have what some of us call a "mission statement":  What the Leica Forum is for

 

I now close this thread, not because it's critical of one Leica product or another, but because it has quickly turned into a mud slinging festival.