Where do we get a printed instruction manual for the M10 Monochrom?

[Herr Barnack]

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This is probably a question that is appropriate for the moderators, or for Andreas. 

I received my M10 Monochrom from my Leica dealer yesterday and I want to get a printed copy of the instruction manual. 

The camera came with a quick start guide but I like having a print copy of the full size instruction manual at hand.  I called Leica NJ to request one but they are still closed due to COVID-19.

Given the above, how/where do we Monochrom buyers that want a print copy of the full instruction manual get one?

For anyone who can point me in the right direction, many thanks.

Edited July 8, 2020 by Herr Barnack

[Jeff S]

From the earlier thread you participated in (see post #3)

 

Jeff

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[jaapv]

If you have trouble filling out the online form on Leica''s website, it is as simple as as sending an e-mail to Leica CS. mention your camera type and serial number.

https://order-instructions.leica-camera.com/M10-Monochrom

[setuporg]

And huge congrats!  Enjoy this wonderful machine.  Something to brighten our times!

[ianman]

17 hours ago, jaapv said:

If you have trouble filling out the online form on Leica''s website, it is as simple as as sending an e-mail to Leica CS. mention your camera type and serial number.

https://order-instructions.leica-camera.com/M10-Monochrom

I see their UI experts have been hard at work!

[Herr Barnack]

1 hour ago, ianman said:

I see their UI experts have been hard at work!

@jaapv  I filled out the form more than once and I keep getting the message "The serialnumber format is invalid" when I type in the camera's s/n EXACTLY as shown on the page.

Also, there is no place on the form to indicate which camera model you are requesting an instruction manual for.

WHAT a freaking masterpiece of a web page.  🙄

[intermediatic]

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I have to say it's ridiculous not to have it. the amount of paper saved is mitigated by the envelopes and extra energy necessary to send it through the post.

Luckily, I've had both camera and manual for months now. 

[Bikie John]

I tried to order it through the web form, and got the message about invalid serial number. I contacted Leica support in the UK, they pointed me to a slightly different page:

https://order-instructions.leica-camera.com/

which does allow you to select which body you want the instructions for. However, selecting M10M just takes you to the same form with the same result. I reported this back to Leica UK, they were happy to request Leica Germany to send me the printed manual and it arrived within a couple of days. I am quite impressed with this service.

Having the manual in PDF form is all very well, but the formatting makes it difficult to use on screen, and it is not at all well suited to printing on a typical home A4 printer. I am all for saving paper but in this case I really think the printed manual is essential.

John

[Herr Barnack]

Quote

...Having the manual in PDF form is all very well, but the formatting makes it difficult to use on screen, and it is not at all well suited to printing on a typical home A4 printer. I am all for saving paper but in this case I really think the printed manual is essential.

We have been admonished for decades to keep our camera instruction manual in our camera bag with our camera when we are out shooting, which is a good idea.  I'd much rather carry a 1 oz. 4"x6"  paper manual with me than I would carry a three pound 15" screen Macbook so I can have access to my camera manual. 

It is claimed that the folks in Wetzlar listen to customer feedback.  I hope they are reading this thread. 

Please, Wetzlar:  Just include a hard copy of the full instruction manual with each camera sold.  Raise the price by $5 if necessary to cover the cost of it.  $8300 USD vs. $8295 is  not a deal breaker.

Edited July 25, 2020 by Herr Barnack

[Jeff S]

I ordered a manual for my SL2, but I appreciate the environmental benefits from those who choose an electronic version.  A 15” laptop?  A phone would suffice.

Jeff

[Bikie John]

17 hours ago, Herr Barnack said:

It is claimed that the folks in Wetzlar listen to customer feedback.  I hope they are reading this thread. 

 

I hope that having explained the problem with the order form to Leica UK, and them having gone to the trouble of getting HQ in Germany to send me a copy, that they will be aware of it. And will hopefully fix it.

Of course, that doesn't address the issue of whether they should include a printed one with all new bodies. There could be logistical problems with that - it is a substantial document and available in many languages. I certainly wouldn't suggest including a full set of languages in every box, and when the boxes are packed they may not have been assigned to a target country. As long as the printed manual is easily available to order for those who want it, I think that is a good compromise.

John

[Chazphoto]

(PS: still not fixed, as of 2 August 2023.  The very helpful Alexandra from Leica UK has asked HQ to send one.)

 

Chazphoto

[ramarren]

The printed manuals for all of the cameras I currently own and bought new, supplied in the box, have remained in the box, untouched. For all of those cameras, I downloaded the instruction manual PDFs before I even had the camera, read it, annotated it, installed links between sections that I find useful, and created an abbreviated form version with just the information I would need, and put copies on my smartphone and tablet. 

Most manufacturers have discontinued the paper manuals as an in-box necessity because most of today's audience neither uses nor wants them, and it saves a huge amount of money spent in printing, packaging, shipping, etc, never mind how many trees such stuff consumes. 

The biggest issue is not whether you have a paper rendering of the instruction manual but whether the instruction manual offered, whether electronic or paper, is properly organized and written, presented, and useful to users. That's where most of these things fall apart, unfortunately. Leica is better than some, but none are great shakes in my book. I've re-written most of them to be useful to me when I felt it was important... (I was a technical writer developing documentation for complex software tools in my last career stint; to do this with a camera instruction manual was a lot of fun... ) 

G