The M9 sometimes just "sleeps". What can I do to clear it up?

[raid]

The M8 works beautifully for back to back images at a fast rate, but my M9, always with freshly charged original Leica battery, has occasional long lapses of sleeping or just not "forwarding" to the next image. It just sits there, and I must wait and wait until the M9 decides to move on in life and to let me take another photo. On the other hand, my M9 also has her good days during which she will advance frame after frame quickly.

What are the factors that could be creating such situations for me?

1. Battery
2. Card
3. Camera settings

Any useful suggestions will be very much appreciated. My solution so far is to have with me the M8 also so that I use the M8 until the moody M9 decides to cooperate with me again.
I once asked "someone at Leica" about it, but he shrugged it off by saying that M9 creates larger image files than the M8 does.

 

[JonB]

If I understand what you're saying about it "sleeping," try turning off discrete mode. Sometimes my M9 won't recognize that I've released the shutter button, so I need to wiggle it a bit for the camera to reset things for the next shot. With the standard shutter mode, it should reset the shutter immediately after release. If that solves your problem, you can do like I do: whenever it stops responding, just jiggle the shutter a little bit, and it'll wind up for the next shot.

Cheers,
Jon

 

[BLKRCAT]

When I had some weird things like this with my M8 it was because of card. Try reformatting.

 

[raid]

If I understand what you're saying about it "sleeping," try turning off discrete mode. Sometimes my M9 won't recognize that I've released the shutter button, so I need to wiggle it a bit for the camera to reset things for the next shot. With the standard shutter mode, it should reset the shutter immediately after release. If that solves your problem, you can do like I do: whenever it stops responding, just jiggle the shutter a little bit, and it'll wind up for the next shot.

Cheers,
Jon

I will try this, Jon. Thanks.

 

[raid]

When I had some weird things like this with my M8 it was because of card. Try reformatting.

Not so in my case. I always reformat cards after getting nearly full and after I download image files to my computer and back-up external drives.

 

[uhoh7]

Never reformat card on M9. Only erase all. I had same problem. Several cards starting fine then showing this behavior. Using erase all I can go on with one card untill I wear out the bottom plastic.

If you want to format, do so on computer, Fat32.

It is almost certainly your card, in any case.

 

[raid]

I could swear that I have seen at RFF more than once the recommendation to format ONLY in the camera. It is the opposite of what you are recommending.

So, what should I do about deleting/formating?

 

[uhoh7]

Thank you for your many interesting posts, Raid 🙂

 

[raid]

😀 I do what I can! 😀 :bang::angel:😎 😱

I will try out your recommendation, though. I am at the computer downloading what is on the memory card first.

 

[robert blu]

Hi Raid, the behavior of your M9 could be a signal you need an ....M10 😀
robert

 

[uhoh7]

My M9 does not seem to care at all if the card is not reformatted. I only reformat if there is a problem. Otherwise I erase all. Currently I have over 10K images on the card without a format and it works like new.

I only learned this all the hard way. 🙂

 

[raid]

This tip is also useful. I will do same from now on.

 

[Fraser]

My M9 does not seem to care at all if the card is not reformatted. I only reformat if there is a problem. Otherwise I erase all. Currently I have over 10K images on the card without a format and it works like new.

I only learned this all the hard way. 🙂

I never use erase on any camera and only reformat in camera.

 

[raid]

OK. Who is right?

 

[nobbylon]

I never erase images in camera. After transferring images to computer I always format card in camera. I use panasonic gold cards 16gb. So far not lost an image since this regime.

 

[raid]

Hi Raid, the behavior of your M9 could be a signal you need an ....M10 😀
robert

🙂 It also may be just the card formatting.

 

[nobbylon]

I've set mine up so that Auto power save is off also. Speeds it up a little.

 

[raid]

I never erase images in camera. After transferring images to computer I always format card in camera. I use panasonic gold cards 16gb. So far not lost an image since this regime.

I have been doing as you are doing.

 

[nobbylon]

Which cards are you using Raid?

 

[Doug]

To get started with a new card (or "reset" an old card), I format FAT32 in the computer, then format with SDFormatter in the computer, then format in the camera. From then on, after transferring the recent batch of photos to the computer, I format in the camera and reset file numbering for the new batch. I avoid deleting photos in the camera, as some suggest! 🙂

As to the lengthy "sleep" between shots, I don't know... but JonB's suggestion about discreet mode sounds useful!