Leica M10 Freezes and Becomes Unresponsive

[lindamunoz]

Hello,
I'm experiencing issues with my Leica M10, and I can't pinpoint the cause. Occasionally, the camera completely freezes—none of the buttons respond, the on/off switch does nothing, and no lights blink. The only way to reset it is by removing and reinserting the battery, after which it works normally again.
When I'm out all day taking around 100–200 photos, it usually occurs once.

What could be causing this? I've already tried using different memory cards and various original Leica batteries, but the problem persists.

 

[Dogman]

I don't even own a Leica these days but I would ask if the camera is getting hot when this happens? If so this could be a safety feature to prevent overheating.

Just a thought.

...................................

 

[JeffS7444]

"The computer has crashed": I would sometimes experience that with M8 and M9 when I had the camera powered up most of the day. Sometimes the M8 would also become abnormally warm. Unfortunately, I never did find a solution, though it wouldn't hurt to ensure that you've got the latest firmware installed. Power seems to actually be under software control, so the unresponsive switch is typical.

 

[Rogier]

Did you try different CF cards?

 

[rfaspen]

Luckily, no CF cards in digital leicas. Poster probably meant SD cards.
My first thought was the battery, but you tried different batteries.
Intermittent problems are the most hellish problems. I genuinely wish you good luck (as a fellow M10 owner).

 

[lindamunoz]

Luckily, no CF cards in digital leicas. Poster probably meant SD cards.
My first thought was the battery, but you tried different batteries.
Intermittent problems are the most hellish problems. I genuinely wish you good luck (as a fellow M10 owner).

Ok, I got it. Thanks

 

[Freakscene]

Hello,
I'm experiencing issues with my Leica M10, and I can't pinpoint the cause. Occasionally, the camera completely freezes—none of the buttons respond, the on/off switch does nothing, and no lights blink. The only way to reset it is by removing and reinserting the battery, after which it works normally again.
When I'm out all day taking around 100–200 photos, it usually occurs once.

What could be causing this? I've already tried using different memory cards and various original Leica batteries, but the problem persists.

There are ribbon cables that join the motherboard, primary processor and sensor. They are sensitive to dirt ingress and physical damage. Mild changes won’t brick the camera but can cause all sorts of strange problems.

Have you owned the camera for some time, or is it new to you? It is a different consideration if the camera has started doing this or it has done it ever since you had it.

A fix is likely to involve a trip back to Leica, and in my experience they are frustratingly poor at isolating and repairing intermittent problems. A lot of “we were not able to replicate the problem” sort of responses. Good luck, and please let us know what happens.

 

[Patarei]

Hello,
I'm experiencing issues with my Leica M10, and I can't pinpoint the cause. Occasionally, the camera completely freezes—none of the buttons respond, the on/off switch does nothing, and no lights blink. The only way to reset it is by removing and reinserting the battery, after which it works normally again.
When I'm out all day taking around 100–200 photos, it usually occurs once.

What could be causing this? I've already tried using different memory cards and various original Leica batteries, but the problem persists.

I had a similar problem with my old M10. It didn't freeze, but sometimes when I was about to take a picture, the camera went to "sleep" and I had to press the shutter to activate it again.
I send the camera to Wetzlar twice and they changed the printed circuit, but it didn't help much, so I sold the camera.

Anyway, a couple of month ago I bought a new M10 that works almost perfect. The shutter button is a bit stiff which is not so uncommon, but can pretty easily be fixed.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

I periodically had this exact issue with my M11-P. Firmware updates ultimately solved the problem. So, I'd make sure you have the latest firmware installed.

 

[santino]

I had a similar problem with my old M10. It didn't freeze, but sometimes when I was about to take a picture, the camera went to "sleep" and I had to press the shutter to activate it again.
I send the camera to Wetzlar twice and they changed the printed circuit, but it didn't help much, so I sold the camera.

Anyway, a couple of month ago I bought a new M10 that works almost perfect. The shutter button is a bit stiff which is not so uncommon, but can pretty easily be fixed.

Leica aside, I don‘t get why so many official services start from changing the circuit board? Usually there is not much that should go wrong with them. It is the same thing with cars… when something doesn‘t work properly it is the circuit board, board computer etc. „The electronics gone bad, we have to change the whole unit“ - at least this is true for german car manufacturers.

 

[Halftrack]

My Leica M10 periodically froze, too. The culprit: a defective SD card. Ironically, it was a Hoodman-brand card sold to me by the same Leica Store where I purchased my used M10. When I switched to a Sandisk SD card, the freezing stopped. I've bought nothing but Sandisk cards ever since. And I buy them from a local camera shop that presumably has a clean supply chain, not from online markets where counterfeit cards abound.

Some cameras are sensitive to certain brands of memory cards, but my defective Hoodman card also caused my Nikon DSLR to malfunction. The card was under warranty, so Hoodman replaced it, no questions asked. In fact, they replaced it with a card having twice the capacity because my model isn't manufactured any more. But I'm still using Sandisk cards in my Leica, no problems.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

My Leica M10 periodically froze, too. The culprit: a defective SD card. ...

Some cameras are sensitive to certain brands of memory cards, but my defective Hoodman card also caused my Nikon DSLR to malfunction. ...

Absolutely true. My M11-P hated the PNY SD cards I was using (recommended by Leica too, BTW), which caused extreme banding in some of my images. Changing the SD cards solved the problem.

 

[JeffS7444]

Leica aside, I don‘t get why so many official services start from changing the circuit board? Usually there is not much that should go wrong with them. It is the same thing with cars… when something doesn‘t work properly it is the circuit board, board computer etc. „The electronics gone bad, we have to change the whole unit“ - at least this is true for german car manufacturers.

I imagine it's what technicians do when they can't reproduce the problem, but they're under pressure to do something in a timely manner. But debugging firmware isn't their job.

 

[JeffS7444]

Regarding SD cards: Sometimes lower-level formatting can be helpful, though the process may take several minutes.
SD Memory Card Formatter for Windows/Mac - SD Association