Can't Unlock SD Cards from my M8

[photolandscape]

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Presently in Arequipa, Peru--about 5,000 shots into a 19 day trip.

 

I have a rather urgent question--on 5 occasions I "locked" SD cards** using the manual switch. I am using firmware 1.107. After manually unlocking the cards, the M8 tells me they are still locked. The camera won't allow me to go ahead and reformat the cards and empty them out so I can reuse them and continue to shoot. Thank god I have 7 cards, but I am down to just two now. (**Two Lexar 133X 2gb cards, 1 Ridata 150X 2 gb, a Transcend 150X 2gb, and a Transcend 150X 4 gb--all have been in use for several months without fail).

 

Sorry, don't have my manual along or enough knowledge to know what to do. Any advice on unlocking and erasing the data on these cards would be greatly appreciated.

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Very interesting shooting with the M8 on this trip--Easter Island, Machu Picchu, Cusco. It is winter here, but the sun is very intense and it has been difficult to deal with contrast issues using the 28 Elmarit, the 15CV, and the 90 Elmarit in markets, on the street, etc. Don't know why, but my 2 batteries seem tired. Getting about 280 shots per battery per charge. Could that be altitude-related? We have been from 8,000 to over 15,000 ft. above sea level. Maybe altitude gives my batteries the same saroche it gave my brain the first couple of days. I miss having a long telephoto, and I really miss having the zooms I used to use with my Canon 1Ds. But I certainly don't miss schleping around with all that heavy Canon equipment.

 

Hopefully the images will prove that the M8 has been a great move for me.

 

Thanks,

 

SP

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[mat_mcdermott]

This has happened to me occassionally. In every case, taking the card out and fiddling the with the lock tab and reinserting it worked. Sometimes it took a couple of times though.

[ho_co]

Steve,

I think cameras read the 'locked' tab optically--in other words, can they see through that space or not? Or it may be a mechanical feeler, though that sounds more troublesome.

 

I've found that some cards crack/break when I move the 'locked' tab either too forcefully or out of a straight line parallel with the card, so I now try to avoid locking the card unless necessary.

 

Possibly the card has bent the sensor slightly out of place. Maybe jiggling the card after insertion would help. Perhaps trimming the trailing edge of the tab would help, though it would certainly void the warranty.

 

Other comments at:

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/31112-locked-sd-cards.html

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/24033-attention-sd-card-locked-error.html

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/18618-m8-card-locked.html

 

You're on a trip I would love to take, and I would hate to be there with no functioning cards. Good luck!

 

--HC