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Firmware 1.110 available on www.leica-camera.de


ArtZ

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given that leica Did put out a list of changes, but did Not say anything in it about AWD or high iso noise, why expect (or hope for!) a change?

 

if I was french I might think this is a step forward, but I'm not...

fixes for a set of problems I dont have (never seen the scrolling problem, maybe cos I use the buttons) :rolleyes:

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There may be an improvement, but no cure. I took six shots, three with the old and three with the new firmware, sitting in the same place, shooting in the same direction, with unchanging light conditions, and still got several different WB results with both firmwares.

 

Wasn't there a quote from Leica somewhere where they said they were going to re-write the WB functionality? I could be imagining that of course <grin>. If they are re-writing it I would imagine that there would be a lot of coding and testing involved.

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I have made a few dozens of shots with an M8 recently, it had a tendency to overexpose by up to 1 stop (don't know why), and yet I was capable to keep the lights intact while toning down by 1 full stop, and still getting a nice looking photo.

 

 

I think this is fairly common. I have set my M8 to -2/3 exposure compensation and it is generally right on.

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Bad news...

well sort of.

If the firmware was to correct all of the wildly scrolling menus, it apparently does not work.

I just had an instance of the iso submenu of the set menu go into wild scrolling mode.

-bob

 

My camera was doing the mad scroll consistently. The only way to prevent it was to bring up the menu, wait several seconds, then begin scrolling slowly. With the new firmware installed, I cannot make it scroll wildly no matter what I do. The upgrade seems to have completely solved the problem for me.

 

You might try re-installing the upgrade.

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Something that I've notice with this new firmware is that if you leave the lens cap on it no longer reads 32", it only read 1.6". The only reason for this is either I have a light leak around the cap of my 50 Lux (the only lens I've check this on) or they removed/change the longest shutter speed the meter can set the camera to in A mode.

 

Could be in total darkness the camera now knows that whatever it is pointed at won't come out so why have it hang for 32 seconds and another 32 second to take the black NR image.

 

Ed--did you have the safety shift turned on in the old fw? The new one would have reset it...

 

Just a thought :) Or they fixed something.

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On Leica's FAQ sheet, the following is posted:

"When using wide-angle lenses from 16 to 35mm with the LEICA UV/IR filter, a focal length specific correction of the color cast towards the edge of the image is required. With 6-bit coded lenses, this is done automatically in the camera as the lens type is transferred to the LEICA M8 as part of the coding. However, in the case of the LEICA TRI-ELMAR-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH., the lens type transferred does not always correspond to the focal length actually set on the lens. Additional information is therefore required. When the LEICA M8 is being operated with the Firmware version 1.10 (or higher), the focal length specific correction is possible for this lens too. To do this, the Firmware version includes an extended menu:

1. Under the menu item „Lens detection“, select the sub-point “On + UV/IR” by pressing the SET button. A new monitor screen appears with the title „Lens detection Tri-Elmar + UV/IR”.

Note:

Provided “On + UV/IR” has previously been set, this monitor screen appears automatically as soon as the camera is turned on and/or the LEICA TRI-ELMAR 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH is attached, regardless of whether or not the monitor was previously active.

2. In the box with a red border, the three focal lengths 16, 18, and 21mm can be selected using the direction buttons and/or the central adjusting dial and confirmed as normal with the SET button."

I don't get a sub-menu when I go to Lens Detection and click "on+UV/IR". I guess maybe it's becuase I don't have a "tri-Elmar" lens...would that be the only time that sub-menu appears? I only ask becuase if I should get it anyway, maybe the 1.10 version did not install properly on my camera?

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On SDHC: Several months ago I sat next to a product manager from SanDisk on an international flight. She managed SanDisk solutions for digital photography. We had nothing to talk about :)

 

Anyway, she was fairly unambiguous about her opinion that the M8 will never support SDHC if it doesn't now. It's not possible to upgrade the card hardware to support SDHC--the architecture for SDHC is completely different. So it would be strange if a camera was released without SDHC support but had SDHC-capable hardware.

 

Please don't misunderstand me. An employee of SanDisk does not in any way speak for Leica, and SDHC may, in fact, still be in the works for the M8. She gave me the impression it wasn't likely; those of you holding out hope for SDHC support may or may not want to take that as a data point with the understanding that it came from a source some (most?) would consider questionable.

 

As far as I'm concerned, SDHC means nothing to me. It certainly wasn't a hope I had for the camera, nor was it decision-making criteria. I use 2GB cards and have no desire to use higher capacity or "faster" cards at all. I understand some of you do.

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On SDHC:

As far as I'm concerned, SDHC means nothing to me. It certainly wasn't a hope I had for the camera, nor was it decision-making criteria. I use 2GB cards and have no desire to use higher capacity or "faster" cards at all. I understand some of you do.

 

Me too,

Except that I cant review properly until the camera has finished writing, so faster cards would offer a compromise improvement

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Me too,

Except that I cant review properly until the camera has finished writing, so faster cards would offer a compromise improvement

Faster cards does not mean faster write times. If the camera can only write at X speed having a Y or Z speed card will not increase the write speed.

 

SDHC also means absolutely nothing to me. In film terms that is 8 rolls of 24 exposure or 5+ rolls of 36 exposure film.

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I don't get a sub-menu when I go to Lens Detection and click "on+UV/IR". I guess maybe it's becuase I don't have a "tri-Elmar" lens...would that be the only time that sub-menu appears?

 

Yes, the only time the menu appears is when a lens coded as a wide angle Tri-Elmar (which could be a Tri-Elmar or another lens coded as one) is mounted on the camera.

 

If any other coded lens is mounted then the menu doesn't appear.

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I don't get a sub-menu when I go to Lens Detection and click "on+UV/IR". I guess maybe it's becuase I don't have a "tri-Elmar" lens...would that be the only time that sub-menu appears? I only ask becuase if I should get it anyway, maybe the 1.10 version did not install properly on my camera?

 

You're correct. The only time you get the sub-menu is when the WATE is mounted. Or if it is already mounted the sub-menu to choose your focal length comes up when you turn on the camera. BUT if your camera is on and the WATE is mounted and you want to change focal lengths it takes at least 5 button pushes and 3 menus to change it. I would love to see Leica come up with a shortcut for programming focal length changes on the WATE. I know I can just turn the camera off and on again but I'd like to see a better way. Firmware upgrade???

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in the faq leica m8 with release date september 2007 http://www.leicacamera.com/assets/file/download.php?filename=file_2895.pdf

leica states:

 

2. Compatibility

2.1 Why can’t SDHC-standard memory cards be used in the LEICA M8?

The SDHC standard is an extended type of SD standard. This takes very extensive updating of the camera’s SD driver to accommodate them.

Leica is working on such updates and will supply them in future firmware versions.

 

so maybe in some later update it will work.

 

in the m8 questions answered by leica http://www.leicacamera.com/assets/file/download.php?filename=file_2413.pdf

 

is written:

 

10. THINK the WBs are more inconsistent. «Tungsten» is still bad.

There have been no changes in the WB presets so far and we did not have complaints until now.

Anyhow, in combination with the Firmware 1.10 and the UV/IR filters, there will be an adoption to the presets, especially in the tungsten mode,

as there is a lot of infrared light.

 

so maybe some statement about that would be nice.

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I just shot three photos before and after with ISO 640, 1250 and 2500, and I could see no difference at all, looking very carefully at up to 200%. Too bad, but perhaps the M8 owner who saw a large difference could discuss in which situations this was the case? I shot a dark corner of my living room in the morning of a very grey day.

 

Perhaps I missed something obvious but where do I find a description of the specific (alleged) improvements and changes in this firmware upgrade?

 

I downloaded the instructions from Leica US but that's all I got- instructions with no description of changes.

 

Thanks!

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Faster cards does not mean faster write times. If the camera can only write at X speed having a Y or Z speed card will not increase the write speed.

 

SDHC also means absolutely nothing to me. In film terms that is 8 rolls of 24 exposure or 5+ rolls of 36 exposure film.

 

indeed, but the key word here of course is IF, and I guess you dont know X any better than I do, or do you?

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