Working/defective camera by serial number

[davidmknoble]

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2 hours ago, Smogg said:

The VIN is indicated under the windshield of the car and is available to everyone😂

But you have to find my car, know it's mine and then get it, rather than sit in another country and scrape it off the internet and know that it is mine.  The serial number is also visible on my Leica.  

Again, just my opinion.

[marchyman]

22 hours ago, lucerne said:

ownership cant be changed unless you cancel on the personal online Leica membership site

Perhaps Leica's perception of ownership can't be changed, but that doesn't stop physical transfer of ownership.  I sold my M 262.  Ownership certainly changed.  It wasn't until many weeks later that I remembered the camera had been registered with Leica.  At that time I logged in and removed it.  The new owner never mentioned anything.

The serial number is written to the metadata of every image taken.  It is usually in the metadata of exported edited files unless you explicitly ask that it not be and/or take extra steps to remove it.  Metadata of the images I take also contain contact info which includes my name and address.  I guess I like living on the wild side 😁

Anyway, no freezes or corrupted DNGs to date.  SN 5673435

[Kwesi]

While I appreciate the OP's efforts to get to the bottom of all this craziness, I think if Leica needed the serial numbers (or portion thereof) of problem cameras they would have asked for it in this thread.

 

 

[lct]

3 minutes ago, Kwesi said:

[...] if Leica needed the serial numbers (or portion thereof) of problem cameras they would have asked for it in this thread.

A good way to feed the faulty hardware theory i guess. Hard to be camera maker these days 😄

 

[hdmesa]

Serial number tracking would do ZERO good now since the current firmware introduced new freezing issues to cameras that had none before. Therefore, we wouldn't be able to separate cameras that could be freezing due to hardware issues from those freezing due to the current firmware.

This thread should be locked.

[thrid]

Leica M11 black

5673xxx
Firmware 2.02

No problems (fingers crossed)

 

 

[thrid]

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Why don't we stick to posting incomplete serial number, firmware version and any issues encountered, before this thread turns into a mess?

We can debate the merits of keeping your serial number private in a separate thread. Let's stick to the data for this one, so we make an attempt to see if there is a pattern to these issues people are encountering.

I just dropped $8000 on a camera and would like to see Leica iron out any bugs before I am forced to go back to my M4 and keep shooting Tri-X, which seems to be as reliable a combination as a hockey puck and a stick.

 

Edited March 17, 2024 by thrid

[lct]

On 3/15/2024 at 3:27 PM, Anbaric said:

[...] the first few digits of a serial number ought to be enough to get a handle on any problematic batches [...]

I fear it would only prove that cameras pertaining supposedly to the same batch can have different behaviors depending on the way they are used by their ownners. See my post above.

[hdmesa]

On 3/16/2024 at 6:05 PM, thrid said:

Why don't we stick to posting incomplete serial number, firmware version and any issues encountered, before this thread turns into a mess?

We can debate the merits of keeping your serial number private in a separate thread. Let's stick to the data for this one, so we make an attempt to see if there is a pattern to these issues people are encountering.

I just dropped $8000 on a camera and would like to see Leica iron out any bugs before I am forced to go back to my M4 and keep shooting Tri-X, which seems to be as reliable a combination as a hockey puck and a stick.

 

Look, you're two years late to the "users trying to solve the problem for Leica" party. We've already looked at unit production dates for commonalities, and there were none. Serial numbers do not represent batches because they are not always produced sequentially. 

[thrid]

50 minutes ago, hdmesa said:

Look, you're two years late to the "users trying to solve the problem for Leica" party. We've already looked at unit production dates for commonalities, and there were none. Serial numbers do not represent batches because they are not always produced sequentially. 

First off Leica will never admit to anything for legal reason, unless they are backed into a corner. Bad batches of electronics, blue smoke escaping the camera, whatever. Take your pick. 

It's like that scene in Fight Club:

Narrator :
A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one."

Woman on Plane :
Are there a lot of these kinds of accidents?

Narrator :
You wouldn't believe.

Woman on Plane :
Which car company do you work for?

Narrator :
A major one.

I agree that Leica serial numbers are not structured as they used to be and difficult to decipher. But I would be willing to bet that they have more of a handle on tracking cameras and components internally, than anyone outside of the company does. Unless something has drastically changed in Germany since I lived there, the Germans are pretty meticulous about keeping records.

The bigger problem is that this forum is probably not capable of collecting enough data relative to the number of M11 bodies produced. 

Anyhow...

[Sergius]

Maybe it’s better to indicate manufacturing date. It’s on the box.