VisoFlex issues with Leica M10

[hutchinson14]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Has anyone had issues with the VisoFlex on a Leica M10? like not working correctly when switching the camera on coming up with a sliver/light gray screen with banding top and bottom? Sometimes working correctly but when pressing the button on the front for zoom sometimes causing it to go to the sliver/light gray screen? Returned it back to the camera shop I bought it from  and they have tested it all day and no fault found. I updated the firmware last week to use the Leica FOTOS app could this have caused issues?

[a.noctilux]

Visoflex 020 on M10 can behave strangely.

That happened when I was not aware of "false contacts" as new user then.

So now, I protect their contacts when not in use with those dedicated plastic caps.

I understood, when in trouble I cleaned those tiny gold plated contacts in Visoflex and M10, contacts hiden under a "metallic roof"

that collected some dust.

My setup works fine now, since those contacts are protected when not in use.

When in trouble again, I blow out the dust, and put in/out the 020 on M10 a couple of times to "clean the contacts",  that's all.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[budjames]

I occasionally use my Visoflex on my two M10s without any issues. It works very well once you get used to the necessary live view decreasing your battery life. 

I use the Visoflex with my Super Elmar 18 and Summicron 90 lenses.

The geotagging is cool too.

Regards,
Bud James

Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto.

[Macberg]

Am 15.5.2019 um 19:05 schrieb hutchinson14:

Returned it back to the camera shop I bought it from  and they have tested it all day and no fault found. I updated the firmware last week to use the Leica FOTOS app could this have caused issues?

I have quite often used the Visoflex on my M10 for 10 months now and never had any similar problem with it.

Have you returned just the Visoflex and only told them that something was wrong and they tested it themselves (with one of their cameras) or did you show to them what happens while the thing was attached to your M10?

My experience with Leica is that if you appear in their store and anything is not working as it should they always deal with the problem at once, e.g. by replacing the item or at least by sending it in to Leica and by giving you a temporary replacement. Is the Visoflex still under warranty?

Edited May 18, 2019 by Macberg

[farnz]

The Visoflex on my M10 has always needed a little gentle persuasion with a wiggle or two when it's mounted so I suspect that it's a contact issue but I've never been worried or irritated enough about it to do anything about it.  And it's good exercise.😄

Pete.

[hutchinson14]

Thanks for reply’s. Owing to the distance from the shop I just returned the VisoFlex. After testing it on their camera for a few days and it working ok, they are now sending it back. So we will see what happens when I get it back.

[jaapv]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

One trick is to get a can of Contact Spray, spray some on a wipe, apply to the visible contacts and insert a few times. That usually sorts this kind of problem. Don't blast it into the orifice of the interface.

[scott kirkpatrick]

I'm using Visoflex on M10 and on M10-D without troubles.  It has its limits (brief blackout, not the brightest) but it does its job.  I am careful to always save and then replace the plastic covers for the electrical contacts.

[farnz]

Yes I always use the plastic cover for the Visoflex's contacts too and the camera's contacts are otherwise covered by Leica's proprietary thumb grip.  The contact issue has continued from when the M10 and Visoflex were new.

Pete.

[nlk10010]

To the OP: I bought a Visoflex for my M10 last December, brand new from B&H. I tested it out indoors when I first got it, everything was fine. I then put it and the camera away until today (my photography urge is cyclical); I took the Visoflex, M10 and, among others, a 90mm Summarit out to a beach fair to get some pictures. All I got when I tried to use the Visoflex was a gray screen. No amount of hitting the "LV" button, turning the M10 on and off, removing and reinserting the Visoflex or similar machinations would get it to work. To reiterate, this was the first time the Visoflex has been used "in the field";   the contact cap has been kept on it since December, as was the contact cap on the M10. 

I then came home and tried the Visoflex again, and it worked. I tried it with the Summarit and with my 50mm Summicron, no issue. I'm at a loss to explain why it works now and didn't at the beach. My only thought is it might have something to do with switching between the LCD and the Visoflex (if indeed switching occurs, not sure) and somehow in bright sunlight the Visoflex can't detect when I put my eye to it. I'll run some more tests, but just wanted you to know you're in "good company".

 

[Tailwagger]

Funny, after using the EVF for two years, just the other morning I started having the problem as described. Worked intermittently, then just all gray. Got home, figured I'd clean the contacts. While doing that, a small piece of black metal fell out of the shoe. Seems to be a tensioning spring in the shoe that snapped off and lodged itself in the rear of the flash shoe, thus preventing good contact with all the pins in the rear.  With the metal piece removed... fortunate that nothing shorted... everything is back to working normally.  In my case the EVF doesnt seem any more inclined to leave the shoe, so I'm not sure how valuable having a spring in there was in the first place.   Not saying that this is your problem specifically, but from my experience if there is any debris in there preventing the EVF from fully engaging with the rear contacts, the unit will still power up, but not display any images. When in the field it seemed like the EVF was fully in, but in fact wasn't. If there is no debris, then perhaps just cleaning the contacts will rectify the problem.  I'm guessing that is the EVF shows gray its good, getting power from the hot shoe pins, but the rear contacts that send the data aren't making contact so no image, just a gray screen. 

Hope this helps.

Edited August 19, 2019 by Tailwagger

[nlk10010]

Well, thanks for the information, I appreciate it.

As I say, the Visoflex (and, in fact, the M10) is like new. I had only tested it out briefly when I bought it. Having it work fine when I tried it out at home has me thinking the malfunction has something to do with the fact that it was extremely sunny at the beach. Maybe I wasn't careful to get my eye close enough to the Visoflex eyepiece or maybe the heat caused it to malfunction or maybe the switch in the Visoflex that detects when you are looking through it is faulty. I don't know, I've got another event this Saturday at which I can test things out; if I have the same problem then it will have to go back to Leica.

[willeica]

I have had the Visoflex since I bought my M10 in 2017, but I have not used it since 2017. It is a quirky item which is vastly inferior to the built in EVFs on cameras that have such items. I now use the M10 only with the rangefinder. If I need an EVF I use a camera with the feature built in.

I rank the Visoflex with Leica Fotos, which is another useless add on.

William

 

 

[Matlock]

3 hours ago, willeica said:

I have had the Visoflex since I bought my M10 in 2017, but I have not used it since 2017. It is a quirky item which is vastly inferior to the built in EVFs on cameras that have such items. I now use the M10 only with the rangefinder. If I need an EVF I use a camera with the feature built in.

I rank the Visoflex with Leica Fotos, which is another useless add on.

William

 

 

An interesting comment. I have one and do not find it in the least bit quirky (that will probably be the kiss of death now). I only use it with my Macro-Elmar-R 100mm and my M-Hexanon Dual 21-35mm and it perform beautifully with both. The Visoflex is intended for limited use, not as a substitute for the rangefinder. Obviously it depends on what lenses you have but it will never be of use just sitting in a cupboard.

[willeica]

2 hours ago, Matlock said:

An interesting comment. I have one and do not find it in the least bit quirky (that will probably be the kiss of death now). I only use it with my Macro-Elmar-R 100mm and my M-Hexanon Dual 21-35mm and it perform beautifully with both. The Visoflex is intended for limited use, not as a substitute for the rangefinder. Obviously it depends on what lenses you have but it will never be of use just sitting in a cupboard.

I agree. It does not make any sense to buy a rangefinder camera and not use the essential feature of the camera. For a purely optical viewfinder for just viewing nothing beats the 'Frankenfinder' or its Voigtlander equivalent. But as an EVF for manual focus, the Visoflex cannot remotely compete with the EVFs in many types of camera, made by Leica and other manufacturers. I would always use the Frankenfinder with the WATE or my 24mm Elmar in preference to the Visoflex. 

William

[Matlock]

9 hours ago, willeica said:

I agree. It does not make any sense to buy a rangefinder camera and not use the essential feature of the camera. For a purely optical viewfinder for just viewing nothing beats the 'Frankenfinder' or its Voigtlander equivalent. But as an EVF for manual focus, the Visoflex cannot remotely compete with the EVFs in many types of camera, made by Leica and other manufacturers. I would always use the Frankenfinder with the WATE or my 24mm Elmar in preference to the Visoflex. 

William

I have the 'Frankenfinder' which is excellent, however the Visolflex is just that much more convenient as it can be used 'stand alone'. Fully agree that the Visoflex comes nowhere near a dedicated EVF, however I have a M10-D so it does the job very well for what I need.

[Patrick1955]

Usually when I first mount the Visoflex and turned the M-10 the EVF doesn't work. Turning the M off and on again seems to overcome the problem when first mounted. After that first use, it seems to work routinely and reliably every time the M is turned, on as long as it stays mounted.  I thought about getting it fixed / checked, but figured life was too short to waste with Leica Customer Care for such a minor issue.

 

[nlk10010]

Well, what is and is not a minor issue is of course a matter of opinion.

Were I to find out that in order to get the VF to work properly I would need to turn the M off and then back on I would probably consider it minor as well. Unfortunately, that is not the case:  After some testing outdoors it seems the VF "proximity sensor" (for want of a better term) is not switching the display from the LCD to the Visoflex when I put my eye to it. If I press my eye tightly to the eyepiece then it DOES switch; further, if I switch from using my left eye (which is the "better" eye, I use it to focus with the RF) to using my right eye, it is somewhat easier to get the display to switch as my nose doesn't get in the way. I tested this repeatedly outside and if I use my right eye and press firmly the VF activates. If I'm inside I don't need to do anything deliberate, as soon as I bring the VF to my eye the display switches.

Shouldn't be this difficult but perhaps there's a way to adjust the sensitivity of the sensor, I'll probably email Leica in NJ (I hear they are responsive). Of course another possibility is to see if there's an auxiliary eyecup for the VF which would keep light out.

 

Edited August 31, 2019 by nlk10010

[AndreasG]

Let me share my experience with the Visoflex 020 and a M10-D with you. I bought the Visoflex around 3 weeks ago. Everything works well, display, focussing,  proximity switch, indication of the key parameters - except the GPS function. The satellite symbol appears within a few seconds, telling that the link got established, but with the small "x" - no data transfer. First I thought, maybe out of satellite range for a short while, but I never could get any GPS data, at various locations. I contacted the Leica service Wetzlar by email, but their reply was only to follow the instruction on p. 5 of the manual - keep the antenna upright and do not shield it. To be honest, I expected a qualified advice. A few day later I visited the shop where I had bought the Visoflex ( a well known dealer in Düsseldorf). They took plenty of time, but unfortunately no M10 or a Visoflex were available for a comparison. But the told that next day an expert from Leica would come and they would discuss this case. I left without any expectation.

Surprisingly, two days later the shop sent me an email, informing me that the Leica guy had admitted that this GPS  issue with the M10-D/Visoflex has been known already and would be solved with the new firmware version 2.7.5.0 to be released September 4, 2019. So, I wait now...

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[derleicaman]

I originally had high hopes for using the Viso 020 on the M10, especially when using extreme wide angle lenses on the M. On my Med Cruise last fall, I used the Viso in conjunction with the WATE, mainly for framing purposes. I would focus with the OVF, and then finish up framing with the Viso and then take the shot. After the first day, I lost the Viso base cover and decided to put the Viso away for the rest of the trip. Its just not suited for use when you are on the go all day long. I found the rear screen much more useful for the way I shoot, plus I could keep my thumbs up on the camera all day long as I prefer. My preferred work flow with the WATE was using the OVF to focus and then turn on Live View to compose and then shoot. Worked great both indoors and out.

In my opinion the naming of the Viso 020 was quite apt. Just like my days with film M cameras, the Visoflex was something to be used on rare occasions and never for travel!