carlmuck Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share #21 Â Posted January 22, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) You'd better send your camera in for a checkup. I just returned from the ANTARCTIC and shot with my M8 v2.02 to my heart's content without any sign of failure. All shots were great. BTW, my Nikon D300 also performed flawlessly. I suggest that something is wrong with your M8 Â Its going to NJ for a new shutter soon, so I'll ask them to look at it then. Â When you were in the Antarctic, did the camera spend lots of time exposed to the cold? The 6 hours in sub-freezing conditions was not too bad personally (lots of layers and several packs of hand-warmers), but seems to have been hard on the electronics. The M6 (much simpler/robust technology) was a champ the whole time. Â carl. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 22, 2009 Posted January 22, 2009 Hi carlmuck, Take a look here M8 and cold weather. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
johnalex141r Posted January 22, 2009 Share #22 Â Posted January 22, 2009 ...Incidentally, if you use cornerfix, you will be able to read the temperature of the camera stored in the files. I have used my M8 in -20 celcius and the internal camera temperature never gets to the ambiant. I might have gotten a reading as low as -10c or so. Â Robert; Â Interesting - I just downloaded Cornerfix; went to two photographs that were known to be taken during cold weather, and neither show more than 0c. IIRC, one of the photos was the last taken during a day with highs of somewhere around -20c; and the camera was indeed outside for an hour or so. Â We are scheduled to have some more cold weather here in a few days (high of -17 on Saturday) so maybe I'll do some more testing in the next couple of days or so. Â (on the somewhere around -20c day, I got 18 clicks from an almost new battery; fully charged - decided that film was less hassle than my M8, but that is another story) Â Thanks for the interesting pointer to Cornerfix and camera temperature; Â JohnS. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmfabian Posted January 22, 2009 Share #23 Â Posted January 22, 2009 I just did a look through DP Review of each thread looking for problems related to cold weather and also a google search. I only found one problem other than Leica M8 and that was for a specific lens on the Nikon not auto focusing in the cold. When the question of cold weather operation was raised on the Canon forum there were numerous users that said their cameras worked at temperatures well below 0 F including several that lived in Alaska. All the threads that discussed cold weather operation cautioned shorter battery life and care against condensation for going from cold to warm environment and that is it. Not one thread on a failure going back to the day before the inauguration. With all of the P&S and SLRs at the event, you would have expected to see many threads on cold weather failure if it were a common occurrence. Just a Leica problem apparently. Â Â Well, lets examine this statement. Â 1)Most people using P&S cameras will shove them back in their pocket when they're not snapping away. Â 2)Battery life dropping out is exactly what happened to these m8's in the cold...just like what will happen to ANY camera in the cold...hell I left my phone in my car the other day when it was -5F outside and when i came back 3 hours later it sure wasn't happy. Â 3)Perhaps the new new grease they use on shutters/mechanics prevents issues in the cold, but I remember the winterizing process people used to do to cameras to prevent issues with grease hardening/thickening. Â 4)CHEAP memory cards will have issues in the cold as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Lemon Posted January 23, 2009 Share #24 Â Posted January 23, 2009 I have just returned from Iceland where I was shooting for 2 days in the western fjords - temp down consistantly to -12c. Did not have any problems with the M8 and also had the camera on a tripod for 2 hours a day due to low light conditions. I have 3 batterys and I always change the battery when I change the card - and then recharge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grduprey Posted January 23, 2009 Share #25 Â Posted January 23, 2009 I have yet to have any temperature problems with my M8, and it has sat or operated for a good 10 hours at temps in the 0F to -10F temperature range. I do have to change batteries more often as the cold will kill any battery, I have 3 to keep me going, but no M8 related problems at all over the 2 years I have had it. 10F to - 15F temps are pretty common here in the winter in Iowa. Â Gene Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grduprey Posted January 23, 2009 Share #26 Â Posted January 23, 2009 I've noticed the settings changing when the camera has died. I have deduced that settings are not 'persisted' until the camera is manually switched off. So if you change settings, then keep shooting without powering off the camera, and then it dies - your settings will revert to the prior ones (the ones in force the last time you switched off the camera) when the battery is replaced. If on the other hand, you switch off the camera after changing settings, then they are persisted and will be retained if the camera subsequently requires a 'reboot'. The settings might also be persisted if the camera goes into sleep state - not sure. Â I always run my batteries until they die in the camera with no effect to camera settings. I find my batteries last longer this way. Â Gene Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexaO Posted January 15, 2011 Share #27 Â Posted January 15, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) what is a "B90" which you referred to putting in your camera bag in post about M8 batteries and cold temps..? Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted January 15, 2011 Share #28  Posted January 15, 2011 I always run my batteries until they die in the camera with no effect to camera settings. I find my batteries last longer this way. Gene Li-Ion batteries in general wear down more quickly by full discharge/charge cycles than by partial cycles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Gunst Lund Posted January 16, 2011 Share #29 Â Posted January 16, 2011 Li-Ion batteries in general wear down more quickly by full discharge/charge cycles than by partial cycles. Â That is my observation also with the M8 and Nikon D2 and D3 series. Just charge when you get done shooting. Â BTW the Nikon D1 series where only about 125 captures down to 30 in the cold,,, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Siirilä Posted January 17, 2011 Share #30  Posted January 17, 2011 I was shooting last weekend for several hours in -20C with my M8.2 and M6. Most of the time the M8 was hanging around my neck unprotected.  My M8 froze twice during the day. At both times this happened when I was squeezing several shots in rapid sequence (not in the C-mode though). The second shot would just freeze the camera. The screen would go blank, the red led indicating SD card use would stay lit up yet switching the camera off would do nothing at all. It was too cold to start fumbling with the baseplate to remove the battery, so I relied on my M6 until its younger brother finally recovered within a minute or two.  Considering the temperature was quite extreme, I thought the camera did ok.  Another more annoying problem was moisture. The M8 is such a block of metal and glass, that when I went momentarily indoors the camera was instantly covered with droplets of moisture. The LCD has developed a clear "coffee ring effect" in the middle.  Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mawe3000 Posted January 17, 2011 Share #31  Posted January 17, 2011 I have experienced similar problems with my M8 at -13°C. Unfortunately it didn't wake up until the battery was fully charged the next morning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neelin Posted January 25, 2011 Share #32  Posted January 25, 2011 Well, lets examine this statement. 4)CHEAP memory cards will have issues in the cold as well.  I've done enough cold weather shooting below -25c to know it's my memory card dies before the M8 body. I'm looking to buy a couple of "Industrial Grade" SD cards ATP, C-One, (not Lexar or Sandisk) that have an OPERATING temperature rating of -40C to +85C. Can't remember the numbers off-hand, but if you check temp. specs, there are basically 3 types, Industrial grade -40C, -25C??/-15C??, 0C?? If I'm recalling correctly.  For sure I know I need a few -40C cards here in Winnipeg area. I usually do extended outdoor excursions with film, and occasional broken film or stripped sprocket holes at extreme temps depending on the camera used. The tight corners on a Rollei35F is good for breaking film. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neelin Posted January 25, 2011 Share #33  Posted January 25, 2011 I was shooting last weekend for several hours in -20C with my M8.2 and M6. Most of the time the M8 was hanging around my neck unprotected. My M8 froze twice during the day. At both times this happened when I was squeezing several shots in rapid sequence (not in the C-mode though). The second shot would just freeze the camera. The screen would go blank, the red led indicating SD card use would stay lit up yet switching the camera off would do nothing at all. This is the SD card problem. I'm looking for Industrial grade SD -40C temp spec. to keep the camera working at even lower temps. As soon as the camera warms up, the card starts taking information again and control returns to the camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brunop Posted January 25, 2011 Share #34 Â Posted January 25, 2011 along these lines--is it better (or no difference) to keep the m8 "on" and have the auto-shutoff set for 2 minutes OR turning it on and off for every shot? both for battery life and general wear and tear. Â thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted January 25, 2011 Share #35 Â Posted January 25, 2011 The on-off switch on my M9 is completely brassed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
misha Posted January 29, 2011 Share #36  Posted January 29, 2011 m8 is not a dependable cold-weather camera. I've had an m8 for almost four years now and I simply cannot be trusted in below zero C weather. i feel that the only way to keep the camera (battery/card, whatever) going is by asking the camera to do as little as possible: - avoid the C mode - avoid multiple shots in general - switch preview screen of or set it to minimal auto-review - simplify everything  i am on assignment now in Donetsk where it is consistently -5 -15C and carry the charger with me at all times. I have multiple batteries but m8 simply cannot be trusted. many things can be used to describe the m8, reliability is not one of them. having said that, m8 still remains my only camera  misha PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISHA FRIEDMAN Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
misha Posted January 29, 2011 Share #37  Posted January 29, 2011 one more don't:  forget about long exposures. I tried one at 4 seconds, exhausted both fully charged in a matter of 30 seconds  very annoying and incredibly unprofessional from leica to be aware of these issues and not to do anything about it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olsen Posted January 29, 2011 Share #38  Posted January 29, 2011 You guys are up for some new batteries for your M8s.  All digital cameras function just excellent when it is cold. Modern shutters don't have lubricants anymore. Like the old Canon A1 - which was awful in the cold. Today it is all Teflon; durable and slippery.  If you have a M8 which hasn't had a new battery for it; go ahead first thing tomorrow and buy a new one. They last only a few years. A good and fresh battery is the first thing you need to have a M8 work properly. Particularly in the cold. Second: If you have to stay outdoor in sub zero (Celsius) temperatures for more than an hour; carry a spare battery in your pocket. They are about the size of a matchbox and weighes no more.  When the battery is new charge it fully. Then discharge it fully. This can be done in the camera or by letting it stay in the charger without having the charger plugged in. (The M8 charger is far moe practical than the M9 one). Do this two times and the charger is ready for use.  M8 in cold weather? Just excellent! Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/74822-m8-and-cold-weather/?do=findComment&comment=1573128'>More sharing options...
pgk Posted January 29, 2011 Share #39 Â Posted January 29, 2011 I've been using my M8 in the cold today (freezing conditions) - totally flattened one battery (as expected) until the screen wouldn't operate. Replacement worked fine with plenty of power. In short, it worked as well as any other digital camera. It really is as dependable as any other camera that I've used. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olsen Posted January 29, 2011 Share #40  Posted January 29, 2011 Bellow minus 20 degrees Celsius the film would often break in old film cameras. Thanks to digital cameras and the kind Chinese that keeps us with batteries - for a small penny, we can now use our digital cameras long after old film cameras had all stopped due to frozen lubricants and a cut-off film.  This cold day is from Smögen, once a small fishing village on the Swedish west coast. Today an expensive holiday mecca. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/74822-m8-and-cold-weather/?do=findComment&comment=1573155'>More sharing options...
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