What is my M8 problem? HW or Firmware

[dritz]

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I recently upgraded to the latest firmware for the M8. Since then, I have had 4 occurrences of the following: Shooting away; after a dozen frames or so, the camera locks up, or rather, it doesn't fire or respond to anything; turn it off, and it's still on!; take out the battery, count to 10, put in the battery. It's fine... for a little while.

 

I met a guy in my local store (Glazer's) who was describing this problem he had with his M8, repaired under warranty. "Hey, I have that problem, too!"

 

Anyone else? Suggestions? Thanks.

 

Dean

Edited August 13, 2009 by andybarton

[michael_b_elmer]

I haven't had any problems whatsoever with my M8 and M8.2.

 

However, I propose that you load the camera with the latest firmware once more, starting with a completely new download of the firmware from Leica's website to a new or at least another flawless SD-card than the one you used for your first installation of the firmware, and updating the camera's firmware following precisely the procedure prescribed by Leica.

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[leolaksi]

I've read some many horror stories but have never had a problem with either the M8 or M8.2. The only niggling complaint I have is that whenever I use a SDHC card, it takes 5 or 6 seconds before the camera is usable. With the SD, almost instanteous. Leo

[scott kirkpatrick]

I recently upgraded to the latest firmware for the M8. Since then, I have had 4 occurrences of the following: Shooting away; after a dozen frames or so, the camera locks up, or rather, it doesn't fire or respond to anything; turn it off, and it's still on!; take out the battery, count to 10, put in the battery. It's fine... for a little while.

 

 

The latest firmware, which also supports some fancy shutter tricks with the M8.2 and the upgraded M8's, seems to have taken what was once a serious problem -- shutter not re-cocking, leaving the camera jammed and unable to even shut down -- and made it surviveable by the fix of removing the battery for a few seconds. But if that is what is happening to you, the shutter could still benefit from a trip to Leica service.

 

To see if this is your problem, check some things when it happens next. Do you see an error message (usually "shutter fault") on the back LCD for a few seconds? When you put the battery back in, do you hear the shutter re-cocking?

 

scott

[gfspencer]

I was out on the beach shooting pictures of my two granddaughters. My M8 kept locking up and giving me a blank, black view screen. I was really angry. Then I noticed that my lens cap was still on.

 

Other than that I have had no problems. I have not upgraded to the latest firmware.

[Shootist]

I have upgraded two different M8's to the 2.002 firmware and I have not had any problems with either camera.

I go along with the first responder to RE-Download the firmware and RE-load it on the camera.

[robsteve]

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Dean:

 

I would also look into the SD card you are using. Brand names are best, bought from a reputable dealer. There are a lot of counterfeit SD cards out there.

 

I use the Sandisk Extreme III and Leica suggests this brand. Mine are only the 2GB cards and not SDHC. If you get the Sandisk Extreme III SDHC cards, take note that there is now a higher speed version marked 30mb/s. The original were 20mb/s.

 

 

Regards,

 

Robert

[dritz]

First, my apology for the typo. Perhaps the forum will benefit from greater google hits! As suggested, I've used a brand new Sandisk Extreme II SD (2GB) card and did a fresh install.

 

For the record, I've receive no error message. No shutter problems. It just stops in all its functions and then recovers when the battery is removed and returned.

 

I'll post a confirmation or a "Leica saves!" when I have some results. Of course, the only conclusive result is continued malfunction... otherwise one is always waiting.

 

Thanks again.

[wparsonsgisnet]

D, are you sure your batteries are fully charged?

 

The M8 is very sensitive to the (slightly?) lower voltage at the end of the battery cycle.

 

If you have not calibrated your batteries, you can do so by discharging in the camera (leave it on overnite), and then recharging. The smarts in the battery can go dumb and tell the camera there is more juice than there really is.

 

I used to have "misbehavior" with my M8 until I began replacing the battery when the last segment showed in the indicator. I have had NO probs since then.

[glenerrolrd]

I have this problem as well . Using an M8.2 and an M8 both with the new software V2.xx ...the M8.2 locked up 3 times with three different cards. I rotate cards and have quite a few ..but the cards that locked up were transcend 2gb and 4gb and a brand new lexar 4gb sdhc. The battery was always fresh and the card was always reformated in the camera .

 

Same situation ..take a half a dozen pictures and then it locked up. Replaced the card and reformated....rest of shoot was fine.

 

These are cards that I have been using for a while and never a problem and the lexar was brand new.

 

It was pretty cold out but I didn t have to replace the battery and the next card worked fine.

 

I plan to reload the software and mark the cards to see if its a specific card problem. But that looks unlikely.

[Peter Phillips]

My experience is slightly more bizarre but in the same context and I post in the hope that knowing all of the possibilities may help us all to define the problem. I updated the software in my 2007 M8 and inserted a Fujifilm 8gb 60X card to take advantage of the new possibilities. At random intervals the "Card Full" message appears and the camera locks. I turn off the camera, turn it straight back on - seconds only - and it just keeps going as if nothing had happened. I don't lose shots and I have absolutely no idea why it's happening.

Peter

[wlaidlaw]

My experience is slightly more bizarre but in the same context and I post in the hope that knowing all of the possibilities may help us all to define the problem. I updated the software in my 2007 M8 and inserted a Fujifilm 8gb 60X card to take advantage of the new possibilities. At random intervals the "Card Full" message appears and the camera locks. I turn off the camera, turn it straight back on - seconds only - and it just keeps going as if nothing had happened. I don't lose shots and I have absolutely no idea why it's happening.

Peter

 

Peter,

 

When I first started with the M8, for my first week, I was using a pair of Apacer 1GB 60x cards I had been given. I had numerous problems. Ever since I have used SanDisk III Extreme, at first 2GB SD and now III SDHC, both the 20 MBps and the 30MBps. I have only had one card problem in the 2 years since using SanDisk and that I am sure, was camera related, where it restarted the numbering sequence in mid-card. I always reformat after downloading images and when I used to get lock-ups prior to upgrade plus full electronic service, I always reloaded the firmware. I find that the battery contacts get dirty and dusty. I clean them with electrical switch cleaning fluid about once a month or when I remember. I also very occasionally clean the SD card contacts and leave them slightly wet with switch cleaning fluid, when inserting them, so they clean the contacts inside the camera. Since coming back from upgrade two months ago and about 1000+ images later, no problems. I more or less stopped getting lock-ups even before the upgrade, after I started to clean the battery contacts fairly regularly.

 

Wilson

[glenerrolrd]

My lock ups occurred with a brand new M8.2 and a new lexar 4gb sdhc 133x pro card. The other two were transcend 2gb and 4gb. The transcends have been in continuous use for over 2 years and rotated thru several M8 s .

 

Batteries are charged so that ....every shoot...new battery ,format in camera the card. After the shoot rotate the card and the battery .

 

Three failures with the M8.2 ..different cards and batteries and non with the M8 used as the other camera.

 

Could be a bad load of the new software , bad battery maybe being rotated in or a hardware problem with the M8.2. Time will tell.

[edinsiam]

Hi guys, same problem here. My M8 (bought 2 months ago) stopped to work 3 or 4 days ago: whether the switch was on Off, S or C, the camera would always be off, and amazingly enough, the display would always be on! - meaning that I could not take a single photo, or see how many photos I still had in the card, but could access the menu, even with the camera off!!! I had to remove the batteries for a few times before it got fine again. After this episode, I have not experienced the problem anymore. What are your guesses here? FM or HW?

 

I should add that I recently I have sometimes got the "CARD FULL" thing as well, and had to turn the camera off and then on again (sometimes more than once) before I could shoot again - but then again, I was using a cheap Apacer, so this may be not related.

 

Ed

[patrick parker]

Same problem here. I got it back from repair where the shutter was replaced (self destructed ). It had this problem before the camera died on me. Now with the new shutter it still does it. I don't think this camera will be remembered as a success story.

[Anguish]

I've used the M8 exclusively and regularly since it came out and have had only a few (3) lock-ups. The latest came, I believe, after I had taken several frames quickly. They were loading onto the card from the buffer while I sought to view the latest by pushing the "play" button.

After rebooting by taking out the battery, all was well, save one frame that the computer would (later) not read. I dismissed this as akin to a driver trying to shift into both second and third gear at the same time, and instead grinding the machinery.

[wda]

Could it be that the buffer is taking time out to store the burst of ten or more shots?

[Guest WPalank]

I had a similar thing happen around Tskiji Fish Market in Tokyo on a misty day. My initial thought was that the electronics had become wet (even thought the camera was well protected with a shower cap). Taking the battery out fixed the problem.

 

But then I did a bit of self diagnosis and found the true problem. I had "Discrete Shutter" turned on and the button on the top of the camera had slipped form "S" or single-shot to "C" or continuous mode without my knowledge. It's like telling the shutter to do two opposite acts at the same time. From now on, I never shoot with the discrete mode as it's far to easy for the button to shift from S to C just by pulling the camera out of a bag for instance..

Edited August 16, 2009 by WPalank
Addition

[Jamie Roberts]

William--

 

I go even further: I keep the M8 on S mode only. The only times my M8 has ever locked up is when it's in C mode; there's obviously still some weird race / buffer writing condition there.

 

We're talking three times over three years. But it's annoying as hell when it happens, and yeah, after pulling the battery, all is well.

 

I don't use discreet mode either

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[Guest WPalank]

Jamie,

I never use C as well. The little switch just happens to bump over there from time to time.