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Have you ever seen this? My M8 is back


Mauribix

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Even if they are Leicas - if I mix up cards between the DMR and the M8 the SD card writing goes haywire, and I even get the impression that the camera needs some time to recover.

 

Ok, I know that this is a good point to consider, but now, why should this problem actually show up with SDHC cards only?

Should I expect sooner or later the problem on my SD cards as well?

You know, when I'm in "shooting mode" I have a whole bunch of cards and batteries (all originals since I had problems in the past with non original aftermarket batteries).

I use to carry them in separate pockets in my bags, and format them before leaving my studio.

Once I filled a card, or empty a battery I move them to another pocket.

Do I have to label each one of them to remember me which one was formatted with?

It sounds a bit of a hassle (let me say).

But then should I consider an SD card as "gone" if I ever need to use it once on another camera (may it be accidentaly too)?

I never had this problem before, so my guess is that there's no way for me to accept it now.

I was one of the first probably here to buy an M8, and I had to bear a lot of issues with the M8 project, so probably that's why moving a step behind doesn't look that good to my eyes. :(

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I've seen random results with older software levels.

When I received a brand new M8 earlier this year I found a very old software level on the camera :confused: .

Are you using the latest software level ? I never had a problem w/ 4gb and 8gb SDHC after upgrading to 2.0++ .

Kindest regards

Michael

 

Yep, I've got the 2.004 OOTB (i.e. as it arrived from Solms), and actually I reinstalled the same firmware twice.

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I've been using Sandisk Extreme III 4GB SDHC cards for a while now with no problems. I have about a dozen of them and they all work fine.

 

Also have some older Sandisk 2gb cards that also work fine.

 

As others have mentioned, make sure you format the cards in camera, have the latest firmware and other than that I'm afraid your camera might be in for another holiday in Solms.

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Formatting in camera makes sense - have you done this?

 

The only times I had problems with the 2GB cards was when I tried moving between a Ricoh GRD2 and the Leica. The M8 seems to be fussy on that score - fortunately now I only have CF cards on the Canons and SD on the M8 - I rarely use the GRD2 and it's on long term loan to a friend...

 

and FWIW I don't have a problem with 187 images per card - really... :) (and I've never shot in continuous mode on the M8 either... never saw the point)...

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Ok, I know that this is a good point to consider, but now, why should this problem actually show up with SDHC cards only?

Should I expect sooner or later the problem on my SD cards as well?

You know, when I'm in "shooting mode" I have a whole bunch of cards and batteries (all originals since I had problems in the past with non original aftermarket batteries).

I use to carry them in separate pockets in my bags, and format them before leaving my studio.

Once I filled a card, or empty a battery I move them to another pocket.

Do I have to label each one of them to remember me which one was formatted with?

It sounds a bit of a hassle (let me say).

But then should I consider an SD card as "gone" if I ever need to use it once on another camera (may it be accidentaly too)?

I never had this problem before, so my guess is that there's no way for me to accept it now.

I was one of the first probably here to buy an M8, and I had to bear a lot of issues with the M8 project, so probably that's why moving a step behind doesn't look that good to my eyes. :(

Well, I was referring to SD cards actually, as the DMR does not take SDHC.

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Good luck Mauritzio. If you mention ArtZ and send your contacts there a post-card you might get better service. I suspect the folks at Solms are up to their necks with customer complaints. I for one can never use cheaper SD cards on my M8 that work perfectly well on my Canon and Olympus cameras.

Edited by wilfredo
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Good luck Mauritzio. If you mention ArtZ and send your contacts there a post-card you might get better service. I suspect the folks at Solms are up to their necks with customer complaints. I for one can never use cheaper SD cards on my M8 that work perfectly well on my Canon and Olympus cameras.

 

Wilfredo! :D

 

Anyway, did you get your post-card too? Think of all the stairs to climb to get into that church... Penitence, mon father, penitence... :p

 

PS: And don't say "don't father me!" ;)

Edited by ArtZ
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Well, I was referring to SD cards actually, as the DMR does not take SDHC.

Yes, I knew that.

Many here are suggesting (thanks to you all anyway) fast solution to this problem...

What I was looking for is someone else who got the same problem.

Actually there seems to be just Wilfredo who had a similar issue in the past. Dunno.

I'm more and more convinced I'd have to send the camera back again. And that's just frustrating... this could lead me not to trust on Leica products anymore.

I got problems now with two different M8 bodies, 4 times I had to send the camera in for fixing and this time a problem showed up suddenly after I received a brand new camera.

It may be a lot of bad luck, but still the problem is evident to me... what's going on with QC?

Leave apart the fact that two times I had problems while I was far from any possibility to get a solution and keep on shooting if not by using another camera. That's sad for a 7500euros kit.

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Good luck Mauritzio. If you mention ArtZ and send your contacts there a post-card you might get better service. I suspect the folks at Solms are up to their necks with customer complaints. I for one can never use cheaper SD cards on my M8 that work perfectly well on my Canon and Olympus cameras.

 

Yep Wilfredo,

how did you manage the problem?

BTW I don't know what you consider cheap, but I won't dare consider Lexar and Sandisk on that league:p

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I mark all my card for what camera they go in, even with 2 M8's they have different cards.

I always format the card in the camera but if I was to use any of these cards in any other make/model camera I would first format the card using a computer then format it in the camera it was going to be used in.

Switching cards from one model to another, even of the same manufacturer, is not a good idea.

With the cost of SD cards these days you should have separate cards for the DL-4 and separate cards for the M8.

 

Big thing for me with 2 M8's is keeping the numbering straight. I have the chrome M8 set to L1xxx and the black set to L2xxxx. I can use the cards from the black in the chrome, or the other way around, IF I "FIRST" FORMAT the card in the camera I'm going to use it in. When I say "FIRST" I do mean FIRST. No looking to see if any images are on the card, no looking through the menus. I go directly to the Main Menu and the Format Card option.

 

I also use 2GB standard cards as I have never had the need to take more then 190 images in one sitting or even if I have I change out the card with the battery and I'm always aware of how many shots are left. So I do it when I have the time once I get to 140-160 shots taken (That's 4+ rolls of film). But for me that is rare.

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Like Jaap, I mix and match cards with the M8 and DMR. I can generally get away with going from the DMR to the M8, but if I go the other way and hit "play" by accident, the M8 DNGs literally lock up the DMR :) I need to pull the battery to get it to work again.

 

Of course, if you always do a format in-camera (instead of hitting play out of curiousity :)) then you shouldn't have a problem.

 

Anyway, Maurizio, did you try another SD HC card yet? Just because it works in another camera doesn't mean the card isn't bad, and the M8 (and DMR) are finicky. They also write large RAW files, which is much more likely to find bad sectors on a large card than a smaller digicam shooting endless JPEGs.

 

There are also a TON of counterfeit SD cards out there (I don't have the problems with CF because I use Extreme 4s and a counterfeit would be easy to spot with lack of speed).

 

Over the last three years, I've thrown out 4 SD cards as unusable; never happened with the CF stuff. So watch it, and try to get a card from a reliable source (where you can return it).

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I have had the same problem with a new LEXAR 4GB SDHC card

I format several times the card in the PC and in the camera and time to time the problem appear again.

My supplier changed the card by a new one and the problem was never seen again

I think that you have a problem with your card

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Jamie's point about counterfeit cards and large RAW writes is dead on - I bought some SD cards a while back for a "good" price from an Amazon reseller - they worked on the RICOH but the M8 refused to play ball with them. Good for the re-seller that he accepted them back - but they really were indistinguishable from the real thing to the human eye. Clearly not to a computer though.

 

So Maurizio - it could be that it's the card that's at fault even though a digicam can write to it, the M8 won't. REALLY worth checking before you give up on the M series.

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Jamie, Chris, Wilfredo, Daniel, Jaap and Shootist...

I tried more than once SDHC card on it, but following your hints I won't give up.

Today I'm gonna buy a "full load" of SDHC (at least a couple of them) and gonna use 'em exclusively on my M8, of course the time saved worth the expense!

My M8s had spent more than 3months away on vacation:rolleyes:

And too many times I've been in trouble managing my works, so unless it's strictly necessary, I will do what you suggested...

I will post again to let you know my friends.

 

Grazie

 

last but not least> thank you Artz!;)

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Maurizio - hope this works for you. My experience has been that in-camera formatting really makes a difference - and I now do this as a matter of course after each shoot rather than using Delete All to clear images...

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

Best

 

PS - and watch out for counterfeits. Everyone might benefit from looking at Fake Memory Cards - OCAU Wiki

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What about me?! I had 5 bodies since June 2007... because three, after some (read "a lot") round trips to Solms, had to be replaced! My Summicron-M 28 ASPH goes regularly to spend some holidays to Solms (sometimes I wonder if he has a girlfriend at CS); after the bright lines and LCD cover upgrade, I had to send both cameras together with all my lenses because the rengefinder was misaligned for medium focus; and finally, my Digilux 2 after four round trips to Solms for the sensor issue had to be replaced for a Digilux 3 (I paid 900 € for the upgrade).

 

That's what I call being unlucky...

 

Well, the positive thing is I have now some friends at CS and we exchange post cards on holidays... I just try to be positive! :o

 

Maybe we can create a Club of Unlucky Leica Users...

 

:cool:

 

Art, you should find a girlfriend at Leica CS as well, this way you could go spend an holiday there any time your Summicron 28 goes to Solms to visit its own girlfriend... :D

 

Seriously, when I go through threads like this, I consider myself Lucky. But I fear something is going to happen to my camera any moment.

I understand Maurizio's rage because this is not life and not worth of tools costing thousands of euros.

Edited by epand56
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What I was looking for is someone else who got the same problem.

 

Maurizio, Maybe I've already told you but I had the same problem in the beginning with an SD card coming from a point and shoot camera I had.

No way to take pictures with that card on the M8 and no way to format. It was just 1Gb card but I don't think this is important. I couldn't use it at all and lost some pictures the same way you did. However, that same card is still in use in the point and shoot that my wife uses almost every day for work.

That's the only way I had problems and thought it was something in the card that the M8 did not like. When we meet tomorrow we can try to use my cards on your camera and see what happens.

I'm very concerned with this since such a behaviour is unjustifiable from a serious firm like Leica and could happen any moment to any of us.

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