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Archive 2013 · Leica M240 issues

  
 
adamdewilde
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Leica M240 issues


rscheffler wrote:
I have nothing to really add here, other than to say that the above is my biggest underlying fear shooting paid work with Leica. So far in the nearly 3 years working with my M9, I have never gone to a job with only the Leica. Always with a DSLR backup, which I use anyways for telephoto work to take advantage of AF...

I guess Leica is just not large enough to provide pro loaner service, but I sure would love it if they did. For $250/year here, Canon Canada will turn around repairs in a few days and in the
...Show more



Leica keeps claiming it's a company that caters to working professionals, but I've had nothing but bad experience with Leica's after sales support. Not only slow, but rude, and really nobody seems to care that I've spent 10s of thousands of dollars on my M system. Really just a horrible attitude in general from anyone at Leica.

I've opted not to get a Leica S-system, because of this ongoing fight I've been having with Leica over my 50 APO.. I was promised a few day turn around, and now all they're doing is giving me the run around about not having the parts. And then about a factory machine breaking, and causing delays. And on and on. MEANWHILE, I've asked my dealer to let me know if he gets any new 50 APO lenses in, he's gotten one, very recently, and another dealer that I was on the waiting list with (forgot to take my name off) called me up to let me know he had one in stock!
So clearly they're getting new lenses, but can't seem to fix mine, refuse to give me a loaner, and have refused to commit to a time line. I even told them to send the lens back, unfixed, and then when they get the parts in and can promise a 3-4 day turn around (like I was originally promised), I'd send the lens back to them.. Nope, they're not going to do that either.

Anyway, you really just have to think of Leica as a buy at your own risk company. And before anyone chimes in that this is one off... I've had a M9 at Leica for 6 months, same parts bullshit, meanwhile there were tons of new leica M9 cameras being shipped in and sold on a weekly basis (thats when I bought an M9p, simply because I was waiting for an M9 to be returned). And this isn't an isolated incident. I've been talking with a few people locally that I know about Leica's lack of support for professionals (S-system users, one more reason why I've decided against it for my professional work).

Oh and a new thing is happening now that the firmware has been updated in the M240. When you zoom in on an image, it gets REALLY soft, and all the contrast is bleached out of the image.. So the image looks soft and weird, but it's fine when zoomed out and on the computer. But no magenta cast so that's a plus


Sorry if it sounds like a rant, but I'm pretty pissed off, as I have a few good trips coming up, and I'm totally bummed out about not having my 50APO. So again, I stress, don't send your camera in unless it's literally unusable!



Nov 10, 2013 at 07:55 AM
atwl77
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Leica M240 issues


Arka wrote:
I assume the crashes wherein the shutter button doesn't fire are par for the course for this camera? Is there anything you guys do to reduce the frequency of crashes/shutter failures? The other day I was shooting fairly robustly, and I am pretty sure the shutter froze 3 times over the course of 200 shots. Cost me a few pictures, and it is overall just very annoying.

Arka C.


I have not experienced any crashes or failure to take pictures yet, but then I'm fairly slow and methodical with the rangefinders so it may not affect me.

I only had the occasional purple/magenta cast but I haven't been seeing this recently. Previously I was shooting uncompressed DNG on a Sandisk Extreme Pro 16GB card; I recently switched to a faster 32GB Extreme Pro and started shooting compressed DNG+JPG but I can't say whether that has any effect or not; I'll see if anything turns up within a week or two.



Nov 10, 2013 at 10:36 AM
Herb1911
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Leica M240 issues


Arka,

In my first week of use I experienced also some lock ups, always solved by an off/on switch.
What helped for me was doing a deep format of the sd card on the computer with de program SDFormatter.
Then I just delete images in my camera and never format again in my camera (as I did with all my other camera's).
From that time I have not experienced a freezing camera anymore.
I shoot compressed DNG+JPG on a Sandisk Extreme Pro SD card 16GB.
I have no experience with green cast or lines.



Nov 10, 2013 at 11:01 AM
atwl77
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Leica M240 issues


adamdewilde wrote:
So again, I stress, don't send your camera in unless it's literally unusable!


+1

When I discovered a minor shutter speed glitch on my M9P I thought I should send it in while it was still under warranty, just to get it fixed and retain resale value. Bad idea, Leica had it for nearly 5 months (from March to end of June), then came back with a "could not find any issue, need more information, oh btw we cleaned your sensor" note.

I sent it back again in July with very clear and concise message about the issue; they finally fixed it and I got the camera back end of September.

I notice my M240 has a single stuck pixel close to the center of the image; I know I can send it in for remapping but I am not going to bother until warranty is about to expire and fix all issues at one go. The stuck pixel is hardly noticeable under normal circumstances anyway, and at higher ISOs the RAW converter will automatically remove it (or I can set Single Pixel to 1 in Capture One Pro and have it removed automatically regardless of ISO).



Nov 10, 2013 at 11:04 AM
John Black
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Leica M240 issues


Herb1911 wrote:
Arka,

In my first week of use I experienced also some lock ups, always solved by an off/on switch.
What helped for me was doing a deep format of the sd card on the computer with de program SDFormatter.
Then I just delete images in my camera and never format again in my camera (as I did with all my other camera's).
From that time I have not experienced a freezing camera anymore.
I shoot compressed DNG+JPG on a Sandisk Extreme Pro SD card 16GB.
I have no experience with green cast or lines.


... And use SD Formatter on a regular basis. My Sandisk cards had about 2 second start up time when I first got them. I noticed about a month ago the cards had slowed to 4-5 seconds start up time. The deep format with SD Formatter cleared that up and now the cards are back to 2 seconds again. Now, as routine maintenance I format the cards every week or two in SD Formatter.



Nov 11, 2013 at 04:01 AM
edwardkaraa
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Leica M240 issues


I think M cameras are still the best platform for RF lenses in terms of ease and accuracy of MF, minimal corner issues, etc. But Leica has been having substantial quirks with all digital M bodies since the M8, so it does make sense to delay your purchase until very late in the product life cycle, when most issues are resolved. I bought my M9 brandnew 10 days after the announcement of the 240. It has been working flawlessly. I will not buy a 240 until I am absolutely sure all issues have been fixed.


Nov 11, 2013 at 04:51 AM
dalegaspi
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Leica M240 issues


adamdewilde wrote:
Sorry if it sounds like a rant, but I'm pretty pissed off, as I have a few good trips coming up, and I'm totally bummed out about not having my 50APO. So again, I stress, don't send your camera in unless it's literally unusable!


Adam, which Leica do you send your equipment for repair? I've sent mine (M8..TWICE..and a 28 Cron ASPH for CLA) to Leica NJ for repairs. relatively quick turnaround times...days...not weeks.

FWIW, i have an M9 for a year and never had issues (i just sold it here) in anticipation of getting an M240.

a lot of people say that M240s availability is good now...i guess they're talking in relative terms...for the life of me i still can't find one...and i've called several stores already. gawd, when is Leica going to address this availability issues?!



Nov 11, 2013 at 08:13 AM
adamdewilde
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Leica M240 issues


There's a guy on the forums right now selling one in NYC, he wants local pickup only, and he's asking $7k

I send mine direct to Germany, since there's no service center here in Singapore, just a shipping outpost.



Nov 11, 2013 at 01:55 PM
naturephoto1
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Leica M240 issues


adamdewilde wrote:
There's a guy on the forums right now selling one in NYC, he wants local pickup only, and he's asking $7k

I send mine direct to Germany, since there's no service center here in Singapore, just a shipping outpost.


I would stay away from this M240:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1243168/0?keyword=leica,m,camera#11823999

He is asking more than list and he rates the camera as a 9 and has some minor brassing. According to the coding he has it listed as "salesman's sample" or refurbished camera.

Rich



Nov 11, 2013 at 02:02 PM
adamdewilde
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Leica M240 issues


naturephoto1 wrote:
I would stay away from this M240:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1243168/0?keyword=leica,m,camera#11823999

He is asking more than list and he rates the camera as a 9 and has some minor brassing. According to the coding he has it listed as "salesman's sample" or refurbished camera.

Rich



That's not the one I was referring to...



Nov 11, 2013 at 03:18 PM
Arka
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Leica M240 issues


Does the Leica warranty on the M240 carry over? If not, I wouldn't buy a used one at all, unless the original owner would be willing to support a warranty claim on your behalf. The M is a great camera, but it has certain quirks and problems that I would want to have addressed under warranty. It may be that weirdness I am experiencing can be solved by deep-formatting cards and waiting for FW updates, but I know I would be freaking out if these issues cropped up on my $7K camera, and I didn't have any sort of warranty coverage to rely upon.

I have been using SD-formatter (something Thorsten Overgaard also recommended), but not on a regular basis. I suppose I will have to change my practices accordingly.



Nov 11, 2013 at 05:20 PM
atwl77
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · Leica M240 issues


adamdewilde wrote:
I send mine direct to Germany, since there's no service center here in Singapore, just a shipping outpost.


Are you sure? My dealer sends to Singapore for service and repairs.



Nov 11, 2013 at 07:47 PM
Mirek Elsner
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · Leica M240 issues


Arka wrote:
I assume the crashes wherein the shutter button doesn't fire are par for the course for this camera? Is there anything you guys do to reduce the frequency of crashes/shutter failures? The other day I was shooting fairly robustly, and I am pretty sure the shutter froze 3 times over the course of 200 shots. Cost me a few pictures, and it is overall just very annoying.


The only cause of freezing I heard of is when the camera shuts down when the temperature of internal parts goes over 40ºC. Are you using the EVF? Are you using the advanced (as opposed to classical) metering mode that requires that the sensor is on for extended periods of time?

Edit: Do you have the latest firmware (2.0.0.11)?



Nov 11, 2013 at 09:18 PM
Arka
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · Leica M240 issues


Mirek Elsner wrote:
The only cause of freezing I heard of is when the camera shuts down when the temperature of internal parts goes over 40ºC. Are you using the EVF? Are you using the advanced (as opposed to classical) metering mode that requires that the sensor is on for extended periods of time?

Edit: Do you have the latest firmware (2.0.0.11)?


Crashes occur when I am using RF. I don't use EVF or LV very often, but it has never frozen when I use those implementations. I am on 2.0.0.11. Metering mode may be advanced, though I can revert to classic. All good suggestions though. Thanks very much!

Arka C.



Nov 11, 2013 at 09:32 PM
adamdewilde
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · Leica M240 issues


atwl77 wrote:
Are you sure? My dealer sends to Singapore for service and repairs.



Haha... Your dealer sends to Singapore because Singapore is the shipping outpost for Germany in S.E.A.
Singapore sends everything to Germay.
The closest service center use to be HK for alignment, but even HK doesn't do alignment anymore.. So Germany it is for anyone in Asia. Or else I'd fly to HK, as my M240 just magically fell out of alignment even though I haven't dismounted my 5o Noct.95 in the last month since my 50APO is away..



Nov 12, 2013 at 12:27 PM
adamdewilde
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · Leica M240 issues


Mirek Elsner wrote:
The only cause of freezing I heard of is when the camera shuts down when the temperature of internal parts goes over 40ºC. Are you using the EVF? Are you using the advanced (as opposed to classical) metering mode that requires that the sensor is on for extended periods of time?

Edit: Do you have the latest firmware (2.0.0.11)?



I don't think so.. I've used my camera in baking temps and it doesn't make it freeze more then normal..

I can actually make my camera freeze if I follow this simple step:

Turn on LV, turn camera off, turn camera on to C, try to take photos while waiting for the LV to turn on, LV turns on C takes a few photos, turn off live view before buffer finishes, camera freezes.. Take battery out, restart camera..

And then there's the sporadic freezes that happen once and a while, for no reason.

Using that special formatting software really doesn't help for either of the two mentioned freeze situations. All it really does is speed up the card for a bit. And cards don't matter.. I bought one of every worth while card available, and it seems Sandisk Extreme Pro cards are the best (32/64gb ones) and even then, minimal difference for the cost.



Nov 12, 2013 at 12:30 PM
zhangyue
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · Leica M240 issues


Based on so many issues hear start from M8, M9, till this M240. Leica really should give out all the electronics design to Japaneses, focus on Rangefinder mechanics, body, and lens. Or stick with old fashion like fine tuned M9,(seems settle down now) make it as simple as digital back and as reliable as possible.

The tool is pretty simple. don't complicate as Japanese do. Most Leica user will pay 'more' for 'less'.

But they seems keep forget what make them unique.

I predict here that once FF MILC coming, Leica will get hit by include those half baked features than not having them at all. Looks like this is a real situation here. I doubt M240 shortage can last further...




Nov 12, 2013 at 12:38 PM
Arka
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · Leica M240 issues


zhangyue wrote:
Based on so many issues hear start from M8, M9, till this M240. Leica really should give out all the electronics design to Japaneses, focus on Rangefinder mechanics, body, and lens. Or stick with old fashion like fine tuned M9,(seems settle down now) make it as simple as digital back and as reliable as possible.

The tool is pretty simple. don't complicate as Japanese do. Most Leica user will pay 'more' for 'less'.


This may be true of longer-term Leica users. I am fairly new to the system though, and I don't think I would be nearly as happy with the camera without at least the Live-view feature. I mostly use RF, but the LV quite often gets me images that would've been difficult to obtain otherwise. I understand that desire within the Leica user base to keep the camera simple and prevent feature creep, but it seems to me that the M240 has about as many problems (or perhaps fewer) than the M9 did when it was introduced, but brings many features to the table that expand the usability of the M camera.



Nov 12, 2013 at 01:00 PM
adamdewilde
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · Leica M240 issues


I'd pay $7k for the sony A7 camera right now, if it looked as good as the Leica.

I like the styling of Leica, and I can put up with a few bugs, I just hate the customer service, and the slower then reasonable repair times.

RF mechanism is great when working, but something that pops out of alignment so easily should be serviced with a one week turn around guarantee.. And that's just not gonna happen from Leica.

EVF is fine, and my only real option right now so I can't complain about the added features.



Nov 12, 2013 at 04:29 PM
adamdewilde
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · Leica M240 issues


zhangyue wrote:
Based on so many issues hear start from M8, M9, till this M240. Leica really should give out all the electronics design to Japaneses, focus on Rangefinder mechanics, body, and lens. Or stick with old fashion like fine tuned M9,(seems settle down now) make it as simple as digital back and as reliable as possible.

The tool is pretty simple. don't complicate as Japanese do. Most Leica user will pay 'more' for 'less'.

But they seems keep forget what make them unique.

I predict here that once FF MILC coming, Leica will get hit by include those half baked features than
...Show more


Agree about the more for less, IF the tool is rock solid reliable at what it claims to do.



Nov 12, 2013 at 04:30 PM
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