new SL2-S Bluetooth is OFF

[LeicaLad]

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My brand new SL2-S arrived 2 days ago, so I'm a newbie here.  I am still in learning mode, but I cannot get the Bluetooth to turn on.

I have gone thru all the proper steps, battery properly charged, new card formatted, have rebooted multiple times, but the FOTOS menu item shows that Bluetooth is OFF (in bold red), and will not toggle on.  I've tried multiple tactics.  A toggle to the right jumps right to the pairing screen, but nothing more happens.  Eventually the screen with show the pairing has failed.  What do I do?

As noted, it has been cycled on & off, battery & card taken out and replaced, etc.  What am I missing?  I've tried this in different settings, too, in case it was some powerful transmitter I didn't know I had nearby.  Nope.  Nothing.  This is entirely in photo mode.  I am adapting old M lenses, and haven't even gotten to the video part of the machine.

 

Thank you for kind advice.

 

[jaapv]

Does it show up in the Bluetooth setting of your phone? 

[Jonathan Levin]

Do you have LeicaFotos app? Maybe when it pairs with that it somehow initiates BT. Just a guess though.

[LeicaLad]

Hi guys! 

Thanks.  Yes, it does show up on the phone, but it will not connect.  Should I remove it and try again?

And I do have the FOTOS app.  They seem to acknowledge each other, but no more.  And Bluetooth stays decidedly OFF.

 

[LeicaLad]

So I have removed it from the phone and tried a re-pairing.  Nope.  Same result.  The phone "sees" the camera, but the pairing is unsuccessful.

Thoughts?

 

[LeicaLad]

Okay. So, it's still off.  

Is this something I contact Leica about directly, or it is the vendor?

 

Thanks

[Jonathan Levin]

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20 hours ago, jaapv said:

Does it show up in the Bluetooth setting of your phone? 

And what phone, OS version? In your camera menu settings, is there a Connectivity setting? (I have SL3, but maybe similar). In my menu I have three choices: Performance, Eco and off. I have that set to Performance which keeps BT permanently connected.

[LeicaLad]

It's a Pixel 8.  Android.  The phone sees the camera, but it does not connect.  As noted above, I've removed it and tried to re-pair it as per the instructions, but the result is the same.  And my Bluetooth is still OFF.

 

[LeicaLad]

And what happens when you work off-grid, where smart phones are either not allowed or heavily restricted (I have ties to Myanmar and that neighborhood)?  Why am I dependent on a d**n phone to use my camera?  Grrrrr.

 

[Jean-Michel]

Delete the Fotos app. Download a new Fotos app. That should work. 

[LeicaLad]

Nope.  Extended effort, but with the same result.  Connection to FOTOS fails.  And my Bluetooth is still OFF.

 

Thanks for the idea, 'tho.

 

[Jonathan Levin]

5 hours ago, LeicaLad said:

And what happens when you work off-grid, where smart phones are either not allowed or heavily restricted (I have ties to Myanmar and that neighborhood)?  Why am I dependent on a d**n phone to use my camera?  Grrrrr.

 

Well, your camera will work just fine. I may or may not do the GPS, country dependent I think. Just concentrate on take lots of great photos. But back to your issue: Do you have a user profile set up and named on your camera? (Preferred settings). If you do, then it might be worth selecting "Default Profile" temporarily, then try and connect bluetooth or see if it is still unavailable. If it suddenly becomes available, then it is some conflicting/weird setting that is causing this. May be worth a try.

[LeicaLad]

Hmm.  Will try.  Thanks

anon

[Indeepthought]

Sometimes a Camera reset will cure the issue.. Good Luck.. 🍻

[LeicaLad]

I had hoped to not do that, but it is next on the list.  

Thanks.  I'll report anon

 

[LeicaLad]

Drats!  So I reset the camera, and tried to go thru the steps away from any other possible Bluetooth devices or possible influences. . .

No luck.  Same results.  I re-installed FOTOS in the phone, but no Bluetooth on the camera.  The phone sees the camera, saves it, but cannot connect.

Same old.  I'll call Leica USA tomorrow.  Sigh.

 

[Jean-Michel]

Hi,

On my SL2 I had/have a similar issue. I was eventually able to connect Fotos on the camera and an iPad, and on my spouse's iPhone. It seems that because I am wearing hearing aids (Oticon) that are Bluetooth enabled so that they connect to my iPhone that causes some sort of conflict and makes it impossible to connect the camera and the Fotos app on my iPhone. Weird, but real.

I do not use Fotos, so that is not an issue for me, but it sure does look rather annoying to anyone who wants and cannot connect. Maybe Leica will have a solution for you; I am curious to read what they suggest you do.

And today, I tried to connect and nothing works! In French  it is: "mystère et boule de gomme", mystery and rubber (as opposed to crystal) ball.

[LeicaLad]

I suspected this.  I wear Philips (made in the Oticon factory).  But this a.m.'s experiment (deleting everything, reset camera, etc.) was done specifically without wearing the aids, and being far away from them (and my laptop).  BUT, to no avail.  But I suspect this may be the key issue.  

So, I guess just not using FOTOS is a reasonable option?  What do you find are the downsides to not having it?  (If any?)

Thanks

 

[LeicaLad]

I rather like the idea of an iPad dedicated to this.  I was not excited about tying a phone to it.  More thanks.

 

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Hallo,

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[Jonathan Levin]

At this point, I really only use the LF app to geo tag photos on the camera. Needs to be running on my IPhone. This won’t help you because I think LF needs BT in order to do this. Could be an interesting test.

Edited July 28, 2024 by Jonathan Levin