When is Leica stopping the M10 Monochrom freezing

[andrew kershaw]

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my M10m has frozen once in 6 months of normal single shot use. my remedy was to release the battery and delay reinserting for a minute or so.

[fotografr]

On 9/21/2020 at 11:37 AM, Mark II said:

I do not think that this is specific to the M10M. My M10 (no suffix) suffers *exactly* the same problem, and it is really annoying as the only "fix" is to remove the battery.

I suspect that the problem is related to errors in the communication between camera and EVF (contacts between EVF and hotshoe), as on one occasion I tried to use the EVF when the camera was *very* mildly damp from fog and the lockups occurred far more frequently. All I can suggest is making sure that the contacts are clean and dry, while also minimising the chance of a failure by either powering down or disabling live-view except when actually taking a shot.

This really needs to be fixed in the camera's firmware. Even if the problem is hardware related, the firmware should be able to show an error and disable live view. And if the problem is so deep that even this is not possible, I would hope that the design permits a watchdog timer that can automatically reset the camera when all else has failed. Pretty much anything would be better than the status quo!

My Live View is turned off and I don't use an EVF, but my one week only M10M froze up about a half dozen times yesterday. 

[fotografr]

On 7/30/2020 at 2:41 PM, John Black said:

Dollars to donuts it is related to sustained EVF use and heat generation.  My definition of "sustained" is anything past 1-2 minutes and little or no time between EVF instances.  

 

I'll take that bet. My Live View is turned off and I don't use an EVF,  yet my new M10M Wetzlar has been freezing up regularly.

Edited June 11, 2021 by fotografr

[mmradman]

On 6/11/2021 at 1:33 PM, fotografr said:

...<snip>....   yet my new M10M Wetzlar has been freezing up regularly.

Such a premium product, difficult to say.  Once we eliminate all rational explanations it must be top plate engraving causing it.

[fotografr]

1 hour ago, mmradman said:

Such a premium product, difficult to say.  Once we eliminate all rational explanations it must be top plate engraving causing it.

Either that or heat buildup caused by sleeping with the camera.

[fotografr]

On 2/21/2021 at 6:43 AM, frame-it said:

did the latest firmware update help ? https://www.reddotforum.com/content/2021/02/new-firmware-for-leica-m10-and-m240-gen-cameras/

 

No, my camera came with the latest firmware and started freezing within a few days.

I'm inclined to think it's related to the power saving function. I turned it off and so far have not have lockups. I'll need to use it a lot more without incident to be completely convinced. 

Edited June 12, 2021 by fotografr

[Gobert]

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I do not recognize it and I use power saving. I do however not use the EVF.

[mmradman]

3 hours ago, fotografr said:

Either that or heat buildup caused by sleeping with the camera.

If you keep camera warm how come it freezes, maybe need to be more generous with the duvet.

 

[fotografr]

I'm just glad I'm retired and that missing a shot here and there doesn't mean losing income or clients. It only means irritation.

[fotografr]

My M10M Wetzlar is a recent manufacture and I have had it for just over 10 days.

--I use 32GB and 64GB Sandisk Extreme Pro HCII cards and format after every download.

--I do not use Live View.

--I do not use an EVF.

--Power Saving is turned off.

--I have tried the "fix" offered earlier in this thread, which is to turn the camera off, remove the SD card and battery, re-insert a fully charged battery, turn on the camera and do a reset, then insert an SD care. This had no effect on the freeze ups.

--Every solution offered in this thread has been tried and has not had any effect on the camera freezing up.

The only option left is to send the camera in for repair or replacement.

[fotografr]

On 10/29/2020 at 3:28 AM, MrFriendly said:

If this so  called "build-up of hidden data" is affecting performance and causing freeze up, then that's a defect in Leica's software, and it needs to be fixed.  It really sounds like they're describing their own software bugs.

That's not the cause, at least not with my camera. I started having freeze ups within the first 100 frames of my new camera. I'm convinced that this is a hardware problem.

Edited June 15, 2021 by fotografr

[fotografr]

I don't want to get too excited too soon, but from talking to a few other people about this issue and picking one suggestion out that came from the Leica NJ repair people, there just might be a successful workaround. The theory is that the M240 and M10 circuitry is not able to handle the newer high write speeds of SD cards--particularly when shooting RAW. I had been using 300 Mb/s cards when getting freeze ups. Since switching to an older 95Mb/s card I've shot about 150 frames and not had a single freeze up. I'm planning to shoot heavily this week in hot conditions and if I continue to avoid the freezer ups I'll be pretty much convinced.

Another bit of support for this theory is that I had another M10M for about a year that never had a single freeze up while using the slower SD card. I sold the camera to someone who put a newer, faster card in the camera and he immediately started having freeze ups requiring him to pull the battery.

Fingers crossed.

 

**Update: It's three months later now and I've had no freeze ups or any other issues with my M10M or my M10-R. Both are working perfectly. 😁😁😁

Edited September 10, 2021 by fotografr
Update

[MrFriendly]

7 hours ago, fotografr said:

I don't want to get too excited too soon, but from talking to a few other people about this issue and picking one suggestion out that came from the Leica NJ repair people, there just might be a successful workaround. The theory is that the M240 and M10 circuitry is not able to handle the newer high write speeds of SD cards--particularly when shooting RAW. I had been using 300 Mb/s cards when getting freeze ups. Since switching to an older 95Mb/s card I've shot about 150 frames and not had a single freeze up. I'm planning to shoot heavily this week in hot conditions and if I continue to avoid the freezer ups I'll be pretty much convinced.

Another bit of support for this theory is that I had another M10M for about a year that never had a single freeze up while using the slower SD card. I sold the camera to someone who put a newer, faster card in the camera and he immediately started having freeze ups requiring him to pull the battery.

Fingers crossed.

Yes, Leica NJ also recommend slower cards, so I switched to using 95MB/s cards.  It does improve the situation (fewer freeze ups), but freeze ups still happen.

[fotografr]

6 hours ago, MrFriendly said:

Yes, Leica NJ also recommend slower cards, so I switched to using 95MB/s cards.  It does improve the situation (fewer freeze ups), but freeze ups still happen.

That's discouraging. 😒

[Gobert]

21 hours ago, fotografr said:

I don't want to get too excited too soon, but from talking to a few other people about this issue and picking one suggestion out that came from the Leica NJ repair people, there just might be a successful workaround. The theory is that the M240 and M10 circuitry is not able to handle the newer high write speeds of SD cards--particularly when shooting RAW. I had been using 300 Mb/s cards when getting freeze ups. Since switching to an older 95Mb/s card I've shot about 150 frames and not had a single freeze up. I'm planning to shoot heavily this week in hot conditions and if I continue to avoid the freezer ups I'll be pretty much convinced.

Another bit of support for this theory is that I had another M10M for about a year that never had a single freeze up while using the slower SD card. I sold the camera to someone who put a newer, faster card in the camera and he immediately started having freeze ups requiring him to pull the battery.

Fingers crossed.

I use the 95mb/s cards and -as said before- never experienced any freeze up.

[fotografr]

1 hour ago, Gobert said:

I use the 95mb/s cards and -as said before- never experienced any freeze up.

I've now shot about 350 frames since switching to a 95Mb/s card and have had no freeze ups either. Even if it happens occasionally, this is a huge improvement over what was happening with the fast cards and I'll be able to live with it.

[Ken Abrahams]

I increased the speed of my card to 280mbs and no freezes for six months until yesterday. I was doing a doing a long exposure demonstration with my group and was distracted somewhat by the process. I have become used to the habit of turning off live view to prevent freezes however let it run for some time yesterday. The first freeze up in many months of daily use. 

Edited June 17, 2021 by Ken Abrahams
sp

[rtai]

I use the fastest, latest UHS-I cards and have no freeze problems. I don’t use live view and turn off power save mode. I use my M10M almost daily 4 hours at a time and always on.

Edited June 17, 2021 by rtai

[Sertac]

I have started using my Leica M 10 Monochrome with same problem, especially during continuous shooting. red  light blinking and some of the images are not recorded.

Could anyone advise?

Thanks

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Gobert]

On 7/18/2021 at 7:25 PM, Sertac said:

I have started using my Leica M 10 Monochrome with same problem, especially during continuous shooting. red  light blinking and some of the images are not recorded.

Could anyone advise?

Thanks

That sounds more as a card problem. Was it formatted in the same camera as it is used in?