M11 malfunction

[Kiwimac]

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It’s not. On the other hand it’s quite good, shoots M lenses better than anything that’s not an M and can be had second hand for rather less than a modern M (say from 10 onwards). 
 

If what we’re talking about is a backup in the event your M is in Wetzlar for an extended holiday, it’s better than nowt. 

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[gbealnz]

33 minutes ago, Kiwimac said:

It’s not. On the other hand it’s quite good, shoots M lenses better than anything that’s not an M and can be had second hand for rather less than a modern M (say from 10 onwards). 
 

If what we’re talking about is a backup in the event your M is in Wetzlar for an extended holiday, it’s better than nowt. 

Fully agree, I shoot my Summilux's on the M11-P as well as my SL2, enjoy them on both.

[SrMi]

19 hours ago, Minigill said:

I am not on the latest firmware.

I would install the latest firmware and reset the camera.

[pedaes]

11 hours ago, Derbyshire Man said:

Sat there for 10 days

I would always send direct to Wetzlar (I am assuming Customer care still send shipping label for carrier to collect). What does Mayfair add to process?

You should have PM.

Edited June 23 by pedaes

[Derbyshire Man]

4 hours ago, pedaes said:

I would always send direct to Wetzlar (I am assuming Customer care still send shipping label for carrier to collect). What does Mayfair add to process?

You should have PM.

Thanks very much. It was the worry around what to write on the export docket to ensure it wasn’t taxed on the way back. I’ve done this before for US repairs but somehow it seemed more impenetrable for EU!

[Smudgerer]

16 hours ago, Al Brown said:

With Leica, digital or analog, one should own at least two cameras. The other is for both backup when waiting for repairs and when you do not want to change lenses.
Rule of thumb.

Here is an interesting thread: https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/399472-how-many-analog-leicas-does-one-need-to-have-at-least-one-functioning-camera/

 

Used to be the same said of Jaguars, lovely motors but best to have two of them so one can be in repair without leaving you trying to work out bus schedules for a month.

[Derbyshire Man]

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6 minutes ago, Smudgerer said:

Used to be the same said of Jaguars, lovely motors but best to have two of them so one can be in repair without leaving you trying to work out bus schedules for a month.

I have an ex colleague who went to buy an Aston Martin. The salesperson asked will it be a special occasion car or a daily driver. My colleague said ‘why would I have a car as nice as this and not drive it daily’, the result  was that he refused to sell it to him!

[T25UFO]

Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious . . . but mine was flawless.  My M11 Mono equally flawless.

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[Smudgerer]

5 hours ago, Derbyshire Man said:

I have an ex colleague who went to buy an Aston Martin. The salesperson asked will it be a special occasion car or a daily driver. My colleague said ‘why would I have a car as nice as this and not drive it daily’, the result  was that he refused to sell it to him!

Yep, the "car thing" can get even more out of hand than our Leica obsessions, ( and I say that from the background of once being a Landrover amateur restorer / collector with six of those lovely obstinate lumps of iron and aluminum in a previous life / home....I'm cured now ). I've a friend here in France who has an Aston Martin DB9, (or something sort of DB like that ), and to preserve the "providence" of the car's history he has to drive it to an Aston Martin service dealership in the UK twice a year for an oil change whether the car needs it or not, otherwise it's never really driven anywhere and covered up in a barn under a special inflatable "tent". Kinda ridiculous...............Not that we Leicaists are immune to ridiculousness. 

[Minigill]

Spoke to Leica customer service yesterday, they suggested re set which I had already done,but no change.  So now have to send it back to Mayfair, they will look to see if they can repair in house which takes approx 2 weeks, then ship to Germany if no fix.  I think we know its probably going on holiday and not local repair !

They estimate 4-6 months from Germany.

Think that is the easy bit, wracking brain for 2nd camera options in the meantime.  

 

Edited June 24 by Minigill

[Kiwimac]

14 hours ago, Derbyshire Man said:

I have an ex colleague who went to buy an Aston Martin. The salesperson asked will it be a special occasion car or a daily driver. My colleague said ‘why would I have a car as nice as this and not drive it daily’, the result  was that he refused to sell it to him!

A former neighbour of mine retired as a partner from one of the Big Four. 
 

He bought himself an AM and was justifiably proud of it. In the privacy of my own home I said to my wife that I couldn’t work out why you’d buy such a car in New Zealand.
 

Our roads are very poor: rarely do they use proper tarmac, opting instead for dumping loose chippings onto a layer of sprayed tar and basically leaving the public to sweep the excess off using their cars. I’ve had more broken windscreens and paint chips in a year here than I did in 20 years in the UK. 
 

The maximum speed is 100kmh - something you could do in second gear in an Aston - and there are no motorways really, just a couple of lengths of dual carriageway that they call motorways but which have the same 100kmh limit. 

An Aston seemed ill-suited to that driving environment. A Range Rover etc would have been a lot better. 
 

Anyway, the Aston was gone within a year. 

[o2mpx]

Is the M11-p less prone to issues? It seems discussions mainly revolve around the M11.

[pedaes]

4 minutes ago, o2mpx said:

Is the M11-p less prone to issues? It seems discussions mainly revolve around the M11.

Well, the M11 has been there from the get-go☺️

[jakontil]

On 6/24/2025 at 10:54 PM, o2mpx said:

Is the M11-p less prone to issues? It seems discussions mainly revolve around the M11.

I dont think so, they were still spreading when they were.. 

[S Maclean]

On 6/23/2025 at 10:44 PM, Minigill said:

Spoke to Leica customer service yesterday, they suggested re set which I had already done,but no change.  So now have to send it back to Mayfair, they will look to see if they can repair in house which takes approx 2 weeks, then ship to Germany if no fix.  I think we know its probably going on holiday and not local repair !

They estimate 4-6 months from Germany.

Think that is the easy bit, wracking brain for 2nd camera options in the meantime.  

 

I support the prior note on getting an SL. The quality and ease of M shooting with the SL3 is addicting. It also serves as a great weather proof support camera and, if doing some studio or dediucated work the L lenses (Leica or otherwise) are great.

A simpler and different direction is getting a Q, depending on your preffered Focal Lenghts a 28 or a 43.  It will easilly become a great "fast grab" option that can complement any photographers bag.

In my case, I also have an M Monochrome, which is not really a backup camera as it would nto let me work on the same context as the M11, But it is a really great companion for specific use. 

[pedaes]

42 minutes ago, S Maclean said:

. The quality and ease of M shooting with the SL3 is addicting.

What does this mean?

[Elliot Harper]

26 minutes ago, pedaes said:

What does this mean?

Meaning adapting a M lens on SL system is satisfying.

 

[S Maclean]

45 minutes ago, pedaes said:

What does this mean?

What Elliot said, but also the fact that the Sl bodies are optimized for M shooting, there’s IBIS and focusing through the EVf, specially with longer lenses or low contrast  environments is very efficient.  There’s a diopter in the EVf as well further assisting those of us that may be getting a little older.

and… you can still shoot all manual, zone focus etc.

it is NOT an M, but it has its own appeal as an M lens shooter.

There are many photographers that end up transitioning to the M lens/ SL body combo  almost full time, specially for paid gigs where time and performance is of the essence. 

 

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[Minigill]

9 hours ago, S Maclean said:

I support the prior note on getting an SL. The quality and ease of M shooting with the SL3 is addicting. It also serves as a great weather proof support camera and, if doing some studio or dediucated work the L lenses (Leica or otherwise) are great.

A simpler and different direction is getting a Q, depending on your preffered Focal Lenghts a 28 or a 43.  It will easilly become a great "fast grab" option that can complement any photographers bag.

In my case, I also have an M Monochrome, which is not really a backup camera as it would nto let me work on the same context as the M11, But it is a really great companion for specific use. 

I had Q, Q3, Q43 which I had to sell to move into M world, and prefer to use my lenses rather than go fixed.  I wasn't enjoying the Q3 twins as much, had them at the same time, although their auto WB was easier... but thats another magenta story 😃

I have 21mm SEM & 35 APO, also having ventured into RF experience, the thought of AF point and shoot fills me with dread, not meant in a horrible way at all, more around having pushed myself to learn M (and still learning!), I don't want to revert and fall back into auto focus.  I did use manual on Q but struggled more and the experience of it didn't excite.

I might have to go and hold the SL, being female hands I find the bigger camera's harder to hold and the weight does worry me.  Another way to look at it, this would be a back up with the M11 beign the main kid on the block.  

[S Maclean]

33 minutes ago, Minigill said:

I had Q, Q3, Q43 which I had to sell to move into M world, and prefer to use my lenses rather than go fixed.  I wasn't enjoying the Q3 twins as much, had them at the same time, although their auto WB was easier... but thats another magenta story 😃

I have 21mm SEM & 35 APO, also having ventured into RF experience, the thought of AF point and shoot fills me with dread, not meant in a horrible way at all, more around having pushed myself to learn M (and still learning!), I don't want to revert and fall back into auto focus.  I did use manual on Q but struggled more and the experience of it didn't excite.

I might have to go and hold the SL, being female hands I find the bigger camera's harder to hold and the weight does worry me.  Another way to look at it, this would be a back up with the M11 beign the main kid on the block.  

Try it. You’ll find the SL is not that much heavier with an M lens. The SL lenses are another thing altogether. 
 

I was surprised when I tried it. I still love and use the M and the M monochrome, but on a pinch with the 90 and 135 or even the noctilux the SL hits gold.