Connecting M11 to Mac via USB cable

[digitalfx]

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On 1/15/2022 at 1:41 AM, satijntje said:

So, you need 2 different USB cables, one for charging and a special one for data transfer, is this correct?

the data cable will also charge...just make sure you get a USB-C 3.1 Cable

[scott kirkpatrick]

4 hours ago, digitalfx said:

the data cable will also charge...just make sure you get a TB3 or better cable

A short Google consultation suggests that all USB cables are 10-wire cables, but that the data speeds they support has grown steadily with 2.0 -- 3.0 -- 3.1 --3.2.  So any USB cable will power your device, but not all will meet its data speed and low noise requirements.  This seems to be why Jono mentions not trusting cables you buy at the cafeteria counter to charge your phone in the car.  They may be only 2.0.  I can see how to test charging resistance on cables (I have some nice thick red 3m cables for laptop power in the office -- I'll recharge from a big Anker batter over several cablles and measure the current and voltage that is supplied.  And you can get a rough idea of data speed by shifting large files from the laptop of tablet to an external USB-powered SSD.  But I think most of us will settle for finding cables that work for each operation.

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[digitalfx]

USB-C cables have been unnecessarily confusing since the beginning. They share the same connectors with TB cables, and some are made to TB spec, some are not...some are made for power only, some are faster than others...so you have to be careful when purchasing. I have multiple cables...from the cheap USB-C Amazon cables,  new Apple Charger cable to various TB3 and TB4 cables for storage devices. Your best bet is to look for the latest certified TB cable, they are typically marked USB-4/TB4. These carry data and significantly faster data rates (40GBs) than the cheaper cables and also carry power (up to 100w).

 

EDIT: After some testing it looks like Thunderbolt cables are not the best bet. Stick with USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 or 2 data cables for fastest speeds as the M11 port is USB-C 3.1 Gen 1

[digitalfx]

Im on a M1X Mac and the trick in post 1 is not working...I assume this is because im on Apple Silicon. 

I can make a data transfer from Camera to MBP in Lightroom using a TB4 cable but the thumbnails are all blank, so my transfers are blind.

But via Finder and Android Transfer I get the warning "Cant access device storage"

[SrMi]

16 minutes ago, digitalfx said:

Im on a M1X Mac and the trick in post 1 is not working...I assume this is because im on Apple Silicon. 

I can make a data transfer from Camera to MBP in Lightroom using a TB4 cable but the thumbnails are all blank, so my transfers are blind.

But via Finder and Android Transfer I get the warning "Cant access device storage"

Post #1 was tested on M1 Mac Mini.

Yes, the thumbnails are all blank, maybe because LrC does not support M11 officially. Once you import, the thumbnails look fine.

I have also started getting "Can't access device storage" recently when trying to use Android Transfer. Will investigate.

[digitalfx]

5 minutes ago, SrMi said:

Post #1 was tested on M1 Mac Mini.

Yes, the thumbnails are all blank, maybe because LrC does not support M11 officially. Once you import, the thumbnails look fine.

I have also started getting "Can't access device storage" recently when trying to use Android Transfer. Will investigate.

Yea, I can import fine in LR...just have no idea what im importing.

RE: The error in finder...I think its waiting on the "phone" to confirm the transfer...sine we are using a M11 instead of an actual Android thats obviously not possible. If you watch the Android Transfer videos, you have to confirm a few steps on the phone before transferring files. The error seems to be a timeout waiting on this confirmation

 

[digitalfx]

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Finally got USB-C connection working.

If I open LR and put it in import mode, then connect the camera to my MBP via TB3 cable I get the Android Transfer dialog box to pop up and display contents on both internal memory and SD card on M11. I still get the warnings, but if I ignore them I can drag the files to an open Finder window

[SrMi]

13 minutes ago, digitalfx said:

Finally got USB-C connection working.

If I open LR and put it in import mode, then connect the camera to my MBP via TB3 cable I get the Android Transfer dialog box to pop up and display contents on both internal memory and SD card on M11. I still get the warnings, but if I ignore them I can drag the files to an open Finder window

If you quit Android Transfer, you should be able to import directly from the camera.

[Hanno]

Not to derail the conversation, but a high speed reading SD card on a recent MacBook Pro would probably be 2-3x faster than importing data to PP softwares via the cable. 

[SrMi]

19 minutes ago, Hanno said:

Not to derail the conversation, but a high speed reading SD card on a recent MacBook Pro would probably be 2-3x faster than importing data to PP softwares via the cable. 

I always remove the SD card to transfer images. However, when speed is not an issue (few photos), and because of the easily accessible USB-C port, I find myself transferring images directly from the camera for the first time.

[kirkmc]

On 1/15/2022 at 7:41 AM, satijntje said:

So, you need 2 different USB cables, one for charging and a special one for data transfer, is this correct?

No, but you need one that does both. USB-C is a nightmare of confusion:

 

https://tidbits.com/2021/12/03/usbefuddled-untangling-the-rats-nest-of-usb-c-standards-and-cables/

[maxpachernigg]

It worked for me.

1. Switched to PTP

2. Connected the USB-A to USB-C cable that came with the M11 to my (M1) MacBook using an adapter.

3. Opened Lightroom import dialogue

4. Switched the camera on – then the photos showed up.

For some reason there where no previews available during import.. that's a real downside. Maybe to be improved some day.

 

 

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[SrMi]

11 minutes ago, maxpachernigg said:

It worked for me.

1. Switched to PTP

2. Connected the USB-A to USB-C cable that came with the M11 to my (M1) MacBook using an adapter.

3. Opened Lightroom import dialogue

4. Switched the camera on – then the photos showed up.

For some reason there where no previews available during import.. that's a real downside. Maybe to be improved some day.

 

 

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!

AFAIR @elmars wrote that the previews will be coming.

[digitalfx]

46 minutes ago, maxpachernigg said:

It worked for me.

1. Switched to PTP

2. Connected the USB-A to USB-C cable that came with the M11 to my (M1) MacBook using an adapter.

3. Opened Lightroom import dialogue

4. Switched the camera on – then the photos showed up.

For some reason there where no previews available during import.. that's a real downside. Maybe to be improved some day.

 

Leica doesnt support this yet, so the functionality is not quite there. I think the next update should fully support transfers to Mac via USB-C 3.1 cables.

The Lightning cable should be slower than if you used a regular USB-C 3.1 cable

[Quickrider]

Hi!

I am new to this forum and a proud owner of a new silver M11 for a couple of days now. I am only a hobby-photographer basically shooting street and scenery with an interest in low-light situations.

Please allow me to start with a rather technical question right away; I have tried all the settings and read through the previous posts here, but I cannot get my camera to charge via the/a USB cable hooked up to my Mac... Transferring pictures works though... Charging with the battery inside the camera works only with the provided USB Charger and the provided cable.

Did anyone of you get the camera to charge by hooking it up to a Macbook?

Thank´s and best regards from Hamburg. 🙂

[digitalfx]

13 minutes ago, Quickrider said:

Hi!

I am new to this forum and a proud owner of a new silver M11 for a couple of days now. I am only a hobby-photographer basically shooting street and scenery with an interest in low-light situations.

Please allow me to start with a rather technical question right away; I have tried all the settings and read through the previous posts here, but I cannot get my camera to charge via the/a USB cable hooked up to my Mac... Transferring pictures works though... Charging with the battery inside the camera works only with the provided USB Charger and the provided cable.

Did anyone of you get the camera to charge by hooking it up to a Macbook?

Thank´s and best regards from Hamburg. 🙂

Welcome to the Forum. Charging from MBP works, double check your settings:

▸ Select Camera Settings  in the main menu ▸ Select USB Charging 
▸ Select On / Off 

ALSO NOTE:

Notes

• Charging will only occur if the camera is in Standby mode or switched off. The charging process will be interrupted as soon as the camera is switched on. The charging will start automatically.

• The charging process will be interrupted when the picture is taken.

• The bottom LED will flash during charging.

 

[Quickrider]

Thank you for the quick response! I will try to get another cable tomorrow then. I have to use the original cable with an adapter, since my Macbook only has USB-C ports. Perhaps that is the problem…

[Jeff S]

1 minute ago, Quickrider said:

Thank you for the quick response! I will try to get another cable tomorrow then. I have to use the original cable with an adapter, since my Macbook only has USB-C ports. Perhaps that is the problem…

Jeff

[M Journey]

I emailed the Miami Leica guys and they confirmed that both 3.1 gen 1 and 2 cables will work.  The transfer speeds will cap at 5Gbs since the m11 used a 3.2 gen 1 interface.  The cable should work for power and data.  An angled 3.1 gen 2 cable is around 22 bucks on Amazon.  Might as well get the gen 2 cable so you can use it with other devices at the enhanced speed in the future.

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[digitalfx]

27 minutes ago, Quickrider said:

Thank you for the quick response! I will try to get another cable tomorrow then. I have to use the original cable with an adapter, since my Macbook only has USB-C ports. Perhaps that is the problem…

You just need a USB-C to USB-C cable...They come in a dozen flavors, so make sure to get a USB-C 3.1 or 3.2 Cable. This will supply power and give you the ability to transfer images to the Mac at best speeds.

 

But note, you can also use the Mac USB-C Power cable, assuming you have the previous generation MBP. This will supply power only, no data.