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Firmware 1.108 NOT Available


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I just got the stranges email from Leica. As follows

 

Quote:

Dear Leica M8 Customers

We would like to inform you about further updates for your camera.

 

New firmware version 1.108 - Not available for download!

As of now, all LEICA M8 cameras produced are equipped with the new firmware version 1.108. For the user, this firmware version is identical to the current version 1.107. This was necessary because certain electronic parts were no longer available and had to be replaced. If you have the firmware version 1.107 installed in your camera, your LEICA M8 will remain absolutely up to date. An update to the version 1.108 is unnecessary. Hence, this firmware version will not be available as a download on our homepage.

End Quote:

 

So it seems the M8 has had some internal parts changed. What does that do to all our OLD M8's.

? Do the new part make the newer M8 better?

?What does Leica plan on doing as far as firmware in the future? Two different firmwares for the two different internal parts cameras?

 

I find this slightly upsetting.

I'd like to know what was changed.

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Rather nothing I imagine. It is not unusual for a supplier to change a specification neccesitating a change in hard and/or software to get the same performance. Normally the customer does not even notice. This time clearly they had to do something to the firmware.

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Don't worry about it Ed,

parts supplied by an outside manufacturer change all the time.

I imagine Leica had to make minor compensation to get the same results as (our) existing cameras.

My company (medical manufacturer) needs to do this from time to time (the paper work is a nightmare).

We are just being informed.

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Well, well, let's not jump to conclusions. We have no idea what the part was, and I presume that Leica is as reluctant to change the M8 as we are for it to happen. They don't want anything to make the existing M8s in the sales channels unsellable.

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Come on guys, when I bought my car it was in the thrid year of production. The dealer told me over one thousnad changes had been made over those three years. It did not make one whit of difference. Get real. These things are not frozen in time. The M3 changed many times internally....

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I don't buy this guff regarding out of date parts. According to my local dealer, Leica have copped a fair backlash regarding the forthcoming price increase. I may be wrong, but I suspect this is nothing more than a means to justify the substantial increase in the price of the M8. And to assist in maintaining order in the second-hand M8 market since ver.2's will now always be worth more than ver.1's. Too bad I just picked up an obsolete ver.1!

 

Ozkar

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Come on guys, when I bought my car it was in the thrid year of production. The dealer told me over one thousnad changes had been made over those three years. It did not make one whit of difference. Get real. These things are not frozen in time. The M3 changed many times internally....

 

Yes and the value of the older, but not first run, double stroke M3's are not as valuable as the later ones.

 

The big question is what about the firmware for the 2 different types/versions.

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Quite right Jaap, but it won't prevent one of these threads - there are already 3 of them - developing into a 'Leica have ripped me off' rant.

 

Amen, Steve!

 

Two were started with humor, and look which one is getting the most posts!

 

Of course, the posts here are mainly telling Ed to wake up and smell the gravy. At least we can now speculate to what degree these new parts are where the October price increase goes. :o

 

But you're right, a number of the posts here are already turning petulant and declaring that the camera that worked just fine yesterday is worth less today.

 

And instead of seeing that Leica is trying to prevent this stupidity by letting us know what's up, we've already had one poster implying that the explanation is disingenuous.

 

Remember last time there was new software and some complained despite Leica's specifity that Leica hadn't told us enough about it? Now again, Leica gives us the straight poop and we've got people complaining about it.

 

Children, go play with your equipment! :rolleyes:

 

--HC

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I don't buy this guff regarding out of date parts. According to my local dealer, Leica have copped a fair backlash regarding the forthcoming price increase. I may be wrong, but I suspect this is nothing more than a means to justify the substantial increase in the price of the M8. And to assist in maintaining order in the second-hand M8 market since ver.2's will now always be worth more than ver.1's. Too bad I just picked up an obsolete ver.1!

 

Ozkar

 

Last year all the negativists were predicting 100% writeoff in the first two years as it was digital....

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And even after getting written guarantee from Leica that it wasn't going to happen!

 

Gee, Manuel, Leica's honesty is right up there in line with that of the Bush administration!

 

--HC

 

I've just informed by phone to "La Maison du Lieca". They're just cancelling the order for the 60 (I though it was 50) M8.

.

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I've just informed by phone to "La Maison du Lieca". They're just cancelling the order for the 60 (I though it was 50) M8.

.

 

This post makes no sense at all; Leica's mail clearly states that all M8's shipping now have version 1.108, which means that are the ones he is getting......

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To prevent incorrect firmware updates, the loader has to be able to verify that the firmware being loaded is compatible with the hardware in use. There's an XML header at the start of the file which defines what goes with what. Here's the header from 1.107:

 

<!DOCTYPE updaterules SYSTEM "updaterules.dtd" >

 

<!-- Update aller Komponenten nur moeglich, wenn CCD-Id = 0, CCD-Board-ID = 0 oder 1, Controlboard-Id = 0 und M16C-ID = 0 -->

 

<updaterules>

xxxx

</updaterules>

 

The comment says: "Update of all components only possible if CCD-Id = 0, CCD-Board-ID = 0 or 1, Controlboard-Id = 0 and M16C-ID = 0"

 

It looks like they are maintaining version control for the 4 main electronic assemblies and already by 1.107, they are supporting two different versions of the CCD board, probably related to the hardware recall.

 

When we next get a firmware update for "us", we'll be able to see whether the firmware is identical in spite of the hardware change or whether the UPD file has different firmware for each version of the hardware.

 

Changes like this happen all the time, if you look at the Intel site, the processor the M8 uses is stated to have a production life of 5 years and it must be a couple of years old by now.

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I've just informed by phone to "La Maison du Lieca". They're just cancelling the order for the 60 (I though it was 50) M8.

 

Thanks for that information! Sounds as if they were annoyed as well! Poor Leica! One department says, "No, there's no change," and another sends an email to the world saying, "We can't build the original camera any more, but not to worry!"

 

Hard to get your story straight. Again, they'd fit the Bush administration perfectly. Lord, I hate to say that about my favorite camera maker! :)

 

--HC

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Thanks for that information! Sounds as if they were nonplussed as well!

 

--HC

 

Howard,

 

Yes, they were completely nonplussed.

 

I tried to call Herr Attila von Gyimes to ask for an explanation. He's out for lunch. I must call him back in 30 min. We'll see what he says.

 

I'm really piss off! This is the drop that overwhelms the glass.

 

Grrrr

 

 

After posting addition:

 

What really scrares me is that some of the problems we have with our M8 cannot be solved by firmware updates. Maybe is true that they run out of spares or maybe they have re-engineered the M8 to correct some conception problems. I believe more on the second option :mad:

.

.

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Leica has my sincere sympathy. A minor issue that is completely normal in nowaday's industry (one or several electronic components need to be substituted by different ones requiring different setup parameters or whatever - a subsequent change in firmware) launches some downright neurotic reactions in the user base. I particularly "like" the snitch thing (making a phone call to the dealer).

 

Talk about a rock and a hard place. The usual attitude for the manufacturer would have been to come up with a new firmware release (tactically it might have been wiser to call it 1.107a or something like that) and tacitly install this in the new production batch. No big deal. Of course, knowing (part of) their customer base, someone thought "hey we can't do this, once they find out they're going to cry wolf so let's be up front about it".

 

Look at what you started, mate. Should have kept that honest-to-goodness mouth of yours shut and done what your gut instinct told you to LOL

Cheers,

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