ELAN Posted April 30, 2023 Share #1 Posted April 30, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) My M11 broke down in the middle of a shoot. The camera will not meter but shoots fine in Manual. In Auto the camera always meters ISO 6400 (max auto) and 15s. It’s as if the shutter isn’t open and metering off the sensor sees black. Turning the camera on I hear the open shutter click, and looking at the shutter (without lens) I see the shutter open and immediately close. Turning the camera off I do not hear the shutter close. Resetting the camera didn’t help. There’s no SD card in the camera. The camera (on firmware 1.6.1) has been flawless, shooting about 3000 frames per week for the past 12 weeks (yes, big project). Any idea what I can try to revive the camera and make the shutter stay open? I’d hate to send it to Wetzlar right now! Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 30, 2023 Posted April 30, 2023 Hi ELAN, Take a look here M11 shutter doesn’t open to meter. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Warton Posted April 30, 2023 Share #2 Posted April 30, 2023 holy cow, seems like shutter failure to open issue is more and more common now, especially with heavy usage. I am wondering if it's a mechanical failure that something prevents it open, or an electronic failure. either way it sucks Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photoworks Posted April 30, 2023 Share #3 Posted April 30, 2023 well, you are not the first one, I hear there's one more guy on youtube, Get it exchanged for a new one. call leica 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DenverSteve Posted May 3, 2023 Share #4 Posted May 3, 2023 Since you've tried resetting (sometimes it takes 2 or three times), I would switch it from mechanical to electronic, or the opposite and see if the other setting will work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinetic Posted May 4, 2023 Share #5 Posted May 4, 2023 On 4/30/2023 at 8:49 AM, Photoworks said: well, you are not the first one, I hear there's one more guy on youtube, Get it exchanged for a new one. call leica How common is it to get an exchange from Leica? Are they pretty good about exchanges after heavy use? I'm asking as I really depend on my M11 as well, and if it bricks it's going to be hard to be without it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
anickpick Posted May 5, 2023 Share #6 Posted May 5, 2023 (edited) Am 30.4.2023 um 16:25 schrieb ELAN: My M11 broke down in the middle of a shoot. The camera will not meter but shoots fine in Manual. In Auto the camera always meters ISO 6400 (max auto) and 15s. It’s as if the shutter isn’t open and metering off the sensor sees black. Turning the camera on I hear the open shutter click, and looking at the shutter (without lens) I see the shutter open and immediately close. Turning the camera off I do not hear the shutter close. Resetting the camera didn’t help. There’s no SD card in the camera. The camera (on firmware 1.6.1) has been flawless, shooting about 3000 frames per week for the past 12 weeks (yes, big project). Any idea what I can try to revive the camera and make the shutter stay open? I’d hate to send it to Wetzlar right now! Thanks! Try this: - remove the battery - wait 32 hours - insert the battery and wait for 1 hour before you - turn on the camera Edited May 5, 2023 by anickpick Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warton Posted May 6, 2023 Share #7 Posted May 6, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) 17 hours ago, anickpick said: Try this: - remove the battery - wait 32 hours - insert the battery and wait for 1 hour before you - turn on the camera why the magic number 32? I am just amazed this precision Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakontil Posted May 6, 2023 Share #8 Posted May 6, 2023 42 minutes ago, Warton said: why the magic number 32? I am just amazed this precision May be just a safe number of hours to awake the camera, there was a report when M11 was bricked, no pull battery solved the freezes, and let it off for a couple of days or more and suddenly it just works Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
anickpick Posted May 6, 2023 Share #9 Posted May 6, 2023 (edited) vor 4 Stunden schrieb Warton: why the magic number 32? I am just amazed this precision Last summer in Iceland, I took my M11 on a glacier tour including ice climbing. During 5 hours it rained in torrents. At the beginning I was able to protect the M11 from too much water, but as I got increasingly soaked myself and it became more difficult to hold the ice axe with cold hands, I could no longer focus on protecting the M11. Nevertheless, I took a photo every now and then. In the evening, back at the hotel, I tried to load the photos from the M11 onto my Macbook. The M11 showed confusing stuff on the display, and shortly thereafter stopped operating. I could not save any photos, nor do anything else. The M11 was dead with the shutter open. When I removed the battery, a few drops of water came out with it. When I removed the lens, I also discovered water drops on the sensor. Lesson learned 1: The Leica M is not an underwater camera Lesson learned 2: Do not save photos to the internal memory, but use memory cards. So I took the M11 and hung it on a moderately hot radiator, putting a bath towel in between. The next morning, I put the battery in and turned the M11 on. Nothing happened. So I took the battery out again and hung the M11 on the radiator again. The next morning (after a total of about 32 hours) I put the battery back in and turned the M11 on. Again nothing happened. I capitulated, turned the M11 off, but left the battery in and went for breakfast. Lesson learned 3: For larger trips, always bring a back-up camera. Back in the hotel room (about an hour later), I was about to put the M11 in the suitcase, but turned it on again out of habit. Shortly thereafter, the sweetest of all possible sounds rang out: My M11 had risen from the dead. I took a few test photos, checked the settings: Everything was there. Only the time had to be adjusted manually. Then I downloaded the photos from the internal memory to my Macbook. Everything worked. It's hard to believe, but my M11 has been working flawlessly ever since. Obviously ELAN's case and mine are different. But maybe it helps in his case too to leave the M11 without battery until "the small internal battery inside the M11" is completely empty. When he then inserts the battery again, it charges, so my assumption, first the "small internal battery" before the M11 starts operating again. Edited May 6, 2023 by anickpick 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 6, 2023 Share #10 Posted May 6, 2023 I would add that if you drown your camera take out the battery immediately. Electric current and moisture will spread corrosion. Unless you are a lottery winner. like the post above, corrosion will destroy a digital camera completely. Send the camera in to Leica for a full inspection as soon as you can. The corrosion can spread slowly and even brick the camera after months or years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 6, 2023 Share #11 Posted May 6, 2023 On 5/4/2023 at 7:38 PM, kinetic said: How common is it to get an exchange from Leica? It is not uncommon for Leica to supply a loaner camera to professionals and amateurs with a good reason.. Leica does not advertise it or offer a pro service as they are a small company with an uneven output of products, so they cannot guarantee availability. It is a courtesy situation, when they can they will. When the sensor of my M240 broke, years ago, they pulled a replacement off the production line for me -at a time of limited supply- as I was due to leave for a five-week trip into Africa in a few days. If you read the forum such instances are reported regularly. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKHB Posted May 6, 2023 Share #12 Posted May 6, 2023 You can switch the camera on after taking out the battery. This will drain anything left in minutes. wait five minutes and try it again, switch to off before putting the battery in again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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