Leica m8 Battery failure

[photolady]

Has anyone had the problem of battery faiure after only a few shots? I have on two different batteries- sent my m8 to Leica and after 6 weeks they found nothing wrong with the camera. They are sending me a new battery to see if the problem persists before they ask me to return it for more checking. The battery discharges to empty even if it is not in the camera.
Sooo- my question to you all out there is this- have any of you used the Impact battery that is sold as a replacement for the M8 Leica battery? I guess that this is a question of testing but franky for the cost of this camera it is unacceptable. I love the photos etc but cannot work like this.
I have an Epson R-D1 that I was going to sell when I got the m8 but cannot now- it is reliable in every way and takes great photos-
So- please let me know what your thoughts are...thanks😡

 

[gdi]

The battery that came with mine had a problem and would not fully charge. I found it was a common problem - the fix was to fully discharge the battery (till it would not start the camera) and then recharge it . Once I completed this charge/discharge cycle 5 or 6 times it was fine. No problem since.

 

[gtmerideth@mac.]

I have two batteries and one's charge expires if left in the camera body overnight.
The second one shows to be fully charged by the charger but when installed in the body it shows just the last bar before empty. Nj said I should send in the body, charger and batteries which I have. No report yet.
gary

 

[photolady]

I did try discharging the batteries several times and it did not work. I have had the same problem of the two batteries discharging in the camera overnight- sent all to Leica in NJ and they concluded that nothing was wrong with the camera. I got the camera back and it still happens- they are sending me a new battery but I am not sure that will take care of the problem... this is reall unacceptable for such a costly camera from a reputable maker...will let you kow what I find.

 

[trev2401]

I did try discharging the batteries several times and it did not work. I have had the same problem of the two batteries discharging in the camera overnight- sent all to Leica in NJ and they concluded that nothing was wrong with the camera. I got the camera back and it still happens- they are sending me a new battery but I am not sure that will take care of the problem... this is reall unacceptable for such a costly camera from a reputable maker...will let you kow what I find.

2 friends of mine had the same issue with their batts too. Spent a lot of time sending and waiting for the camera to arrive back from NJ, only to have the issue happen again 2 - 3 times more.

1 friend returned the M8, and the other's still waiting (after 3 1/2 months) for a replacement camera after they found the fault to be with the circuitry of the cam.

sry to hear about this. 🙁

 

[Hacker]

Seems that I might be facing this since yesterday. I took out my M8 and was shocked that I could not fire the shutter. Changed batteries and the camera worked. Strange, because an hour ago, the battery showed 2 bars left. Charged the "empty" battery and the charger showed green only on the status. Took out and put back the battery and finally it showed the battery being charged.

 

[DaveB]

I have seven batteries for my M8. One original Leica battery and six from my eBay friend in Hong Kong.

I need so many because I spent the summer on extended canoe trips in Canada where I am beyond the reach of recharge for three weeks or more at a time.

If there's a problem with batteries, particularly the after market ones, I expect I'll find it out sooner or later.

I've had a couple flakey experiences, not failures, but instances where the little window failed to display the battery's charge state.

Darn things keep working for a couple hundred pix, so who knows...

I've had "dead" battery's miraculously recharge because I cycled the power button. Usually it's the after market ones that do these things, but with a 6:1 ratio, I can't honestly make a general statement about them not being perfectly up to snuff compared to OEM.

 

[boilerdoc2]

The new 1.110 firmware update is supposed to have an 'improved' battery indicator. I take this to mean it will be more accurate. It seemed before that it would go from 'full' to dead quickly. I mean it would indicate a full charge for a long time and then 'poof' dead without hardly any warning on the indicator that it wasn't still full.
Steve

 

[jaapv]

Seems that I might be facing this since yesterday. I took out my M8 and was shocked that I could not fire the shutter. Changed batteries and the camera worked. Strange, because an hour ago, the battery showed 2 bars left. Charged the "empty" battery and the charger showed green only on the status. Took out and put back the battery and finally it showed the battery being charged.

If you forget to switch the camera off, the bag will half-depress the shutter release, causing exactly this effect..... The charger sometimes needs the battery to be loaded twice. A matter of the contacts being soiled.

 

[ywenz]

If you forget to switch the camera off, the bag will half-depress the shutter release, causing exactly this effect.

wow. I know my old M6's tiny light meter batteries will drain over time if the shutter is depressed inadvertently in the bag. So the big block Li-ion main battery in the M8 will drain just as quick?

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

wow. I know my old M6's tiny light meter batteries will drain over time if the shutter is depressed inadvertently in the bag. So the big block Li-ion main battery in the M8 will drain just as quick?

In the M8, the battery doesn't just power a little red LED and the light meter, but the whose circuitry. What Jaap was referring to was in the case that you've left the camera ON. When it goes to sleep mode, people think it's "Off". Put it in the bag, depress the shutter release button just a tad, and it'll wake up.

If you have that camera "awake", with the shutter depressed, that's setting the whole thing in "ready" mode all the time. It happened to me once. Once.

 

[ywenz]

Aw good point, the whole cam is powered by that battery...

 

[LeicaTom]

just one more reason NOT to buy a M8........

I`m still waiting for a digital back for my M6, one`s coming I JUST KNOW IT!

Tom

 

[eef]

FWIW I have two batteries, keep 'em both charged and swap em whenever I can (you can't charge a LiOn battery too often it seems). Always switch it off when it goes back in the bag, no problems so far (touch wood).