Help - Leica M9 problem, camera doesn't work

[TheGodParticle]

Hi all,

I'm currently in India since a few days and this morning my M9 wouldn't switch on

All I see in the VF is "5 d"

The camera is fully unresponsive. Cannot review any photos, INFO doesn't work ... Basically nothing works

I tried with a fully charged battery and I tried with a different SD card from Sony as I usually use SanDisk cards

Nothing is helping.

Have any of you encountered this? Any ideas what I could do? I don't think there is a Leica store anywhere in a 1000 km radius :/

I do have a backup camera but I want to put my SE 24/3.8 + 50/1.4 ASPH and 90/2 APO to good use here over the next 2 weeks till I return to Germany

Edit: I'm currently in Hyderabad, India

I have a thread on this running on the LUF as well but haven't gotten any advice that fixes my problem ->

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/308555-leica-m9-5-d-error.html

 

[Lss]

All I see in the VF is "5 d" -- -- Have any of you encountered this?

It actually says 'SD'. IIRC, it shows when you have no card in the camera.

The fact that you have tried with (at least) two different cards means the problem is likely with the camera. My first guess is that the contacts are dirty. You can try cleaning if you can safely fit something rubbery in the slot. An electronics store may even have a kit for the job; you need not find any Leica or camera specialist if the problem is dirt.

 

[TheGodParticle]

It actually says 'SD'. IIRC, it shows when you have no card in the camera.

The fact that you have tried with (at least) two different cards means the problem is likely with the camera. My first guess is that the contacts are dirty. You can try cleaning if you can safely fit something rubbery in the slot. An electronics store may even have a kit for the job; you need not find any Leica or camera specialist if the problem is dirt.

Thank you for helping out.

I'm getting the same advice at the LUF

Will go to the most reputed local camera specialist and hope they can help me out

Sucks to be here since just 2 days and more than 2 weeks to go with a dead camera

I do have a backup cam but really wanted to use my Leica kit

 

[kbg32]

Was your other card formatted in your M9 before inserting it?

 

[Out to Lunch]

A long shot...did you buy cards in India? I've bought cards in Vietnam which looked like the real thing but stopped working after a few hundred shots... Back in Europe they were found to be fakes...

 

[--s]

turn away from the dead camera and towards the country you´re visiting. just use your spare cam and don´t waste precious travel time on a problem that can much easier be solved back home.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

turn away from the dead camera and towards the country you´re visiting. just use your spare cam and don´t waste precious travel time on a problem that can much easier be solved back home.

^This^

Don't fret the camera fault. Don't even look too hard for avenues to fix it, you'll just waste time that you've saved up for. If a known good card and possible contact cleaning don't fix it, just place the Leica kit in a very safe place (hotel vault if available?) and enjoy the trip.

Phil Forrest

 

[MVCG]

I recall I had a similar issue whilst traveling in New York last summer. Turned out the camera was apparently overheating even though the folks at Leica Soho NYC had not seen this before. I continued to use the camera although had to place it on AC units everywhere I went to cool it down. Crazy I know and never happened again since ?!?!?!????

Sorry if this doesn't help just thought to mention.

 

[Richard G]

Disappointing. I always carry an M9 formatted card, not SanDisk. I have heard of the M9's card reader being damaged and needing replacement. Be careful not to let anyone make this a worse or more expensive problem that it is. A reputable supplier's card formatted in an M9 ideally is the way to test things further if cleaning the contacts achieves nothing. The Leica manual is deficient in not tabulating all possible error messages. I once got - - - - , flashing.