M246 malfunction (metering, live view, shutter)

[Shu_downunder]

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Something bad just happened on my first day of a trip to China. 
 

After shooting normally for nearly a day, my M246 start to malfunction. 
 

1. live view shows NO live view - lens cap is off of course. Other things, like built in level, shutter speed, iso, etc, shows properly. 
 

2. automatic shutter speed goes to 32 seconds regardless the light condition. If feels like the sensor has been blocked by something - again the lens cap is off. 
 

3. no matter the shutter is on auto, or manually set to any figure, there is no release of shutter. Ie, the shutter is not working. 

4 the play function works well  

I tried to:

- insert a new a SD CARD and format it

- insert a fully recharged battery

- tried system reset

the problem stayed. 

I tried to use sensor cleaning function but the shutter is not opening. 

Just before the trip, the camera was sent to Leica Melbourne for a sensor clean. 
 

it seemed to work well after, but no extensive testing had been done before the trip. 
 

Now I don't know what to do as I don't have a backup camera 

 

Any suggestions please?

Edited September 24, 2023 by Shu_downunder

[jaapv]

I fear that you are in a rather hopeless situation. 
It sounds like a shutter malfunction. Those are pretty rare, but completely unpredictable.
Stuck in the closed position? Maybe, just maybe, a shrewd knock might free it…

I know that it comes too late and does not help you now, but never leave on a significant trip without backup and redundancy.  Maybe you can find a shop selling an M8.