Leica Q firmware upgrade issues -- broken?

[AlbertSF]

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Hi everyone – I'm at wits end trying to figure this out. Read all of the forum posts and can't seem to upgrade my Leica Q to version 3.1 (it's on 2.0).

Problem: turning on the camera and holding the record button does not work. At all. For a hot minute sometimes I'll get a black screen but then it'll just go to the normal view. Most of the time it just goes to the normal view.

What I've done: a) downloaded the latest 3.1 firmware, b) formatted SD card in Leica, insert in Macbook Pro, c) copy firmware onto SD card, d) insert SD card into Leica, e) turn on Q while holding red record button. Also, I charged the battery to full before doing all of this. And I've tried two different SD cards (SanDisk Extremes).

Nothing works. Any help or pointers really appreciated.

[LeicaR10]

AlbertSF,  Welcome to the Q Forum.  You might want to consult the Leica Q version 3.1 installation instructions.  I have looked them up for you on the Leica website support area.  I also attached a link to Red Dot Forum what gives a good overview of Q firmware updating instructions albeit for v 3.0.  I would consult the Leica instructions first and then go via the step by step process of Red Dot Forum at the end of the article.  

Leica Q 3.1 firmware instructions are attached.

Try:  You might want to read this article:  https://www.reddotforum.com/content/2018/06/firmware-ver-3-0-for-leica-q-released/

Last, based on my decade plus with Leica digital cameras, I always first use SD Card Formatter (Free app) to clear the SD card, then put that card in the camera to format for the camera.  I remove it and then put the firmware update from my Mac into the root directory and then put the card back in the camera to update the firmware to the camera.  I never use a SD card that I used to take photographs.  Plus I use the SD card type that Leica suggests for that camera (SD i or II).  I use a Sandisk SD card for the formatting.  I found based on hard experience, a camera like a computer, can be fickle at times.  Once I did this routine, I never had a firmware update problem.

Hope this helps.  r/ Mark

PS...There is no issue going from your current 2.0 to 3.1 despite there being a 3.0 version out there.

 

 

 

pm-55096-Q_Q-P_FW-Update_3.1_EN.pdf

Edited May 22, 2022 by LeicaR10

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[AlbertSF]

Hi Mark! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for the PDF / links. I had done everything you mentioned except formatting the SD card using SD Card Reader, grabbed it this morning and its formatting as I write this.

I have a bigger problem now though – I can't re-download the 3.1 firmware, or any firmware for that matter from Leica's website. When I click on it, it downloads for about 3 seconds then I get a "network failed" error. This happened last night, and I tried again this morning and same issue. I also emailed their customer support.

So will have to wait until this gets fixed (sigh) unless you – or anyone reading this – has an alternative download they can point me to.

[Ba Erv]

1 hour ago, AlbertSF said:

Hi Mark! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for the PDF / links. I had done everything you mentioned except formatting the SD card using SD Card Reader, grabbed it this morning and its formatting as I write this.

I have a bigger problem now though – I can't re-download the 3.1 firmware, or any firmware for that matter from Leica's website. When I click on it, it downloads for about 3 seconds then I get a "network failed" error. This happened last night, and I tried again this morning and same issue. I also emailed their customer support.

So will have to wait until this gets fixed (sigh) unless you – or anyone reading this – has an alternative download they can point me to.

I just tried it and Leica’s website is acting flaky.  Was able to download it after about 6 tries.  

[AlbertSF]

Thanks Ba Erv! I was able to download the firmware successfully. However ... I still can't upgrade the firmware from 2.0 : (

I followed all of Mark's (and Leica's) instructions to a T, even trying the entire process on a different computer (PC) – this just doesn't work for me:

8. While holding down the red video button on the top of the camera, turn on the Q.

9. You will be prompted with a firmware update screen. Press OK.

It just turns on without any prompt.

Anyone have any ideas? Is there another way to update the firmware?

[bill_murray]

Is it possible the update message is showing on the evf rather than the lcd?  And have you checked the camera firmware version just in case is has updated to 3.1 ?  Sorry if these seem daft suggestions.. ! 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2022 by bill_murray

[AlbertSF]

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Thanks for the suggestions, I'm at wits end so no such thing as a daft idea as I'm willing to try anything! Unfortunately the update message didn't appear in the EVF, and while I secretly hoped that the firmware would show 3.1 it's still at 2.0.

[Ba Erv]

Only other thing I could recommend is doing a full reset and trying again. It seems to me I saw a similar issue with my Q entering the firmware mode but I can’t remember the cause for the life of me.

[LeicaR10]

AlbertSF,  I sent you a PM with 2 more suggestions.  r/ Mark

[AlbertSF]

10 hours ago, Ba Erv said:

Only other thing I could recommend is doing a full reset and trying again. It seems to me I saw a similar issue with my Q entering the firmware mode but I can’t remember the cause for the life of me.

Thanks! I tried this via the menu to reset everything but unfortunately it didn't work. I even looked into if it could hardware reset back to factory somehow (ie - 1.1) but I read this isn't possible. The quest continues ...

[Ba Erv]

I don’t suppose you have the video button mapped to something other than the default.  Might also try depressing the button really firmly for about 2 seconds before you turn on the power switch.

[AlbertSF]

I have successfully updated my camera to firmware 3.1! Huge thank you to all of you who shared your insights and ideas, you won't believe what the problem was:

The files as downloaded from Leica's website are named incorrectly. Copying them as is once you've downloaded them to your SD card won't work. When you download it, on Mac or PC, Chrome or Safari or Edge, you get a file whose name is:

pm-55099-Q116_31_.quf

What you have to do is delete everything up to the "Q" so the filename reads "Q116_31_.quf" – copying this to root SD, inserting it into the Q, holding the video button and turning it on will then prompt the update firmware dialog box.

The backstory: shout out to Mark for the idea to try upgrading to 3.0 first, and mentioning the Red Dot forum (thank you whoever you are for maintaining firmware there!) as a place to grab firmware as Leica's site was yet again giving the "network failure" error. I visited that site and found the post for firmware 3.0. When I downloaded it, I noticed the name was different and was like, "Wait a sec ... could it be ...?" And YES. Yes it could be that simple. A name.

I then took the previously downloaded (from Leica's site) firmware file, removed the "pm-55099-" and VOILA – it worked as expected. If anyone has contacts with Leica's online team this might be useful for them to know. Otherwise, let my journey be a beacon for others who might run into this issue. 

[Asahman]

Thank you. Having the same problem downloading and updating my Q1! Will try above!