SD Card Issues with M11/M11M Since Firmware 2.0.2

[johnbuckley]

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In the past several weeks, after downloading and installing Firmware 2.0.2 on both my M11 and M11 Monochrom, I’ve had the same troubling memory/SD card failures. In both cameras I use SanDisk 128gb Extreme Pro cards. In the incidents with both cameras, I have taken a number of pictures, and then notice on the LCD an interminable swirling red figure. I’ve subsequently removed the battery and put it back in, which gets the camera operating again, but it now says there are No Valid Images To Play. After removing and reinserting the SD card, the images that were on it show up — minus the pictures I had just taken. 
 

I have both cameras set up to record DNG/JPEG on the SD card first. On those occasions when, suspecting I have a problem with the SD cards, I’ve reconfigured the memory setting to record INT first, and not had problems. But I find it odd that the problem might be the SD cards — I’ve used SanDisk Extreme Pro cards for years with no problem. Because this has happened on two different cameras that were both recently updated with the new firmware, my suspicion is there’s a firmware problem. But I’ve seen no reports of this on the Forum.

Can anyone suggest what you think might be going on? I’d appreciate it. Thank you in advance. 

[BillCB]

I use the same cards as you do, formatted every time after their contents has been downloaded. I have the storage set for DNG Internal and SD as back-up. I do not produce Jpegs. Never had a problem - at least not yet!

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[Marley]

Well this also happened to me. M11 user 128GB sandisk memory card then after updating to firmware 2.0.2 suddenly I get random memory card issues. When viewing the pictures after pressing play, the red swirling circle appears. No choice but to remove the battery and turn it on and off again. Annoying. I hope they can fix this issue on the next firmware

[hjddd]

now we are in 2024……Leica shall release new firmware ASAP

[John Black]

Same problem with M11 and M11-M with Sandisk 32 GB cards since firmware 2.0.2.  Never had memory card issues before with the M11's, so pretty sure this is 2.0.2 related.

As a workaround I am using the M11 internal memory and then the MacOS' image utility to copy images from the Leica M11 internal memory onto the Mac (M's are set to PTP mode).  

[Warton]

I can confirm the same issue happening to 2.0.2

My m11 is running 1.6.1 with a sandisk UHS-I 128G v30 200m/s card perfectly without any issues. I put the same card to my friend’s m11 which is running 2.0.2 and the camera shows card reading errors intermittently 

[johnbuckley]

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I’m so sorry this is happening to you, but relieved to find it’s not just me. Perhaps Leica is aware of this? If not, Leica, please fix this issue.

[jaapv]

If you format in SD formatter does the problem persist?  It may be that the camera “signature “ has changed. 

[johnbuckley]

Jaap - I haven’t tried that. I’ve formatted each card in the camera. But I’ll try that and see if it improves matters. Thank you. 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, johnbuckley said:

Jaap - I haven’t tried that. I’ve formatted each card in the camera. But I’ll try that and see if it improves matters. Thank you. 

I have encountered this issue with firmware 1.x and 2.x.

Every time, the solution was to format the card in the camera. The "SD Formatter" tool also worked well.

In my experience, this was a critical step that could not be bypassed - without formatting the card, the issue would persist.

[theseus79]

Same happened to me with Angelbird 64 GB Card.

[Derbyshire Man]

I think that's what happened to mine. Recently bought an M11-P and it was on 1.6.x I had no problems. Upgraded to 2.0.x to get CAI. Random crashes (with my v90 sands 128gb) started occurring every 100 shots (at least). Then turned off fotos, lens recognition and saved all images to internal memory only. No crashes for the 550 images since then. Gradually putting stuff back on, so fotos and lens recognition on auto. Still no crashes. Not going to even bother recording to the (sdformatter) formatted externally and internally SD card until the firmware is upgraded. Having said that I appear to have a perfect working camera which I am absolutely loving and I can live without using the external card for now.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

As someone who uses multiple systems from multiple brands (9 brands currently. 25 camera models.) Leica is the only one that has issues reading from a normal SD card formatted in camera. It's not good enough.

It's simply not acceptable that files don't write to the card. And even if SD formatter worked (it doesn't) it shouldn't be required. This simply doesn't happen with any other cameras I own.

And it's been happening since the M8. Dozens of discussions on memory card compatibility on every M form on thei site. Unless the card doesn't meet the SD card standards, it should work. It's like Leica's engineers and testers just don't bother putting a card in the camera to see if it writes the files.

Writing the files to the card is kind of the most importany function a digital camera has. It should never be that firmware is released like this. Ever.

Gordon

[lct]

Got SD card issues with 3 cameras in 10+ years. Sony A7s, Leica M240 and Leica M11 (early firmware). All fixed with SD card Formatter, don't ask me why. Does no harm to try it since it is free.

[cmoxon]

This started happening to me too!  It started happening right around the upgrade to 2.02 so also assume it is firmware related, however it only happens on my M11M, the M11-P is fine. JPGs going to internal and DNG going to a SanDisk V90 256GB.

I reformatted the card with sdformatter and then again in camera and so far the M11M seems to be doing fine.

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, cmoxon said:

This started happening to me too!  It started happening right around the upgrade to 2.02 so also assume it is firmware related, however it only happens on my M11M, the M11-P is fine. JPGs going to internal and DNG going to a SanDisk V90 256GB.

I reformatted the card with sdformatter and then again in camera and so far the M11M seems to be doing fine.

Not firmware related - also happens with M10, M10M, M11 firmware 1.x, ...

[johnbuckley]

2 hours ago, mzbe said:

Not firmware related - also happens with M10, M10M, M11 firmware 1.x, ...

That may be true, but the evidence here is that the latest firmware has surprised a number of us. I’ve had every numbered M release since the M7, and each Monochrom, and never had this issue til the latest firmware. 

[John Black]

All cards were formatted in SD Formatter (overwrite).  I do this every time before using a card.  

[DadDadDaddyo]

Always in these cases it becomes essential to identify and isolate the variables involved.

"Identify" takes some thought: the essential variable (or "thing that changed") might not be simply the latest occurrence among multiple variables, not all of which have necessarily been identified and isolated. 

And isolated, that is, analyzed correctly as the element in the sequence at the heart of cause and effect, is notoriously tricky. 

Ok - If there was variability in the firmware itself, that is, if the firmware that one person downloaded and installed differed from the firmware with the same version number downloaded and installed by another person, we could point to the firmware. 

But.

Does anybody really think that the copy of Version 2.0.2 that one person downloads is different from the copy of Version 2.0.2 that another person downloads? 

Again, the question is not whether 2.0.2 is different from a previous version, but whether one person's download of 2.0.2 differs from another person's download of 2.0.2.

If 2.0.2 is the same no matter who downloads it, and if 2.0.2 was the most important variable at fault, then everybody, or darn near everybody, or at least, more people, who downloaded and installed 2.0.2 would be reporting the same problem. If they aren't (and they aren't), then some other variable - beside or maybe in combination with 2.0.2 - is at work. 

Is it hardware? That'd mean a degree of variability between the M11 released one week and the N11 released another week. 

Is it the SD card? That'd mean there's variability in SD cards that otherwise appear to be identical. 

Is it user practices? That'd mean that how one person uses their camera was different, either from how another person uses their camera, or how that first person used it before the issue appeared. 

One, or a combination, of these things (or even something else) is at work here. 

Which seem the most likely?

My gut tells me that the version of 2.0.2 that one person downloads is the same as the version of 2.0.2 that another person downloads. 

So something else, or a combination of things, is at work here... 

Edited January 4 by DadDadDaddyo

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[lct]

20 hours ago, johnbuckley said:

That may be true, but the evidence here is that the latest firmware has surprised a number of us. I’ve had every numbered M release since the M7, and each Monochrom, and never had this issue til the latest firmware. 

With all due respect i seem to have read this kind of statement about most if not all firmwares of both M240 and M11 bodies since freezes appeared on those cameras. As far as i'm concerned, i've got such issues with the first M11 firmware i used when i bought the camera. Was in May 2022 with 1.4.0 firmware i believe but memory may fail me. I was doing a thing that i never do normally i.e. using a card of later design than that of the camera. In my case a Sony Tough card that made almost explode the camera. I'm just kidding now but i was really afraid that the camera was bricked then. I was so upset that i trashed the card in a heart beat. After that, my SD cards were mostly Sandisk Extreme pro cards. Got some minor issues (freezes) with some USH2 copies on firmware 1.6.0 (December 2022) but no problem with UHS1 Sandisk cards then. No freeze problem swith firmware 1.6.1 either but it did cause the focus point to wander in LV mode so 1.6.1. firmware was not a good update for me. Was the beginning of my 0 freezes history though. Then 0 freeze with firmwares 1.6.1, 2.0.1 and 2.0.2 since then. I said it here or elsewhere i believe but for sake of information i never use Fotos and always format my cards with SD Card Formatter before inserting them in all my Leica and non-Leica cameras. Sorry for my usual rambling, but i hope it can be useful to some people, especially LUF members tired of reading negative statements about this superb camera. Nothing personal 😎