Horrifying prospect for any digital M8 8.2 owner!!!

[Lss]

It has been reported that you can change the settings without the screen via a computer connection...

Yes, and with some notes and trial and error it can even be operated blindly. But that is not really usability comparable to one with a functioning screen. As I explained, the menu design (well, whole UI design) of the Epson R-D1 is not similarly dependent on the screen. If the M8 menu followed similar principles, you could just memorize a couple of sequences and operate the menu without looking.

Actually the M8 LCD failure potential cannot be estimated by the failure rate of all the other devices in your house. The M8 lcd has proven to have a particular problem that effected an unusual number of users (maybe that is why they "ran out" of LCD spares); that is the "coffee stain" issue.

It's a pretty good estimate, as long as any real common problem does not pop up - and one hasn't so far. The coffee stain issue is a minor irritation, it is not comparable to a dead screen, nor does it lead to one. No need to scare the users.

and never had a failure with any but the M8

Sorry to hear that you actually have experienced a dead LCD on yours.

 

[user237428934]

Sure...but this is the M digital forum. The people posting here are M digital owners. Posting an opinion is fine.....but this is not entitled "i do not own a digital M but would like to feel important here so i will post my inflammatory comments so my film-loving self feels better about everything".

Surely there must be a different forum available for this type of malignant discourse.

You know, in other forums it's not very appreciated when Nikon users go to the Canon section an post "Nikon is better" and vice versa. They do this more often, they will be banned.

It's a year old forum culture here that it's absolutely ok when someone enters a digital talk and posts "digital sucks, film is better". Of course it's not ok the other way round.

Ignore it or leave it.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

That is very cool.

So all you need a is a small battery powered dongle whose output is wired to the crippled M8 via USB. The dongle would get it's input via a built-in Bluetooth receiver.

Logitech sells a Bluetooth audio-out dongle for about $30.00, so the Bluetooth part is inexpensive.

Now a smartphone app could let you change menu settings wirelessly via Bluetooth. Of course the dongle would only be attached when the menu requires access.

So I take back all my prior criticism.

Leica has a potential solution that does not require spending thousands of dollars for an M9 upgrade. Most of the coding is already done since Leica's in-house wired program, Digital Capture 1.0, already exists. Building a smartphone app to mimic the M8 menu structure and send the proper instructions to the camera wirelessly would be straightforward. People who hate smart phones could pick up an old one on eBay for about $100 and not activate it for phone service. But they would have to keep the phone charged though. The dongle could be a bit bigger than thumbnail drive and the smart phone would be light and small.

That is not a bad idea/suggestion. iPods already can connect via Bluetooth. Having any camera that would hook up via Bluetooth as an option to USB tethering shouldn't be too much of an issue. "Shouldn't be".

Now, about known radio interference showing up in some M8 photos...the whole camera is a big antenna. I'd say lots of testing would need to happen.

I wonder if they could make future models so that a Bluetooth dongle could be hooked up via the USB port...if they pull either of these options off, it'd be a great highlight in the selling point. Imagine an iOS/Android app for that. Great for proofing (LCD screens in top models are far better than anything found on any commercially-available popular digital camera).

 

[burancap]

What about the WiFi SD cards (which I do not believe are compatible with the M digitals, yet...)? I believe they create an ad-hoc network with an iOs device or similar. If you can write back down the pipe -that may be your conduit w/o a dongle.

 

[sevo]

What about the WiFi SD cards (which I do not believe are compatible with the M digitals, yet...)?

The Eye-Fi Pro and FlashAIR cards are camera agnostic in so far as you can browse the card contents from the connected network, even on cameras that have no networking support at all (indeed they'd even support file access on some bare socket connected to a power supply). Lesser Eye-Fi cards may need camera support, as they have been (marketing) restricted to uploading from the camera.

But all these cards only provide access to the stored images on the card, not to the camera itself. And the range might be an issue inside a mostly metal camera body like the M8/M9.

 

[Spicy]

While a solution is all well and good, that wifi-access is only "just bareable." Who buys a Leica to have to carry around not only a wireless dongle, but whip out their cell phone to change settings? The whole point of Leica is shooting simplicity - everything you need and nothing you don't.

Yes, it's cheaper and in some ways better than having a camera without a functioning LCD/method to change camera settings, but the point is, it shouldn't have come to this to begin with. Like buying a Ferrari and being told "oh yeah, when your gearbox breaks, you can swap it for an old ford taurus automatic, and it'll let you drive just fine."

 

[burancap]

As a former M8 owner, I am really trying to remember just how often I ever had to go menu-diving after initial configuration.

I am sure something will come to me, but off the top of my head -I seem to recall formatting the SD card after reloading as about the only "habitual" task ...

 

[Teuthida]

When and if my M8 screen goes south I'll throw the camera in the trash and buy something else. Simple, really. Anybody who thinks a digital Leica is going to have the same shelf life as their film M is engaging in what psychologists call Magical Thinking.

 

[user237428934]

When and if my M8 screen goes south I'll throw the camera in the trash and buy something else. Simple, really. Anybody who thinks a digital Leica is going to have the same shelf life as their film M is engaging in what psychologists call Magical Thinking.

If my M8 screen breaks then I will have my 2nd paperweight for the office. The first one is a non functioning Hexar RF where I already put too much money in non working repairs.

 

[gdi]

Yes, and with some notes and trial and error it can even be operated blindly. But that is not really usability comparable to one with a functioning screen. As I explained, the menu design (well, whole UI design) of the Epson R-D1 is not similarly dependent on the screen. If the M8 menu followed similar principles, you could just memorize a couple of sequences and operate the menu without looking.

I've had both and you are right, it would be much easier to use the R-D1 without a display; but I wouldn't bother to do that with either one, I'd get it fixed or get another camera.

It's a pretty good estimate, as long as any real common problem does not pop up - and one hasn't so far. The coffee stain issue is a minor irritation, it is not comparable to a dead screen, nor does it lead to one. No need to scare the users.


Sorry to hear that you actually have experienced a dead LCD on yours.

Informing is not equal to scaring people. The brown staining is an indisputably common (and real ) problem that I doubt many have experienced on other electronic devices, let alone cameras.

I can see some people not considering it more than a nuisance, because you can still operate the camera. But, for others (most, I would wager) having a nasty brown blob obscuring the display diminishes the usability for evaluating an image (already hard to do with the low-resolution), even if it doesn't prevent the use of the menus.

So, I would wager that there were very few owners who decided it wasn't a problem and skipped warranty repair if it was an option, and I would bet this unexpected problem has contributed to the lack of spares now being experienced. On top of the appearance and usability I would say it puts a serious dent in the camera's residual value; an honest seller will have to take a lower price to sell one, especially now that it is not fixable.

As for my M8's LCD failure - it was not totally dead, it was a very large dark discoloration that diminished its functionality; Leica agreed it was a failure and replaced it.

 

[gdi]

That is very cool.

So all you need a is a small battery powered dongle whose output is wired to the crippled M8 via USB. The dongle would get it's input via a built-in Bluetooth receiver.

Logitech sells a Bluetooth audio-out dongle for about $30.00, so the Bluetooth part is inexpensive.

Now a smartphone app could let you change menu settings wirelessly via Bluetooth. Of course the dongle would only be attached when the menu requires access.

So I take back all my prior criticism.

Leica has a potential solution that does not require spending thousands of dollars for an M9 upgrade. Most of the coding is already done since Leica's in-house wired program, Digital Capture 1.0, already exists. Building a smartphone app to mimic the M8 menu structure and send the proper instructions to the camera wirelessly would be straightforward. People who hate smart phones could pick up an old one on eBay for about $100 and not activate it for phone service. But they would have to keep the phone charged though. The dongle could be a bit bigger than thumbnail drive and the smart phone would be light and small.

Yes! Doing anything less is taking the lazy way out!

 

[bobbyrab]

When and if my M8 screen goes south I'll throw the camera in the trash and buy something else. Simple, really. Anybody who thinks a digital Leica is going to have the same shelf life as their film M is engaging in what psychologists call Magical Thinking.

I think if you roll over so easily your what retailers call a magical customer.

 

[DamenS]

There's the other possibility of leaving the M8 in your camera bag and using the Android phone, in an untethered manner, to take the actual photos - there, problem solved !!

 

[bob338]

This thread is bringing RFF down to the level of the other photography forums.

Does anyone else have anything constructive to add?

 

[willie_901]

I think you are dripping sarcasm all over my shoes . . . ?

Absolutely not.

It's only a matter of time before Bluetooth or other wireless communication via mobile apps is commonplace in cameras. Leica already has a wired solution.

If I owned a M8 with a dead LCD screen and did not have the funds to upgrade to a M9, I would happily accept a free dongle and smart phone app as a solution. Bluetooth is a standard technology so government approval for the wireless hardware is not needed. The means this solution could be implemented quickly. And, Leica could apply it to other digital cameras as well as an alternate way to make menu changes. You could even envision a mobile device connected to Solms for electronic trouble shooting and performance evaluation.

 

[gdi]

This thread is bringing RFF down to the level of the other photography forums.

Sometimes that would be an improvement!

 

[I Love Film]

Good Lord, JAAPV. You are aware of the new blogger disclosure laws?

How much does Leica pay you to make tens of thousands of posts in defense of Leica on multiple fori?

* I like Leicas as much as the next guy, and have many bodies and lenses, from early Barnacks to the M9, but sometimes you are WAY over the top. Get real, bucko.

But it is unknown whether the supply problem is in the screens themselves or in the associated electronics. I think it is safe to assume that Leica would have avoided the situation if at all possible.

 

[Keith]

It's amazing the way this place has changed since the introduction of the digital M back whenever ... and it changed for the better IMO. Courtesy of Leica digital suddenly became a lot more acceptable around here. Prior to this point posting digital images in the gallery wasn't encouraged and discussing digital imagery in the forums was akin to admitting you strangled puppies in your spare time!

The RD-1 also played a part in this shift. I was thinking about this last night after the dust settled in this rather volitile thread ... as much as the digital M divides us at times it has played a huge part in changing a few attitudes as well.

 

[jaapv]

Good Lord, JAAPV. You are aware of the new blogger disclosure laws?

How much does Leica pay you to make tens of thousands of posts in defense of Leica on multiple fori?

* I like Leicas as much as the next guy, and have many bodies and lenses, from early Barnacks to the M9, but sometimes you are WAY over the top. Get real, bucko.

What has this to do with defense of Leica?😕.
Read before you go ad hominem.
Google shows thousands of screens. If the pages are not out of date.

Someone at Leica must know Google

So the problem must be in some other component associated with the LCD.

Is that defending Leica?


Only Leica bashers are allowed to post?

 

[I Love Film]

I am not a Leica basher. I'm a strong Leica enthusiast. I have been since I was a teenager, and have always owned Leicas.

I appreciate that you want to put a positive spin on everything concerned with Leica, but sometimes you hit the ball out of the park with your unbridled defense of Leica concerning EVERYTHING, leading to wild assertions.

C'mon now, even Leica can make a mistake once in a while.,