Leica M240 series battery scarcity

Godfrey said:
As I said before, the gent at Leica USA who called me when I inquired said that they have limited stock on all these batteries and can supply them for those who need one. They don't have enough stock, and the flow of supply is insufficient, to list them on the web store at present. If you really need a battery, just write to Leica USA and ask if they have one in stock that they can sell you.

A fresh, new battery for M10 or M typ 240/246 is $200, plus tax. The new one I ordered, at his behest, arrived yesterday and cost $218.25 total. No need to pay ridiculous prices for used batteries. Just a need to be patient and go through channels properly until the flow of supply returns to normal.

Exactly why the flow of supply is constrained at present ... I have absolutely no idea. But I am also absolutely sure that Leica USA is working to solve this problem to the best of their ability. I'm sure they're as aggravated about it as anyone here as it is costing them money and causing a negative user experience.

G
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It depends where you are.

Was the battery you received a BP-SCL2 or a BP-SCL5? Leica Australia have told me that they are not able to get the BP-SCL5 at all, and are not sure when they will be available here.

My M10Ms are in for service, but if I had them, it is 36C here today, and the coming days it will be 38, 39 and 37. On those days I only get about 250-300 shots per charge if I use the screen or Viso at all. My batteries have done about 270 cycles and I need 5 replacement batteries soon. Ordering one with my serial number as a replacement part isn’t good enough. The reality is that Leica can’t supply an adequate number of batteries even vaguely quickly enough. It’s quite absurd.
 
Updated info per Leica USA today - the 240 battery BP-SCL2 will be available again soon, and may actually be trickling out. The part number is 14499 and it can be preordered.

I pulled my M-P 240 out after a period of nonuse and found the battery wouldn’t take a charge, I was worried I just created a very expensive but stylish doorstop. I’m glad to see Leica came to their senses and started providing retail battery support again.

The email I received:

Thanks for reaching out about the battery for your M (Typ 240).

Due to high demand, this battery was previously available only through our parts department. However, with an increase in requests, it’s now being converted back to a standard five-digit SKU (14499) and will soon be available for regular purchase again.

Please note that we do not accept pre-orders or back-orders through the Leica Online Store. Instead, we recommend reaching out to one of our retail stores listed below to place a pre-order directly. Once the battery is in stock, the store will contact you to complete your purchase.
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Ken Ford said:
Updated info per Leica USA today - the 240 battery BP-SCL2 will be available again soon, and may actually be trickling out. The part number is 14499 and it can be preordered.

I pulled my M-P 240 out after a period of nonuse and found the battery wouldn’t take a charge, I was worried I just created a very expensive but stylish doorstop. I’m glad to see Leica came to their senses and started providing retail battery support again.

The email I received:
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Ken, after-market chargers can sometimes charge "dead" Leica batteries. I have seen this posted on this forum.
 
boojum said:
Ken, after-market chargers can sometimes charge "dead" Leica batteries. I have seen this posted on this forum.
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I thought of that and have a cheap charger incoming. Maybe I’ll get lucky - just today I had a Nikon Z6 battery that failed on the plug-in charger but had no problem charging in-body.
 
splitimageview said:
Check this out:

View attachment 4853914

www.ebay.com

leica bp-scl2 battery | eBay

<p>Used but hold full charge. Original Leica batteries ð </p>
www.ebay.com
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Absolute ridiculous.... It's disgusting practice by Leica to limit proprietary batteries to their own distribution. They have all the right to but it's such predatory practice of vendor lock in as this that take advantage over consumers. Akin to Apple with proprietary cable. Disgusting...
 
Do we know that is what is happening? My sense is that Leica is selling theirs, and no aftermarket suppliers have bothered.
 
Freakscene said:
The batteries are chipped and have proprietary software on them. There will be no third party batteries.
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I wasn’t aware of that. I know other manufacturer chipped batteries have been reverse engineered, but I suspect the market isn’t there with M240 batteries.
 
I suspect sufficient market for a rebuilder but not for a third party manufacturer to reverse engineer and code the chip.

I'd like to know how much Leica is planning to charge for these allegedly available new batteries. If even remotely sane, I can see getting one and keeping my M 240. If not, it may be time to let the Leica adventure end.
 
I haven't specifically tested Leica batteries, but the "chipped" lithium batteries that I've dealt with often have integrated charge controller circuitry, but this isn't DRM, and doesn't necessarily preclude rebuilding old batteries, or offering 3rd party batteries. Perhaps the market for M-compatible batteries simply isn't a money-maker, even at $200+.

Ironically, Sony's InfoLithium batteries, including NP-FW50 and NP-FZ100 do seem to have proprietary stuff going on, and yet these are among the most widely cloned camera batteries around, and prices are highly competitive.
 
Freakscene said:
The batteries are chipped and have proprietary software on them. There will be no third party batteries.
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This is interesting. There are third-party batteries for some Leicas and lets, for the sake of this argument, assume that Leica chips all their batteries. So if there can be some third party batteries made why not all? The Q series is popular and someone, Kastar, has third-party batteries for the Q2. And Q2 batteries work fine in Q3 except that they are lower in storage capacity and cannot drive some movie formats within the Q3.

Cynical me, I see the worsening support problems with Leica as a result of being partially controlled by a private equity group, Blackstone. For sure this is not the company it was when Leitz ran it. For sure it has not gotten better in terms of service and support. I have the Q3 43 and it ticks a lot of boxes and does a lot of things well. But seeing the problems some have had with service and support I doubt I will ever be sending more money to Leica. It is too risky for me. It may not be too risky for others. And the older cameras may be batter. Whatever. I think I am cured of Leicas.

There are other very good cameras out there which work, have a plentiful battery supply and are supported by the manufacturer. These are all serious considerations. And just for snarkiness, I would loved to have been a fly on the wall when Leica was pitched to Blackstone.
 
wlewisiii said:
I suspect sufficient market for a rebuilder but not for a third party manufacturer to reverse engineer and code the chip.

I'd like to know how much Leica is planning to charge for these allegedly available new batteries. If even remotely sane, I can see getting one and keeping my M 240. If not, it may be time to let the Leica adventure end.
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$215. Better than bricking my M-P240.
 
Whatever the cause of the shortage, as I wrote way up-thread: I wrote Leica USA in January asking when BP-SCL5 batteries for my M10-R and M10-M might be available as I was short one on the usual "two per camera" that I like to have on hand. They wrote back within hours that they had a very limited supply, not enough to list as available on the website. They offered me one at the usual retail price (about $200). I had it within a week.

I can't see anything 'bad faith' about that. For whatever reasons, their supply of batteries has been very constrained, but they've done what they could to help a customer (me) who needed/wanted one. I can't ask for more than that.

G
 
Brace yourselves: USA price on BP-SCL5 and BP-SCL7 is now $399.95 (Amazon) and $380 (BH Photo), respectively, and I imagine that any BP-SCL2s not already in stock in the USA will likewise be repriced.
 
It's gonna get worse for photographers and non photographers with a shopping list in the USA. Money can't buy you love and, very soon, our money may not be able to buy much of anything. Unless....
 
JeffS7444 said:
Brace yourselves: USA price on BP-SCL5 and BP-SCL7 is now $399.95 (Amazon) and $380 (BH Photo), respectively, and I imagine that any BP-SCL2s not already in stock in the USA will likewise be repriced.
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SCL5 is for the M10. Right?
I have two such batteries for my M10, and I have two Leica batteries for the M8 or M9 plus two off-brand ones.
If all fails one day, I still have the film cameras to enjoy.
 
Freakscene said:
It depends where you are.

Was the battery you received a BP-SCL2 or a BP-SCL5? Leica Australia have told me that they are not able to get the BP-SCL5 at all, and are not sure when they will be available here.

My M10Ms are in for service, but if I had them, it is 36C here today, and the coming days it will be 38, 39 and 37. On those days I only get about 250-300 shots per charge if I use the screen or Viso at all. My batteries have done about 270 cycles and I need 5 replacement batteries soon. Ordering one with my serial number as a replacement part isn’t good enough. The reality is that Leica can’t supply an adequate number of batteries even vaguely quickly enough. It’s quite absurd.
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BP-SCL5 for M10-R and M10-M.

For my shooting, 250 exposures per charge would stand me nicely for about five shooting sessions without re-charging required, unless I'm copying negatives (often run 300-500 negs in a session for that so I change batteries mid-way through...). Diff'rent strokes ... I only very very rarely need more than one fully charged battery for a week's shooting needs. Once upon a time, 250 exposures per charge would have been considered excellent power economy.

G
 
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