Battery eject problem on Leica SL

[Porchpockler]

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Anyone ever had trouble ejecting the battery? Nothing that I know of happened to the camera, but suddenly the battery won’t eject. I’m guessing it is a spring issue? Anyone have any ideas or guidance?

 

Thanks

[LeicaR10]

Porchpockler,   It could well be the internal latch malfuctioning.   As you know when you turn the silver release lever, normally the battery semi-ejects. Then you push the battery up and the internal latch releases the battery.  Try moving the battery up while releasing the silver latch at the same time. If that doesn't work, perhaps others might have an idea for you.  Failing that, your SL might need to go to Leica Customer Care to get the battery release repaired.  Also a Leica Store might have an answer for you too.  You might look on Google for a You Tube video for this kind of issue.  Hope this helps.  r/ Mark

Edited July 31, 2022 by LeicaR10

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[frame-it]

1 hour ago, Porchpockler said:

Anyone ever had trouble ejecting the battery? Nothing that I know of happened to the camera, but suddenly the battery won’t eject. I’m guessing it is a spring issue? Anyone have any ideas or guidance?

 

Thanks

 

[MakinMemories]

Original Leica battery or Amazon imitation?

[Chuck Albertson]

1 hour ago, MakinMemories said:

Original Leica battery or Amazon imitation?

I'm not aware of Amazon or anyone else making third-party batts for the SL.

[LeicaR10]

Porchpockler.  I looked up the Leica SL manual on line.  It illustrates you need to push down on the battery after the silver lever is moved.  You might have tried it already.  I also checked Leica Store Miami Red Dot Forum and Josh Lehrer who works there wrote he never saw a problem with a stuck battery.  Albeit a dated post, he was talking about the S2 that has the same release.  Check out this link.  Apparently another person had a problem and had to send the camera to Germany for repair.  Hope that isn't the case for you.  r/ Mark

Try:  https://www.leica-camera.cn/sites/default/files/documents/2016-06/Leica%2BSL_EN_0.pdf?fdl=1   Go to page 170.

Edited August 1, 2022 by LeicaR10

[MakinMemories]

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2 hours ago, Chuck Albertson said:

I'm not aware of Amazon or anyone else making third-party batts for the SL.

Sorry, it was just an honest question as there are knockoffs of most everything and tolerances of knockoffs are often way off...

[BernardC]

The mechanism is very easy to figure-out (once you get the battery out): there's a pin and a spring. The lever on the camera moves the pin sideways in a track on the battery. This partially releases the battery. You need to push the battery up slightly to get the pin past a safety catch in order to fully release the battery.

Only a few things can go wrong. The spring at the bottom of the battery chamber should be easy to diagnose: is it bent?

The pin either moves with the lever or it doesn't.

That leaves tolerances. Is the something in your battery compartment that could keep the battery from moving, like a piece of tape? Is the battery swollen? If it is swollen, contact Leica for a possible replacement and dispose of it safely. Is the little track on the side of the battery clean?

You should be able to remove the battery yourself as long as the lever isn't disconnected: release the lever, use a piece of sticky tape to pull the battery our slightly. Grab the battery with you fingernails, push it back in slightly to get past the safety catch, and then pull it out completely.

You could also try using a feeler gauge to move the pin manually. It moves toward the front of the camera (lens side) when you release the lever.

[trickness]

A friend of mine with the SL2-S had the same problem and the camera needed to go to NJ. They said they hadn’t seen this issue before - perhaps the mechanism can drift from it’s ideal tolerance over time, or the retainer pin can break. If you can’t get it out then contact Leica customer service (it’s August, so be ready to wait event longer than usual if the camera needs to go to NJ…..)