Leica Q3 stopped working / support options

[tonyz1]

Hi,

My new Leica Q3 stopped working - highly disappointing for this to happen as I'm also traveling right now. It powers on but then crashes so it can't get to the menus. Tried this with two batteries and with/without memory card.

Has anyone else encountered a similar issue yet? Any workarounds?

Also, any experiences dealing with Leica support? What's the turnaround time like? Can I get it served while I'm abroad in the UK under warranty?

Thanks for any insights.

Tony

 

[hedleyw]

Hi,

My new Leica Q3 stopped working - highly disappointing for this to happen as I'm also traveling right now. It powers on but then crashes so it can't get to the menus. Tried this with two batteries and with/without memory card.

Has anyone else encountered a similar issue yet? Any workarounds?

Also, any experiences dealing with Leica support? What's the turnaround time like? Can I get it served while I'm abroad in the UK under warranty?

Thanks for any insights.

Tony

I googled this. https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/64259758

 

[tonyz1]

Hi,

My new Leica Q3 stopped working - highly disappointing for this to happen as I'm also traveling right now. It powers on but then crashes so it can't get to the menus. Tried this with two batteries and with/without memory card.

Has anyone else encountered a similar issue yet? Any workarounds?

Also, any experiences dealing with Leica support? What's the turnaround time like? Can I get it served while I'm abroad in the UK under warranty?

Thanks for any insights.

Tony

I googled this. https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/64259758

Thanks, I tried it but didn't work on mine unfortunately.

 

[davidevans1]

Hi,

My new Leica Q3 stopped working - highly disappointing for this to happen as I'm also traveling right now. It powers on but then crashes so it can't get to the menus. Tried this with two batteries and with/without memory card.

Has anyone else encountered a similar issue yet? Any workarounds?

Also, any experiences dealing with Leica support? What's the turnaround time like? Can I get it served while I'm abroad in the UK under warranty?

Thanks for any insights.

Tony

That's disappointing for you, hope you get it sorted quickly.

Leica UK support email is [email protected] and 0207 629 1351

Depending where about in the UK you are, there may be a Leica dealership but it's unlikely they'd know how to help with a new model I'd suspect.

 

[Le Chef]

Try a different memory card as this model has shown to be a bit finicky about which brand of card you use. Leica UK should be able to advise you on that.

 

[LeicaEye]

That's a bloody shame and most annoying. Try leaving the battery & SD card out for 24hours. It might be a bad SD card! Or, sadly the camera itself, if it doesn't start up properly after the 24hours, I would leave in your suitcase..Hopefully you have a backup camera! Failing everything else, pick up a used camera from a local store and add it to the bill you're eventually going to send to Leica. Good Luck..

 

[davidevans1]

Hi,

My new Leica Q3 stopped working - highly disappointing for this to happen as I'm also traveling right now. It powers on but then crashes so it can't get to the menus. Tried this with two batteries and with/without memory card.

Has anyone else encountered a similar issue yet? Any workarounds?

Also, any experiences dealing with Leica support? What's the turnaround time like? Can I get it served while I'm abroad in the UK under warranty?

Thanks for any insights.

Tony

Any update on this Tony? I'm hoping you have it all sorted out and working again but am really interested to know of the outcome or progress. Thank you.

 

[tonyz1]

Hi,

My new Leica Q3 stopped working - highly disappointing for this to happen as I'm also traveling right now. It powers on but then crashes so it can't get to the menus. Tried this with two batteries and with/without memory card.

Has anyone else encountered a similar issue yet? Any workarounds?

Also, any experiences dealing with Leica support? What's the turnaround time like? Can I get it served while I'm abroad in the UK under warranty?

Thanks for any insights.

Tony

Any update on this Tony? I'm hoping you have it all sorted out and working again but am really interested to know of the outcome or progress. Thank you.

Hi David,

Thanks for the follow-up. Camera is unfortunately still broken. I ended up sending it to Leica USA for warranty repair after I got back from my trip yesterday. From researching the forums, it seems like Leica's repair team will do a good job but might be a 30 day wait to get it back. They were nice enough to provide me a prepaid shipping label.

B&H was willing to take it back but I decided the warranty repair route was acceptable since the backorder for the Leica Q3 is months long at this point and I do like the camera quite a bit from a design, image quality, and functionality perspective.

I'll give another update once I see how Leica handles the repair. This might make me a fan for a long time or one and done. I will note that I never ever had any issues with any other camera brand (Sony, Nikon, and Canon) until now so somewhat disappointed in Leica right now.

Tony

 

[eliehbk]

Hi Tony! sorry to hear about your troubles with the Q3. I hope it gets sorted out quickly. I wanted to comment on the original post, but didn't want to start a brand war, but now that you mention it... I've had around 70 cameras, including 12 Leica cameras; like you, I only had hiccups with the Leica ones. There's always the occasional freeze that seems to be plaguing many of their cameras. I have a feeling that Leica struggles with electronics. Their cameras are amazingly built as far as body and mechanics but electronics are different thing. Maybe they get some help from Panasonic but they still have too many hiccups for my liking - especially, for the price.

--
"There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are." - Ernst Haas

 

[LeicaEye]

Hi Tony! sorry to hear about your troubles with the Q3. I hope it gets sorted out quickly. I wanted to comment on the original post, but didn't want to start a brand war, but now that you mention it... I've had around 70 cameras, including 12 Leica cameras; like you, I only had hiccups with the Leica ones. There's always the occasional freeze that seems to be plaguing many of their cameras. I have a feeling that Leica struggles with electronics. Their cameras are amazingly built as far as body and mechanics but electronics are different thing. Maybe they get some help from Panasonic but they still have too many hiccups for my liking - especially, for the price.

 

[eliehbk]

Thanks for putting my many words into concise ones "coding issues". I think the same too. Japanese were always better at electronics than the German counterparts. I will keep on buying Leica's as they love the company and its products, but I can't deny the hassle of having to send away or replace the M10, and M11.

 

[LeicaEye]

Thanks for putting my many words into concise ones "coding issues". I think the same too. Japanese were always better at electronics than the German counterparts. I will keep on buying Leica's as they love the company and its products, but I can't deny the hassle of having to send away or replace the M10, and M11.

 

[David Kieltyka]

Different anecdotes from different people: my digital-era Leicas are all still working fine (aside from the M9's cover glass corrosion, not an electronic issue); but during my time with Olympus m43 cameras I had nothing but operational glitching and outright breakdown. OTOH my Panasonic m43 cameras have been, up to now, problem free.

My issues with Olympus gear were a fluke…not the norm at all. Of course my 15-year-old M8.2, still going strong, may also be a fluke.


M8.2, Voigtländer 35/1.7, taken July 5th.

-Dave-

 

[tonyz1]

I'll give a final update to my original post. After dealing with Leica customer support for a couple of weeks, a brand new in box Leica Q3 just arrived at my doorsteps today to replace the defective one. Haven't tried it out but very happy to have this resolved.

The issue with my original Q3 was something was wrong with the sensor and it would have taken them quite a while to get the part and fix it so the customer service team was able to route a new one my way.

Overall, I'm happy with the outcome and my main recommendation would be anyone interested in this camera to try to buy new from an authorized dealer if at all possible.

Hi,

My new Leica Q3 stopped working - highly disappointing for this to happen as I'm also traveling right now. It powers on but then crashes so it can't get to the menus. Tried this with two batteries and with/without memory card.

Has anyone else encountered a similar issue yet? Any workarounds?

Also, any experiences dealing with Leica support? What's the turnaround time like? Can I get it served while I'm abroad in the UK under warranty?

Thanks for any insights.

Tony