M11 freeze issues [Merged]

[hjddd]

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the M11 series can not totally turn off the len detection，

very time restarts the camera ， the LD comes back to （Auto）really annoying

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[lct]

13 minutes ago, hjddd said:

the M11 series can not totally turn off the len detection，

very time restarts the camera ， the LD comes back to （Auto）really annoying

Or useful depending on users. People like me using several lenses can like this much.

[Gelatino]

2 hours ago, lct said:

Thank you @Gelatino When you turn camera off and on, lens detection is set to auto then i suspect, right?

 

Actually, I used to set the 6-bit lens detection off, thinking that it was useless since all my lenses are coded. On second thought I understand it is better to set it on auto. So done.

[Gelatino]

Ict ,  speedy!! 🤣

[jpark114]

My experience with digital Leica is vastly tainted by M11 freezing issue.  Frankly, my Canon R8 that I've purchased for lightweight AF camera is night and day much more reliable than M11.  It's really a shame since I prefer the images M11 produces.   Whenever I turn on R8, I don't have to worry about possibility of missing a shot, it just turns on and take pictures.  With the price tag of M11, what I expect it to perform, just turn on and shoot whenever I want, is nothing extraordinary that I want.

Now my M11 is finally gone, and I've had enough of digital Leica.  My film bodies, M-A and 2022 M6, are going strong however, and I will continue to enjoy using Leica, but not digital, not unless a new product is proven to be reliable enough.

[lct]

My M11 does it with no problem and i have the same good-to-me habit personally. BTW my startup times are about 2 sec. depending on cards so 5 sec sounds indeed too slow. I don't know if your issue can come from that though. Hope it will find soon a solution.

[Smogg]

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1 hour ago, Al Brown said:

Leica M11 users are the most tolerating bunch for the most intolerable problems. Respect!

We do not have any tools to influence the manufacturer. Essentially, the actions of an M11 owner can be described as follows - if the camera freezes or the pictures are damaged, then the following set of actions should be taken:

1. Format the card inside the camera.

2. Format the card on a computer using various tricks and/or different apps such as SD Formater.

3. Try the steps described above with cards from different manufacturers and different write speed characteristics.

4. Disable continues drive mode

5. Do not use lenses without 6-bit encoding.

6. Do not use SD cards, use only the built-in memory.

7. Remove the Visoflex from the camera.

8. Disable Liveview.

9. Repeat all of the above with different dust protection settings.

10. Put your camera aside (any Leica owner has a spare camera from another manufacturer, otherwise he is new to the Leica world) and wait six months for the next firmware, crossing your fingers, with the hope that some of the problems will go away, and there will not be too many new problems and you can live with them.

 

P.S. When working with the camera, try to pause from 2 to 5 seconds between any manipulations (do not press the buttons too quickly, the Play button is especially dangerous and unpredictable)

Edited February 24, 2024 by Smogg

[R4p70r]

41 minutes ago, Smogg said:

We do not have any tools to influence the manufacturer. Essentially, the actions of an M11 owner can be described as follows - if the camera freezes or the pictures are damaged, then the following set of actions should be taken:

1. Format the card inside the camera.

2. Format the card on a computer using various tricks and/or different apps such as SD Formater.

3. Try the steps described above with cards from different manufacturers and different write speed characteristics.

4. Disable continues drive mode

5. Do not use lenses without 6-bit encoding.

6. Do not use SD cards, use only the built-in memory.

7. Remove the Visoflex from the camera.

8. Disable Liveview.

9. Repeat all of the above with different dust protection settings.

10. Put your camera aside (any Leica owner has a spare camera from another manufacturer, otherwise he is new to the Leica world) and wait six months for the next firmware, crossing your fingers, with the hope that some of the problems will go away, and there will not be too many new problems and you can live with them.

 

P.S. When working with the camera, try to pause from 2 to 5 seconds between any manipulations (do not press the buttons too quickly, the Play button is especially dangerous and unpredictable)

This is so true, hilarious and sad at the same time for the price of the camera by a manufacturer that is proud of its heritage and "quality"...

Edited February 24, 2024 by R4p70r

[lct]

I would use my simple tips (link) to begin with. They work fine for me so why not give them a try.

[Smogg]

18 minutes ago, lct said:

I would use my simple tips (link) to begin with. They work fine for me so why not give them a try.

I tried all the recommendations that were given on this forum, nothing helps

[Smogg]

I could complain about bad luck because of a bad copy of the camera, but I have 2 M11s that behave exactly the same, even though they were bought a year apart

[lct]

3 minutes ago, Smogg said:

I could complain about bad luck because of a bad copy of the camera, but I have 2 M11s that behave exactly the same, even though they were bought a year apart

I tried to replicate your issue, to no avail, but i suspect it is related with the continuous high speed drive mode you've been using if i remember well. I may be wrong though but i cannot take more than a dozen shots this way with the M11 so it is a mode i use only with lower res cameras.

[bkphoto]

The less Leica software you use the better, so definitely disconnect the fotos app.

[Smogg]

2 hours ago, lct said:

I tried to replicate your issue, to no avail, but i suspect it is related with the continuous high speed drive mode you've been using if i remember well. I may be wrong though but i cannot take more than a dozen shots this way with the M11 so it is a mode i use only with lower res cameras.

I usually shoot on the street in series of 3-4 frames to catch a successful step phase

[lct]

4 minutes ago, Smogg said:

I usually shoot on the street in series of 3-4 frames to catch a successful step phase

I see no reason why your bodies don't work as well as mine then. Sorry i cannot help 😞

[thrid]

No freezes so far with my M11, but...

Recently I've had this odd occurrence where I have the camera set up to shoot to internal memory first and then transfer the images to the SD card (RAW+Jpg @ 60MP).

- Reformat SD card and internal memory, so I am starting with a clean slate
- Take a few shots. For what it's worth the camera was set to high speed, but I was not hammering away. 
- M11 stops shooting and gives a warning that the internal memory is full after a total of perhaps 10-12 shots. That's obviously not possible.
- Swapped the SD card for a few one, reformatted the card and internal memory.
- Keep shooting, same results
- Cursed extensively, cue "should have stuck with $@$%& Tri-X!" rant
- Swapped SD card and switched to shooting directly to the card, instead of internal memory
- Kept clicking away.

Once I got home I dumped the contents of the SD on my computer and reformatted both the card and internal M11 memory.

Since then all is well and I have not been able to repeat this issue

For the moment.

Very odd.

[fotografr]

On 1/18/2022 at 4:10 PM, setuporg said:

Every new M camera goes through a stage where it freezes up.  Then Leica unfreezes it.  It just proves you got a genuine Leica.

Perhaps most, but not every. I have a M10-R and a M10M that have worked flawlessly for several years and thousands of frames without so much as a hiccup. (And I sincerely hope I didn't just make the "announcer's jinx.")

 

[marchyman]

On 2/24/2024 at 5:44 AM, Smogg said:

I usually shoot on the street in series of 3-4 frames to catch a successful step phase

Hold the shutter button down until 3 or 4 frames have been captured or press the shutter button 3 or 4 times?  Apparently it makes a difference according to

 

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[fotografr]

On 2/17/2024 at 3:55 AM, Smudgerer said:

I don't own a M11 model, any of the versions. I did consider trading up from the 10's a year ago but held off thinking that the freezing, the firmware and other reported problems here would be sorted out later, maybe with the M11-P whenever that would inevitably appear knowing Leica's camera model release pattern, but no it seems that not much has been successfully addressed by Wetzlar at all, it's one thing after another and yes for such an expensive investment by those who own a M11 kit it is unacceptable..........But still we, Leica owners in general, seem to put up with it and keep our heads in the sand and fingers crossed that with a little bit of luck all will come right, with the M11 that appears to wishful thinking. I do believe that Leica is in over it's head in software/firmware design and application, the M line of cameras nicely designed as they are are getting too electronically complicated and it seems that Leica itself does not have the skills or software designers to address these problems in a timely way, ie: before launch, wouldn't that be a nice thing? 

Perhaps Leica should post "Help Wanted" ads in Tokyo. 

[R4p70r]

I am not really optimistic that there is a single cause and fast solution for the M11 problem when I read the German forum and the "Case collection of freezes". 

The descriptions of the freezes what camera settings are set, what was done during operation of the camera and used SD cards (even by Leica recommended memory cards) are so arbitrary that makes you think the entire camera software needs to be rewritten from scratch and the hardware dissected.

Edited February 25, 2024 by R4p70r