Leica SL3 Firmware Issues

[@christianare]

For all who are saying this isn’t “as bad as you’re making it out to be”, you have no idea what you’re talking about. I was among the first to experience losing images a full TWO MONTHS AGO, and have been in contact with Leica ever since with no fix. I didn’t know this bug was a thing and decided to shoot a VERY big project with it where many thousands of dollars were at play, and ultimately had to call the client after quite literally crying, and letting them know I had to reshoot an entire day of production, therefore costing the client more money, and me more time, aside from my reputation and reliability. I’ve been a longtime Leica user and have experienced several issues, but this one really takes the cake. The fact that I was barely even offered a condolence is insane. This is THE BIGGEST DEAL, and like Alex said, especially for a $7000 camera. I’ve never been so disappointed.

[@jimb2500]

@@christianare You should stick with film because apparently you don’t have the mental capacity to use a digital camera. Why don’t you explain what you did? Pulled the batteries out when it was on???? Can’t figure out if the camera is in sleep mode?? This is your error, you shouldn’t have charged the customers more, because it’s your fault. As a professional you shouldn’t be using a new camera on a shoot until you a fully aware how it works, and you should have a second back up body. That goes for any brand of camera!

[@robsi5522]

I now tested my SL3 extensively for the bug described, on both cards, and cannot reproduce it…my camera works just fine.

[@sromrell]

I had this happen taking my daughter’s engagement photos. I lost around 100 photos and unfortunately they were the best lighting and background. In my case I was using a slower writing SD card and shooting 4fps 14bit and the buffer filled making the camera freeze, and become completely unresponsive. I popped the battery to reset the camera and well…you know what happened. This was back in April. Leica checked in with me recently to let me know they’re still working on the fix. I use a fast cf express now and haven’t had further issues. I would not use my SL3 for client work right now.

[@randallbrander8157]

Thanks for the information. So the workaround is to remove the SD or CFExpress Card when changing battery or buying the Leica Dummy Battery which will have a power bank and usbc cable attatched to the camera at all times until you remove the cards from the camera and insert new ones? Thanks for the video. I have been on a long waiting list for this camera and decided not to wait anymore and cancel the Backorder. Bought the Nikon Z6III and enjoying the experience in Full Frame and Crop Mode. Cheers!

[@KristianDowling]

I've been using the SL3 with CF Express cards (recommended anyway) and it's perfectly fine on my end. I did use the SD cards on earlier firmware releases and didn't have issues.

[@MKWHD]

Same here. No problem at all.

[@ajakwerth]

no matter what kind of card. deletes on sd and cfe card. talking from experience...

[@KristianDowling]

@@ajakwerth I’m certainly not minimising the unfortunate issue that some people are having but it’s not all people. I know quite a few owners that also don’t have this issue. For those that are it’s obviously a horrible thing however it’s clear it’s not happening to all cameras which is kind of strange also. Hopefully Leica will have a fix very soon

[@davissonnguyen]

I can confirm I've had no issues with the CFe as well. I guess we are the lucky ones !

[@mkanoute]

I shoot several thousand images on my SL3, had several lockups that required removing the battery to reset the camera, but never lost an image! I’m using the CFe and SD in copy mode

[@b.2221]

Don’t like the complaining comments below. Let’s see what this guy doing he has not used click bait on his video. He is a photographer who didn’t have to do this video.He is simply warning people about this model of camera. I say kudos to this young man for bringing this to light for others.

[@rudigerwolf9626]

Just tested this on my SL3. Yes, it happens,IF you don’t turn off the camera before switching batteries. ONLY happens IF you yank out the battery before turning off the camera. Still not good, but also not as serious as you indicated.

[@ABarrera]

The battery needs to be “yanked” to fix the daily freezes. Normally it would not be severe but I would average a few battery pulls each day.

[@rudigerwolf9626]

Alex, Personally, I can’t recall any freezes on my SL3. Maybe just lucky? If it is as bad as you imply in the video and your comments, maybe you could use the power of your channel to ask viewers who own SL3s to report freezes and overwritten files. Then instead of a few data points, you might have hundreds of data points. That could help your viewers and Leica.

[@madtom67]

@@ABarrera no freezes at all on the SL3, works like a charm!

[@iso__owl]

@@rudigerwolf9626 This camera freezes more times than Antarctica! And it stops writing to both cards and loses all your data forever!! Alex is spot on !

[@suziecameron3103]

This happened to me in early April a matter of weeks after launch when I was shooting in Patagonia. I lost all the images from a bucket list shoot that required a long hike and much planning. It was reported immediately to Leica and all images and user settings were downloaded and provided to them. I did not even change a battery let alone yank it and I always power down before changing battery or card. The camera is very glitchy and often unresponsive when you press the playback button. On my return Leica immediately replaced the camera. The new one hasn’t overwritten images to date but is still glitchy and often unresponsive or slow when you press playback function and menu buttons.

[@iso__owl]

This video is 100% true. This happened to my SL3 in England. The camera didn’t write a single imagine for 15 minutes on both brand new cards.

[@agcouper]

Oh my 😱

[@iso__owl]

The worst possible situation as the photographs were all the formal group shots from a wedding !!!

[@madtom67]

Not sure what you're talking about. No issues on my SL3 running version 1.1.0. My image numbering works perfectly even when changing batteries. Did it happen to you? Would you provide more information? Could it be linked to the SD card itself? Can you provide the Firmware version it happened with? Was the camera turned off before removing the battery? Your statement is a bit strong without more evidence or a video showing this actually happening. Cheers!

[@RS-Amsterdam]

Indeed and all the whining about a 7000 dollar camera...this should not happen on 700 dollar camera too.

[@iso__owl]

This happened to my SL3, brand-new cards and lost all the formal group shots from a wedding !

[@constantinephotography5287]

Were you able to replicate the issue on your own SL3? I have been shooting with the camera since March and have swapped out batteries and never noticed that. Just tried to replicate this morning and the images did not overwrite.

[@funnellross]

Happy SL3 user here but Leica will fix this in the mean time I will wait for power down before pulling the battery should it happen - thanks for the heads up.

[@k.tanaka8979]

Thanks ever so much for the heads-up on this, Alex. You're 110% correct; this is a completely unacceptable flaw on ANY camera. On a $7,000 camera it's an outrageous bug that should NEVER have been released. Leica is masterful with lenses. But they're largely inept when it comes to software / firmware / electronics. (They've been chasing M11 lock-ups since the camera was released nearly 2 years ago.) I've posted a link to this video on the Leica SL forum and, personally, I'm putting my SL3 away for a while. Hopefully this will be fixed soon. Thanks again, Alex.

[@yakattac78]

I'm one of the lucky ones that has not experienced freezes or missing/ deleted photos. But hopefully a new firmware comes out soon to help out those not so lucky!

[@PeterCoulsonPhotographer]

no way this is f*ucked, the last leica firmware update to the SL2 and Sl2s 6.0 I had to send my cameras back to Leica to have the firmware backdated, 6 months later they still haven't fixed it

[@hansj.krahtz2595]

Wow thas really bad!

[@dell-tone6472]

What kind of trouble, Peter? I didn't have any issues with my SL2 or SL2-S.

[@xiiiconcepts]

What are you using to shoot that 75mm summilux with now Peter?

[@nickditoro]

Alex, thanks for the warning. My SL3 has been on order since launch day, with no ETA. I no longer shoot professionally so will not be concerned about client photos being overwritten, but I don't like losing photos of grandkids sports either. If I get the camera before Leica provides a firmware fix, I will first test it to determine if it's in the "buggy" category or, as some others here have noted, in the "non-buggy" category. If mine is in the former, I will employ the workaround of pulling out the SD and CFExpress cards before yanking the battery (if the camera freezes or making sure I power it down before removing the battery), and then insert a fresh set of cards to continue shooting. THEN, as I do with my M11 and Q3, I will update file names in my Mac's Finder. If I then end up with the same set of numbers as were on cards before I took them out, I'll rename later to start in a sequence beyond the first set of files.

[@marcusoutdoors4999]

I love my Leica cameras, but my first M11 bricked and while the replacement is fine, I simply daren’t update the firmware as the new releases seem to cause issues.

[@jayocotube6483]

This was in my inbox from Leica this morning: Information on sporadic firmware issue in the Leica SL3 Unfortunately, with the current firmware of the Leica SL3, there have been isolated cases of previously saved images being overwritten unnoticed. As the error can occur if the camera has not been switched off properly (e.g. when changing the battery in standby mode or after an unexpected software interruption), we strongly recommend careful handling of the camera in accordance with the user manual. In such case we recommend that you save the images immediately to an external device and change the memory card before you start the camera again. Please ensure that you always switch off the Leica SL3 completely before changing the battery in order to minimize the risk of data loss. We are concentrating with the highest priority on restoring the perfect functionality and usual reliability of your Leica SL3 as quickly as possible. To this end, we are working at full speed with our development team to provide you with a firmware update. Kind regards Leica Camera AG

[@ABarrera]

Glad this communication went out today! It’s important to notify all users of this one.

[@rolandrickphotography]

I had a preproduction model to test and didn’t have that issue. Is it possibly only an issue if you remove the battery without switching off the cam first? However, that shouldn’t happen.

[@ToddBrownPhoto]

It happened to me this evening. Sucks, guess there is no way to get them back?

[@reiki4617]

Hi Alex, here is another issue I have recently encountered. If both SD card and CFe card insert the camera at the same time, the LeicaFOTOS app can't read photos properly. Then, about half a minute later, it shows "disconnect" from the app and the camera just goes crushed(the viewfinder works, but any bottom just no longer responds), the only solution is to detach the battery(or wait for the battery runs out)

[@2304marc]

Unfortunately, I am also a "SL3 victim". With my SL3, I experienced that the camera refused to trigger three times within four weeks or that the camera froze. The logic of the software is also difficult to understand. Why does it seem to make sense to set the assignment of the camera's function keys for the APS-C mode separately? I expect a quick fix, otherwise the camera will be returned!

[@ERSYVadim]

I have already shot 3 weddings with the Leica SL3 and Q3. The cameras have never frozen, and not a single image has been lost. By the way, I turn off the camera when changing lenses and batteries.

[@fotonutzz]

Hi Alex I've been using the SL3 since 8 Mar 24 and had never encountered this problem. Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm using a HG-SCL7 battery grip and I don't have a to swap batteries. Although I have four BP-SCL6 and six BP-SCL4 batteries, the two batteries that is in my SL3 had never been swapped before. I just tried to replicate the problem by replacing the batteries and my test photos are all intact. I'm using Firmware 1.1 for my SL3 since I collected my camera. So far, my set hasn't hanged yet that requires me to pluck out the batteries🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 However, I do encounter a slow response when I pressed the Play button to review the images. Really frustrating considering that I'm using the fastest CFe and SD card on the market.

[@DidierMOULINPhotography]

This is just amazing but believe me I don’t need this information to already be sure the SL3 is not a camera to buy ! 7k€ for such a camera that has so many many drawbacks compared to what we can expect from!!!

[@arshotsphotography]

I read the article and saw some videos as well, I literally tried to make the issue happen this past 4th of July and I had zero issues. Now, I always turn my camera off before swapping batteries so that may be the work around.

[@MaverickNgMVRKNG]

can you share the current firmware version that has this issues?

[@cameronharle8977]

I brought my SL3 from Leica store Mayfair London 3 weeks ago - almost immediately I had problems with it. The camera would freeze and the only think you could do was eject the battery. This happened 5 times in the same day (with the new Leica SL3 battery) The Leica store had a look at the backend of the camera info and confirmed it was faulty, so exchanged it for another new one - this one too has frozen on a number of occasions, the tethering to Lightroom is pretty abysmal and the viewfinder even once has frozen and showed colour bars which was alarming. Leica store then said unfortunately this is a software issue and I’ll just have to wait to a firmware update…as of yet I’ve not had the camera overwrite images, but the constant freezing has been a big issue with both versions. On top of which my new version has an issue with the shutter button, it gets stuck so you can’t half press for focus somethings. Overall, I too have come to the conclusion that these SL3s Alsace been rushed out on the factory and not enough care of BETA testing has taken place before going to market. I’ve had my SL2 for 4 years (and used it almost every day) and never had these issues. Beware…!

[@SamAbram-dl1mg]

I don’t want to sound stupid but after seeing your video I actually have the opposite problem I delete photos on the camera and after shutting it off or changing battery I find the images I deleted are back in the camera???? Sounds weird but I actually tested it out and it happened again so not sure what’s going on.

[@BrandonTalbot]

The trend with tech as of late is ship the product finished or not and let's hope we can fix all the issues with updates down the road. Companies gotta stop doing this. We need to get back to days where we prioritize the first impression regardless of the release schedule or not. I never experienced this bug but I had plenty of others and that's why I returned my SL3.

[@thomastuorto9929]

The trend is making money. Companies need it but they need their shareholders more. In some cases, the shareholders are their customers. Microsoft has been doing it for years with their Windows software. Adobe, etc., all released with bugs. Heck, I don't need a new iphone, ipad or mac every 6 months. It is about getting customers to trade up & the almighty dollar. I mean I can see Apple's case, their hurting for money, rite? But in this case they overlooked the obvious. Developers were probably playing action video games when they should of been testing the firmware. But hey, wondering where the hell your photos went it is a special Leica feature & that is why one pays double the price of any other FF camera. Add in editing, heck, maybe shooting film is cheaper even though not as convenient.

[@ballbeeyo]

I can vouch for this! I lost some pictures due to this bug as well!

[@bubuli]

so the workaround is to change card every time you pull out or replace the battery? i mean, kinda annoying for a really expensive camera, but it's not the end of the world.

[@bobmcadams3951]

As I have said in your previous Leica, SL3 video, like I did not go far enough with this camera. Worse, they have released a defective product. Did they know about this firmware bug before they released the camera?

[@whiterock1865]

Did you used to be in florida and then moved to San Antonio? Or always been down south Texas?

[@calloplesiops6502]

And now that there was an update in July/August on the SL3 with update 1.1.9, would you still not recommend this Camera ? By the way, do you still have it?

[@ABarrera]

I sold this camera before the firmware update was available. If I happen to purchase it again I will do an update.

[@calloplesiops6502]

@@ABarrera Merci pour votre réponse, j’ai commandé un SL3 avant de voir votre vidéo, j’espère qu’il n’y aura plus de soucis ! Pourtant je suis votre chaîne depuis un moment 😕

[@NineVoltDigitalCinema]

I love my Leicas, but my SL2 has been a frustrating experience because of boneheaded firmware problems. I know Leica is a small company, but I think they need to partner with competent software developers, because they have shown time and again to be out of their depth with real basic camera software development.

[@astraeusone]

Hey Alex, which version of the firmware are you using? Is it 1.1.0?

[@dlovisuals]

Thanks for the heads up Alex. What a crazy firmware bug. And def agree with you about tech being shipped incomplete only to be patched at a later date. I’ve been experiencing a firmware bug with my Q2 after latest firmware 5.1.0 where the camera would lock up and screen would start glitching out. Thought it was my SD card and batteries but they work fine on SL2-S. So I got a new V90 card just to be safe and factory reset camera and still experienced the issue. Sent camera over to Leica and they still haven’t found out what’s wrong with camera but are going to continue testing. I’m suspecting firmware bug.

[@ABarrera]

I’ve been following your journey, hoping they get it fixed. The weird part about these firmware issues is it’s not every camera. I don’t understand how that happens

[@dlovisuals]

@@ABarrera yeah! So far my loaner Leica Q2 hasn’t had any bugs and it’s on the same firmware.

[@MarcAdesso]

I say this as a Leica user and overall fan of the brand- especially with their new releases, you can’t really rely on Leicas as a professional tool. Anyone who has experienced their repair process will tell you this as well. I think repair service is an aspect that largely gets ignored on KZbin, but can have a huge impact on a pro’s bottom line- big difference of getting a camera fixed in 3 days with a loaner in between, and having to wait months camera-less while waiting for some part to arrive in Germany… Unlike their film cameras of yore, Leica’s digital cameras are more of a luxury, quality of life item, and they are wonderful for that experiential purpose; less so for make-or-break applications. Of course, also agree that professionals should only use gear they’ve already extensively vetted before using it in those make-or-break situations. Leica will probably fix this and the firmware will work great in like 6-12 months…assuming they fix the other bugs in the SL3 too…

[@LeeScott-LightSourceKauai]

The repair process was a big factor in why I stayed with Canon for so long. CPS is simply outstanding. However, I now use Leica for my professional nature work. I recently purchased a new 21 APO lens that was defective. And while I was out of a lens for about two weeks, the Leica store where I bought my lens gave me the use of their demo model until a replacement 21 APO came from Germany, which took about another week. So not the blazing fast turn around time of CPS, but Leica USA and Leica store SF were able to get me a lens that I could use. Of course, if it were a time sensitive shoot or a booked session it would have been bad. Real bad. As for the above mentioned firmware bug, I have yet to have any issue with my SL3 regarding lost files. Knock on wood...

[@MarcAdesso]

@@LeeScott-LightSourceKauai Yep, you got it. And for folks without a Leica store near them, they may not be able to get a comparable loaner directly from Leica, so for that person, it would be a disaster. The SL3 only does this if you change a battery mid-shoot with the camera still turned on, so could go for a long time w/o realizing it was an issue. I only had it happen once, and couldn't replicate it until I saw this video. I also had it happen once where the camera just didn't write files to the SD card, wonder if it is a similar issue.

[@ajakwerth]

You left out a very important information: THIS ONLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU PULL THE BATTERY WHEN THE CAMERA IS NOT SHUT DOWN! When you shut down the camera, then pull the battery it does not overwrite files! I lost 2 hours of photos during a shoot but since I tur the camera off completely (no standby), before pulling the battery, it has not happened again. Still it is a very severe bug which cost me quite a lof of money AND trust from a client...

[@c141charlie]

@@ajakwerth with the new on/off button, it’s hard to know whether the camera is on stand by, or fully powered off. This is why I miss the SL2 on/off switch. It removed all ambiguity.

[@ajakwerth]

@@c141charlie yes, not a fan of the new button either…

[@Disidoo]

For this price and as a flagship cam, such an issue is just not acceptable… not even with „if and when and but“. Just not OK!

[@Zimh91]

Hi, thanks for the warning. I had exactly the same issue on my previous M11, and it happened many times that I lost photos for the same reason. Thankfully it was only "personal" and not professional photos. I think it is now well known that the M11 serie is quite buggy. However, I am really surprised that after all the M11 story, we are now facing the same kind of issues with their professional flagship SL3. As you said, it is acceptable to have a few minor issues for brand new products. But I don't consider the SL3 to be so "new" anymore, and it is not acceptable that the problems are actually not minor, but huge such as deleting photos. Don't get me wrong, I love the brand, I am still using a M11P at the moment, but I really think that Leica should improve its strategy, by releasing maybe less products, but focus more on the control quality/stability and software parts. It is a way smaller company than the Nikon, Canon, Sony ... what they always had for them in comparison was the certainty of buying a very high quality product, that will long for a "life time", and that delivers a top image quality. I am no one to tell what a brand should do, but I hope they will go back to their basics at some point instead of trying to compete directly with mirrorless brands that have not the same vision, money, and size.

[@johnkasianowicz6536]

I never had that issue on my M11 or M11 Monochrom cameras.

[@Zimh91]

@@johnkasianowicz6536 Happy for you 👍keep it then. But I think that's actually the most important problem. Because if his kind of issues were only related to software, it means that all the M11 or SL3 would have the same problem, or that no one will face the problem anymore once a firmware update is out. I like the exemple of the iPhone. When there is a bug or an issue somewhere, we all update iOS and then the issue is gone for everyone. But with these cameras, some will have a bug, and others won't. Even after updates. So I guess this is not only related to software at the end, which is a shame. And that's where we use to hear people say "I have stable version of M11, or SL3 because I never had this issue" or the opposite "my M11 was full of bug..." , So at the end it is like the lottery. We buy 5K to 9K $ cameras but we are not even sure it will work properly, even for basic things. For me, this is crazy. And once again, I speak as a Leica lover..

[@rudigerwolf9626]

Quick update: I tried repeating the process several more times. Images were just fine. Based on my personal testing, I would characterize the issue as an occasional problem that is difficult to replicate. Further, having shot thousands of images, I have had no issues like this. Finally, if you are not going to let the camera go through its shut down process and decide to yank the battery while the camera is turned on, yes, this can be an issue on occasion. I literally tried to replicate this multiple time. It happened once, the first time I yanked the battery with the camera still on. But I could not replicate the exact same set of circumstances. SO… Alex, you make it sound like this happens all the time. It does not. Perhaps fact checking and realistic advise would be more appropriate than potentially creating hysteria. Perhaps more SL3 users could do a quick test and report on their results? Personally, I would love to get thousands of users testing this to help Leica debug this issue and accelerate the firmware release that addresses this issue.

[@ABarrera]

The issue is the camera freezes and the way to fix it is to remove the battery. This increases the chances of this bug erasing your photos.

[@madtom67]

@@ABarrera oh the camera freezes now? Sorry but that is not what you described in your video... have you tried to replicate the issue with different SD cards? A bit less drama and more facts would be more appropriate. Anyhow, I do not need to listen to your recommendation and will happily continue to use my SL3! It is a great camera! I can highly recommend it! Cheers!

[@kualilo]

@@madtom67 Just count your blessings that this hasn't happened to you on a production shoot yet (cross your fingers). If it ever happens to you, just once, you might not be so harsh. Based on the number of people on here saying they too have experienced this, I think this video is very much needed. I certainly don't think it is full of drama -- certainly not for a $7,000 camera from one of the most coveted brand in camera history. And yes, they certainly do freeze. And how do you fix it? Removing the battery because you can't shut it down. Like I said, count your blessings.

[@ABarrera]

Official Leica statement came out today. More facts

[@rudigerwolf9626]

@@ABarrera Alex, thanks for bringing this issue to our and Leica's attention, creating some public pressure and perhaps accelerating Leica's response! The images I won't loose thank-you!

[@isaacmitropoulos6688]

Over 15k event photos with the SL3 and not a single lost image. Multiple cards, multiple batteries, no issues.

[@Hdden-Beauty]

Wow this is crazy! Luckily it hasn't happened to me but you're right this should be fixed within days/weeks not months...

[@LeePierre]

In all your videos i am just wondering the whole time about if it would be possible to push a very slim object like a paper sheet between your arms and body? I believe no 😂

[@kualilo]

It almost looks like he did 100 pushups right before making his videos. And another 100 more in between takes and he cuts them out so we can't see. And the way he does his peace sign before signing off. I mean who does not anymore? It annoyed me at first when I started watching his videos because it seemed cringey to me. But now, everytime he signs off, I try time it perfectly so I can throw up a peace sign with him.

[@ABarrera]

✌🏼 with me in solidarity 😂

[@filipefaria967]

This is one of those things that simply cannot happen, completely unacceptable! This situation is one of those situations where it is necessary to assemble an assault team and attack the problem quickly, I don't understand how it can't be resolved. As a professional Leica user, I am really disappointed with these problems

[@YannickRousselet-p7y]

I can 100% confirm the issue. I also lost a bunch of photos after switching batteries. First I thought is was my fault by accidentally having wrong settings. Now my frustration about the cameras issues is even higher. I can also confirm the issues with the play button and the overall unresponsiveness of the camera. Quite embarrassing for a 7k camera. I hope they fix it soon, since I rely on this camera after switching over from Sony.

[@TheAdvaitin]

LOL! Fortunately, I usually go directly to download my images. I'll keep the problem in my mind, although no problems so far with my usual play (not work) flow.

[@windysucipto]

it happens to me twice, but i manage to switch cards when it happens and lost 2-3 frames only luckily

[@romankampa6212]

Thanks a lot! Love the cameras but the firmware-problems have a high frequency at the moment…😢 since the problems with my m10: only analogue leica for me 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@HN-sk2lr]

I bought sl3 3 weeks ago and have no issues accepting the battery , but maybe you bought a first version, that's why you are having issues 😢, I hope leica is going to send new firmware soon.

[@Alexandrosflower]

It’s a clickbait title. I can‘t reproduce this and it never happened to me. I also don’t know any other SL3 shooter who’s experienced this problem. My SL3 doesn’t freeze and doesn‘t ‚overwrite’ files under the described conditions. Just AF should be better.

[@Reportageandart]

That sucks but they will clearly fix it. I upgraded my SL2 to the sl3 last week and so far so good. Of course, for client work wait for the update. The one good thing about Leica is they will listen and do updates unlike the big “S” company with the A1.

[@fffeuchtner]

It is one thing to have certain network-functions disabled by a firmware bug. It is quite another to have your images deleted and basically can‘t use your camera at all for client work. The first can be a (big) inconvenience. The second can threaten your professional reputation and cost you real money.

[@ringthane69]

I thought this was a click bait title. Every time I think I'm ready to go Leica...

[@zkramez]

M10 is the most reliable digital Leica of all time. Just get an M10/ M10p and you’re good to go

[@dell-tone6472]

It IS click bait though.

[@tonyadamis4171]

The interim fix for SL3 owners is obvious. If you have to switch out the battery -- either because you need to do a reset of the camera (which is another bug common to Leica) or because your battery has run low -- you need first to swap out the SD card with the images you've captured. This is not the worst thing in the world. As for Alex's rap on the digital world, it is absolutely true that digital life is many times more complicated than the mechanical life we are leaving. And that's partly how you end up with Boeing airliners going wildly out of control on highly trained pilots and even plunging into the ocean with all on board. In the case of the planes, yeah, you have to stop using them until the matter is fixed. In the case of the SL3, no lives are at risk. Just swap out the SD card if you need to remove the battery, but continue to use the camera. Leica will develop a fix. Thank you, Alex, for a very important warning to SL3 owners, present and considering.

[@georgejenkinson9287]

I agree; your workaround is the first thing that occurred to me - need to change the battery? Change the card(s) at the same time.

[@tonyadamis4171]

@@georgejenkinson9287 Thanks. Admittedly, it IS annoying, especially with a $7000 camera you might be using for your livelihood to capture images other people have every right to expect. But I wouldn't not buy or stop using a car whose engine cuts out if you unbuckle your seat belt while driving -- I'd just pull over and turn off the engine if, for some reason, I needed to unbuckle. Meanwhile, I would be pressing my dealer or the manufacturer for the fix customers deserve.

[@Carthodon]

@@tonyadamis4171 That sounds like an amazing reason to not buy a car and in most places you wouldn't be allowed to even drive it. If people prefer to pay for a more expensive product that is worse in a pretty critical way due to something about how the product makes them feel then that person is just dumb.

[@tonyadamis4171]

@@Carthodon Hey, thanks! Love your input!

[@Carthodon]

@@tonyadamis4171 Its always welcome when people can take criticism without being sarcastic.

[@Viktalphotography]

Simple, when you replace the battery, replace the sd cards too :)

[@alexlenchenkov8092]

Thank you for this topic! SL2 and SL3 firmware is really horrible. There are lots of issues with Leica firmware. Here are some of them: Both SL2 and SL3 buttons cannot be customised as single function buttons (for example as ISO buttons). Long pressing on any button of SL2/SL3 activates customisation mode and ruins the whole system setup. Why LEICA’s firmware does not allow customisation of buttons in MENU? Why it is NOT possible to deactivate this longpress customisation and annoying press on rear wheel? Why there are no new icons for SL2/S? I can use usb-c to connect SL2 to a computer, but not to an iPad or iPhone. This feature is reserved only for SL3. And Leica Looks is only available to the newest cameras. So, it appears as Leica is always trying to push you to spend another $7000 on a new camera and does not really care about quality of firmware.

[@xiiiconcepts]

I didn’t have Alex Barrera throwing Leica under the bridge on my bingo card this morning lol

[@quagmire321able]

🙄 not going to say more.... thank you, Alex for the information. I too thought it was a click-bait title but turns out it is not and this is... extremely disappointing coming from such an expensive camera and brand

[@ki001]

I was thinking about getting one…. Thanks for the warning.

[@GOKULLRAW]

I’m confused, my SL3 seems to be working fine.

[@Ducstar510]

Unable to replicate. Removed and replace battery while camera is on or off. All is working fine with my model.

[@Jfrancois144]

Damn this is crazy. Imma have to keep a look out when I’m shooting.

[@cavarela]

My Q2 corrupted a whole card of a wedding. $2k to recover the images. But after 3 months of trying they told me they were unrecoverable…

[@aquilifergroup]

Sorry, that is unacceptable for any camera, let alone a Leica that costs this much. Shame, shame, shame. Cmon Leica, pull your heads out of your asses. What an embarrassing disgrace

[@whiterock1865]

Well simple solution, when changing batteries change cards too, as a pro you should definitely have extra cards.

[@theronsan]

Overwriting images? Sounds like a crazy bug.

[@dogstuff8337]

Leica, Panasonic, Sigma and a few more have together formed the L-Mount Alliance. Allow me to piggyback on this thread with an experience from the Panasonic world that is somewhat in the same league of disaster. The Panasonic Lumix S5iiX, of which I own one, as well as the S5ii, of which I have owne one, are error ridden when it comes to the audio recording. Rythmic beep tones are created by the cameras’ hardware which may completely ruin your footage. Think of a wedding photographer who comes home with the one and only recording in this world, the one that cannot under any circumstances be remade, and on top of the “I do” the camera goes “beep”. Speech by the bride’s father, the best man etc., all go beep-beep-beep. And you can’t remove it because it is engrained in everything you do. Now, Panasonic is aware of the fault and have even offered to fix it on my camera by replacing some of its circuitry. However, so far to no avail. In total the camera has been in the repairshop for 13 weeks and the problem is still not fixed. That is 25 percent of the time I have owned the camera and for the remainding 75% it has been useless as a video camera. Who goes out to do any interviews with anyone not knowing if there’s anything of use to bring home? I’ve tried to spread the word as much as I can in the various Lumix groups around. I’m glad this Leica problem also gets announced to the public. No photographer can accept a camera being faulty on this level. Manufacturers must assume their responsability, and issue service bulletins immediately they become aware of such problems. And, of course, they must offer remedies absolutely free of charge and with a minimum of inconvenience to their customers.

[@Eliehbk]

SHOCKING. I have/had a Leica CL, M10, M10r, few Q2s, Q3, two M11s, and all of them had/have software issues. Leica CANNOT make camera software that is not buggy. Shame.

[@tomegan4060]

Is leica and Sony doing firmware together

[@pdk]

Solution is simple: Have the same number of SL3 cameras as you have batteries. When the battery dies, put the camera away, and pick up the next SL3. What's the big deal?

[@FacesOfLA]

I just canceled my order through Leica. They were not happy but oh well. They need to get their firmware and software together. I have a Canon R5 & A 2019 Sony a9ii and it is a workhorse with NO issues! From now on, I’m just going to buy Leica glass and adapt it to my cameras

[@boblozano]

Yes this sucks, and as a photographer if I owned the SL3 (I shoot m, q and nikon z mainly) I would very likely continue to use, but swap cards when swapping batteries. Lacking any other egregious bugs, this is probably enough to keep using. As a developer with decades of experience, this is mostly a reflection of Leica's immaturity as a developer of complex software, particularly the inadequacy of their alpha and beta testing. Happened with the m11 (by the time I bought in the freezes etc were mostly a thing of the past), and now an even worse transgression. Nice aesthetics and nearly a century of hardware legacy are great so far as they go, but get good at software or become simply an ode to the past.

[@jonwalker3299]

I have been using my SL3 since the day it was released on a daily basis I have never had this problem BUT, I always turn off the camera before changing batteries …….seems like common sense to me. I think you are being overly critical of Leica on this. I bet this problem, now that someone has noticed it, will be fixed very soon.

[@christianare]

I noticed and reported it two months ago, no fix yet.

[@Cromwell1940]

Easy swap the SD card when your swap the battery, not a drama

[@RodSmith8899]

They will obviously fix this issue very soon and would not stop me from buying

[@JMPerona]

The bug is fixed. Time to make a new video?

[@ABarrera]

I sold my SL3, I needed a reliable camera for my paid work.

[@robertgebhardt8936]

I took my SL3 and swapped batteries after putting it to sleep and after turning it off and on…..there were ABSOLUTELY NO instances of overwriting. Maybe you pulled the battery and did the swap WITHOUT sleeping or turning it off……..🤪

[@derrickcohancinematography1990]

Unfortunately new Leica products are no longer reliable these days.

[@gailjewelers]

I'm trying to wrap my head around having the need to reset the image numbers (the whole idea docent make sense) for what reason? the power button issues make sense because the power button should have never been implemented in the first place that research time and money would have been better spent on many other solutions that are not present in the Leica eco system. Leica has a way of saying it listens to its customers and then they pull some stupid rediqulious firmware or hardware decision out of the hat which not one photographer I know of wanted as a top priority. Leica needs to fix the AF period Leica needs to make a M with a EVF Leica needs to make a medium format camera system Leica needs to offer the next camera released with state of art technology not DUMBED Downed equipment that still can't AF, has a LCD screen you can't view in daylight, loses images and has poor battery life.

[@jimb2500]

This is UNTRUE IT’S USER ERROR! WHO PULLS A BATTERY WHEN THE CAMERA IS STILL ON????? I’ve used the camera since MAY NO IMAGES LOST!

[@ABarrera]

The camera freezes and requires battery pulls to reset. Help me understand how you avoid pulling the battery in that situation? Leica has also released a statement, this is a real bug that’s impacting users.

[@ERSYVadim]

@@ABarrera Here's the solution: Remove the battery, insert it back into the camera and turn it on, then turn off the camera in the usual way and turn it on again.

[@jimb2500]

@@ABarrera Alex this is so freaking untrue, that you should be ashamed of yourself for promoting such nonsense! I am a working professional and have used the camera daily since I got it in May and have not lost one image or had the camera freeze up. Let’s address the real issue. Digital cameras are not designed to have their batteries hot swapped. If people are pulling batteries out while the camera is on or in sleep mode, that’s on them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did loose images, damage the cards, damaged the camera, or corrupted the firmware. And that’s the issue it’s user error, I mean how dim witted can you be to think you can just pull the batteries out on any camera while it’s on???? For real, what happens on a Mac computer if you pull the memory card without ejecting it first? You get an error message and cards can easily become damaged. It’s not a professional practice, and I commend Leica for issue a statement telling people not to pull the battery while the camera is on or in sleep mode. If you operate the camera normally it works like a dream!

[@jimb2500]

@@ABarrera This is total misinformation. I have owned the camera since May and use it everyday as a working professional and it has not “froze” or locked up at all. Not even one time.

[@Gvacam1222]

😂 it s a joke ..well I just sold one of my two sl3 bodies to return to m11 mono so I am half safe until r5II release 😅

[@jayocotube6483]

100% perfect here.

[@peetje28021970]

Will stick with my sl2 and two sl2s bodies and the Q2 which was the plan anyway. 😏

[@c141charlie]

@@peetje28021970 This is definitely the right move.

[@fededuran2523]

The M11's and M11M's software is a mess and a shame, given the amazing amount of money Leica charges for its products. Please fire the entire software team and hire people from Canon, Sony, Fujifilm or Nikon. It's not a surprise that the SL3 has its own issues.

[@lemonsz15]

Since Leica makes cameras and lenses, but not software , so this makes sense…. 😂

[@salduaij]

I didn’t buy any of Leicas new cameras every model has it’s own problems

[@kenmonahan9924]

😂🤡🤡

[@salduaij]

@@kenmonahan9924 long time no see bozo 🤣

[@aartb2836]

Im using SD cards only. No problem YTD.

[@Emulives]

Why don't you test that? Its random?

[@frankberlin8084]

😢😢 Leica - we have a Probleme 😢😢

[@R0dan]

WOW 😵‍💫

[@Disidoo]

I tested the sl3… not reliable enough, way too expensive and now this. Happy I didn’t spend my money on it. Thanks for the video👍🏻

[@ThomazMartinez]

Leica is overrated company, overpriced and with poor software, many years like that, don’t see the point in Leica

[@rvbsoundfactory]

One of my mentors, advised me to stay one step behind technology. Sorry to tell you, it's your own stupid fault.

[@Chips-Lab]

I can tell you’re angry just by seeing your arm.

[@ABarrera]

😂

[@fabricefrankiel9130]

Haaaaargggghhhh crossing the fingers never happened yet

[@zkramez]

Damn that sucks! Shoot film

[@egumbs24]

oh man…

[@dothewubwub]

Who else seeing them veins? Look like gummy worms.

[@Nicosalgadophotography]

My sl3 works fine no need to bash lol

[@bryonpowers]

I haven’t experienced the problem