john crossman Posted January 3, 2008 Share #41 Posted January 3, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thanks Dan for the reset advice. I actually called Robert in Allendale yesterday after I posted, and he was extremely good. He told me to do the same thing you did -- he said a few hours, not 2 days, to achieve the reset. I did that last night, and this morning, miraculously, it works again! Curiously, it misinterpreted the SD card until i reformatted it (thinking it was much bigger than it really was). Now everything seems to be in order, and i'll be watching it closely to see if it stabilizes. This is definitely a solution that ought to be included in the Leica FAQ on the Leica website (the first place I went to get the solution). If i'd had it then, i wouldn't have missed photographing several days of a trip. I wonder why Leica did not include a reset button in the camera. Seems like a pretty obvious oversight. Taking several hours to reset is not exactly ideal. Anyway, thanks for the help. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 Hi john crossman, Take a look here dead M8 !?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wlaidlaw Posted January 3, 2008 Share #42 Posted January 3, 2008 Thanks Dan for the reset advice. I actually called Robert in Allendale yesterday after I posted, and he was extremely good. He told me to do the same thing you did -- he said a few hours, not 2 days, to achieve the reset. I did that last night, and this morning, miraculously, it works again! Curiously, it misinterpreted the SD card until i reformatted it (thinking it was much bigger than it really was). Now everything seems to be in order, and i'll be watching it closely to see if it stabilizes. This is definitely a solution that ought to be included in the Leica FAQ on the Leica website (the first place I went to get the solution). If i'd had it then, i wouldn't have missed photographing several days of a trip. I wonder why Leica did not include a reset button in the camera. Seems like a pretty obvious oversight. Taking several hours to reset is not exactly ideal. Anyway, thanks for the help. John When we were doing the laundry list for firmware updates with Guy, I suggested a combination button push (of the existing buttons) to effect a hard reset. I should have thought this was achievable in firmware. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted May 2, 2009 Share #43 Posted May 2, 2009 Well, my camera has now fallen. The red light comes on, otherwise no reaction. I have recharged both batteries to no effect. I left it overnight without a battery, then tried again, but no effect. I am going to pop in a different memory card, and I will also try one with the firmware on it to see if anything happens. Sad. I missed the Kölner Dom today, shooting only with a borrowed Casio compact camera. I am not expecting much from those shots though. The outside, daytime ones might be fine, but the rest... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted May 2, 2009 Share #44 Posted May 2, 2009 Carsten, sorry to hear that. Your camera is early isn't it so sounds like SDS has finally struck. Is it still under warranty? If so, it will get what Leica call the "electronic update" which both of mine got when they went in for upgrade. I've never found out where the infamous T2 is or what it does... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted May 2, 2009 Share #45 Posted May 2, 2009 I already have the update. It still died. I bought 6 Nov. 2006, so the warranty is no longer valid. On the other hand, I have been a good customer for Meister Camera Berlin, and have dropped around €20.000 in total there, so I hope that they will get Leica to fix it for free. It is clearly not a case of abuse, just a late bloomer in the red-light-death sweepstakes. We'll see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
norm_snyder Posted May 2, 2009 Share #46 Posted May 2, 2009 Carsten--Sorry to hear of your plight. I had forgotten about this thread, having originally posted on it 18 months or so ago, and hope Leica does the right thing, given the nature of the problem, since it has been well documented [Just not so late in the Camera's use]. As one of my M8s is nearing the end of its warranty [the other got an extension due to the update], it makes me wonder if I'm not being given an incentive to upgrade the other [i was going to leave it alone]. Let us know how this turns out... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coup de foudre Posted May 3, 2009 Share #47 Posted May 3, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Carsten, condolences! please do tell how it goes. i bought my M8 used from a very reputable dealer -- but no warranty -- so this kind of scares me that it can take so long.... i actually bought the M8 in a whirlwind when my Epson suffered a similar fate -- only with the R-D1 it was shutter death. i was absolutely gutted! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted May 5, 2009 Share #48 Posted May 5, 2009 Update: This morning I tried putting the firmware on a card again, and placing the card in the camera. No reaction. If I pushed the shutter release several times in quick succession, I would sometimes see the prompt on the screen for a split-second, but I was never able to keep it on the screen. Once the camera even took a photo. I went to my Leica pusher, and they were able to confirm the problem. I told them about the firmware update fix possibility, and they put the update on a memory card but it still didn't work. Red light, no reaction, etc. Finally, they put in a brand-new, fully charged battery, and then the update prompt stayed on the screen, and after the update, the camera appears to function properly. I will test it with my own two batteries when I get home tonight. If it continues to function, I will consider buying one or two new batteries. My two were bought in fall 2006, and could easily be a bit worse for wear at this point. They work fine in the general case, but were unable to revive the camera when it went into its zombie state. My faith in the camera has been a bit shaken, to be honest, and I doubt that I will ever again travel without at least my M6 as backup. I have the shutter/glass/frameline update scheduled for the fall, so after a complete tear-down and test I will probably trust it again, after a suitable run-in period. Wonderful, but troubled, camera. I understand pros who feel they cannot trust it, as much as I wouldn't trade it for anything. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 5, 2009 Share #49 Posted May 5, 2009 Less to carry if you travel with a fresh battery as backup Congratulations on rising it from the dead, though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbarker13 Posted May 5, 2009 Share #50 Posted May 5, 2009 I know what you mean Carsten. Once had my M8 shut down like this - despite carrying two backup batteries - while I was out shooting river scenes far from civilization. It brought a quick end to my photography that day. (I do carry a couple extra batteries as well) I do love shooting with the camera. But I don't believe it is reliable enough to trust without a backup - in my case, an M2 and a Nikon D200. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted May 8, 2009 Share #51 Posted May 8, 2009 Well, no fairy-tale ending after all. Today, while testing the ISO performance compared to a Sony A900, I managed to get a single shot off, and now I get a message saying Drive Blocked/Shutter Fault. I don't see any problem with the shutter, but something doesn't work. Back it goes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracyk223 Posted May 9, 2009 Share #52 Posted May 9, 2009 help. i have an M8, just tried to download the 2.004 firmware and something bad happened. i said "yes" to the firmware update, then the camera did it's thing, then a rectangle with red edges showed up on the viewfinder, and i turned off the camera (assuming the update was done). i then turned the camera on and nothing. now, the "0" blinks in the frame counter and the red indicator light goes on, but that's it. is there a way to reset or do something, or has anyone had this problem? i'm very far from any kind of service center... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicoleica Posted May 9, 2009 Share #53 Posted May 9, 2009 help. i have an M8, just tried to download the 2.004 firmware and something bad happened. i said "yes" to the firmware update, then the camera did it's thing, then a rectangle with red edges showed up on the viewfinder, and i turned off the camera (assuming the update was done). i then turned the camera on and nothing. now, the "0" blinks in the frame counter and the red indicator light goes on, but that's it. is there a way to reset or do something, or has anyone had this problem? i'm very far from any kind of service center... Hi, It does sound as though something unexpected happened to you here. Have you tried the following: Turn off the camera. Remove the battery and card. Wait a minute or two. While you are waiting, make a fresh copy of the firmware onto an SD card (Not an SDHC card.) Place the SD card in the camera. Replace the battery. (Ensure that it is FULLY charged too.) Replace the bottom cover. Turn on the camera. If it asks if you want to update the firmware, wait at least 10 seconds before you select 'yes'. Hopefully the firmware will then re-load, and you will be OK. If it does re-load. Please ensure that you follow the instructions as to the steps to confirm this, and what to do afterwards. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracyk223 Posted May 9, 2009 Share #54 Posted May 9, 2009 thanks. no luck... i did what you said - turned off the camera. removed the card (battery was out). waited. and made a fresh copy of the firmware onto an SD card. placed the SD card in the camera. replace the fully charged battery. replaced the bottom cover. turned on the camera. the red indicator light went on, for about 30-40 seconds, then it went off and nothing. no frame counter or battery indicator either. darn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted May 9, 2009 Share #55 Posted May 9, 2009 thanks. no luck... i did what you said - turned off the camera. removed the card (battery was out). waited. and made a fresh copy of the firmware onto an SD card. placed the SD card in the camera. replace the fully charged battery. replaced the bottom cover. turned on the camera. the red indicator light went on, for about 30-40 seconds, then it went off and nothing. no frame counter or battery indicator either. darn. Tracy, 1) Are you 100% sure you have the firmware update at the correct level of the card. It must be in the root directory. 2) Did you format the card in the camera prior to copying the firmware onto it. 3) Did you unzip the file to the file named .upd Please see the attached photo of what the update card should look like on a Mac (yours may say 100LEICA, as I have moved my file numbering on). I would imagine it should look similar on Windows Explorer. I can airmail you a 16MB card with a copy of this if it would help. Wilson Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/28357-dead-m8/?do=findComment&comment=894384'>More sharing options...
tracyk223 Posted May 9, 2009 Share #56 Posted May 9, 2009 hi - 1. yes, it looked like your images (i have a Mac also) 2. not sure i did this... 3. yes, i am working with the .upd file that would be really nice -- my email is tracyk223 "at" hotmail.com -- i can send you my address (right now in india, therefore the no-service-center issue) and reimburse you for the air charges. thanks, tracy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracyk223 Posted May 9, 2009 Share #57 Posted May 9, 2009 wilson - my address, i'm in india now: tracy k. anu's internet cafe #367 2nd Main, Gokulam 3rd Stage Mysore, Karnataka, India 570020 if it's too much trouble, don't worry about it... thanks, tracy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicoleica Posted May 9, 2009 Share #58 Posted May 9, 2009 Sorry to hear that it's still giving problems. One last thing that I can think of would be to try again using a different SD card if at all possible. (A small one. 2GB or less.) The reason that I say 2GB or less, is that the red light symptom you described is the same as happens if you put an SDHC card in the camera with an old firmware version that can't handle high capacity cards. I wish you success in getting your camera working again soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracyk223 Posted May 9, 2009 Share #59 Posted May 9, 2009 yes, i'm using a 2GB or 1GB - tried both. i also just left the camera on with no battery overnight to reset. then put the battery back in and turned it on, same issue - red light goes on for 30-45 secs, then nothing. thanks for the suggestions! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracyk223 Posted May 20, 2009 Share #60 Posted May 20, 2009 thanks for the 16mb card - just received. but no luck. thanks for sending it. i emailed leica, they said to send the camera in....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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