Leica releases TL2 firmware update, fixes critical Visoflex bug

True, but Nikon never "bricked" a customer's camera, did they?

Aug 1, 2017permalink

CameraLabTester

Tsk tsk...

Why don't they just put the viewfinder into the camera itself?

Are they trying to be like Apple?

The Dangle of the Dongle is no longer relevant in today's times.

[except for non-conformists... which is typical of Apple and Leica]

Aug 1, 2017permalink

Jesse_Just_Him

Most probably due to aesthetics. Unless, they implement it like on the Sony RX100 pop up viewfinder

Aug 1, 2017permalink

Chris59

Reading between the lines, the statement isn't specific about whether or not the firmware update will fix already "bricked" cameras. If it does, then well and good. If it doesn't, well it says that no amount of window dressing will ever replace quality control...

Jul 31, 2017permalink

To all of you silly Leica hating twerps: Leica has stood behind every product it makes and if there is an issue, they are on top of it faster than I ever experienced with Canon or Nikon. The only other company that even comes close, IMO, is Fuji. Both companies pay very close attention to internet camera forums and ignoring brand hating trolls, they both are very responsive. So suck it up, my friends, while I wait for my TL2 to come to my local vendors so I can trade my reliable and much loved T for a new one.

Jul 31, 2017permalink

Chris59

Will the firmware update fix the "bricked" cameras?

Jul 31, 2017permalink

According to what I heard and read, the firmware fix will not fix the 'bricked' cameras. The owners have two choices. Either use it for a doorstop or go down to your local Leica dealer and trade it 'even' for a new one. The new one may or may not have the firmware fix if it is old stock so have the dealer check the firmware first and download if necessary before you walk out with the camera.

Aug 1, 2017permalink

Tomorrow we'll have a warning from Leica not to install the firmware update because it freezes the camera to a level where only $2,999.95 can fix it.

Jul 31, 2017permalink

Has Leica ever charged for firmware updates?

Jul 31, 2017permalink

Has Leica ever charged for fixing cameras they screwed up?

Jul 31, 2017permalink

Trundling,

Couldn't say.

You can look into the variations of M8.

Did Microsoft ever apologize and pay owners of MS-DOS, Win 3. 1, Win 95, Win 98, Win ME licenses? The point here is that MS, and especially Dell, made a fortune simply selling you a new device when the first version should have worked.

Jul 31, 2017*permalink

Trundling,
Charging $2999.95? Now, that is the stupidest 'troll' comment I've read all day. You win the prize, congratulations.

And, regarding fixing the camera statement; no they do not charge for updates and no, they do not charge for fixing bad cameras if the fault is either in manufacturing or design. My M9 was several years old and out of warranty and they replaced the sensor, no questions asked.

Short answer: Leica is not Microsoft, nor is it Dell or even Nikon for that matter. It is simply a good camera company that depends on a loyal customer base and it tries to keep them satisfied with their product out of obvious self-interest.

Aug 1, 2017*permalink

Now we have The Most Intolerant Leica Fanboy 2017. Congrats, Jimbo. As the prize you will get HowaboutRAW's daguerrotype.

Aug 1, 2017permalink

Trundling:

I'd thank you for not speaking for me, but...

Aug 1, 2017permalink

@ Trundling:
It is not me that is intolerant. Most cameras made today are competent tools and I accept that. The key to making an exceptional image is the photographer and not his choice of tool. Neither tolerance nor intolerance should be acceptable since the very words imply a generosity on the part of an allegedly superior person toward an alleged inferior person or belief. It is better to accept rather than tolerate another person and/or his beliefs.

" Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."....Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Aug 1, 2017*permalink

Interesting rherorics for someone whose first reaction to criticism was, "To all of you silly Leica hating twerps..." and "that is the stupidest 'troll' comment I've read all day". Your high horse, mon amie, is actually an ass.

Aug 2, 2017*permalink

Trundling,

Désolé, mon pote. Je choisis mes amis

Aug 2, 2017permalink

HAHAHAHAHA! "Désolé, mon pote." HAHAHAHAHA! I suppose the original was "Sorry, buddy". :-)))))))))))))))))) Thank God for Google Translate, eh? :-))

Aug 3, 2017permalink

ozturert

Now if Leica were Nikon, we would see a TL3 to fix the problem :) TL2 users would hate Leica for that bu Leica would never accept the problem.
Then someone would sue Leica for this and all TL2's would be fixed free of charge, even the ones without warranty. After years, of course...

Jul 31, 2017permalink

PhotoKhan

Ah, if it is "rigorously tested" all is alright, then...

I know it is almost like a religion thing, this Leica business, but let me tell you fans.

If you can't do the cognitive, inductive reasoning math from (1) the look, eyes and pose of Mr. Andreas Kaufmann in a recent article photo (2) the smartphone proposal and (3) this whole "crucial-accessory-bricks-the-camera" story, I wholeheartedly advise you:

Never visit a used cars parking lot.

Jul 31, 2017*permalink

probert500

WOW - another technical triumph for Leica - leading the way!!!

Jul 31, 2017permalink

You mean by fixing things?

Yep, Leica was sloppy and screwed up. However the camera has barely shipped, and Leica has both acknowledged the problem, and fixed it. Oh, and offered to replace any TL2 body "bricked" by use of the EVF in conjunction with fimware 1.0.

Jul 31, 2017*permalink

steelhead3

Curious how many cameras were actually shipped or put another way, how many bling loving characters are out there.

Jul 31, 2017permalink

We missed you so much, HowaboutRAW. We were like lost children who didn't know where to look for a proper and correct view of Leica's mishaps. Now that you're here, I know I'm in good hands. So it's all fine now, right? Leica screwed up an expensive point-and-shoot but it's okay because a) there's a firmware update and b) nobody bought it anyway.

Jul 31, 2017permalink

Apply this logic to a car. You're in the middle of a road trip, and turn on the headlights while listening to the radio. The car dies. But it's a success because a quick tow to a dealer will fix it. For free! Why anyone pays for this stuff is beyond me.

Jul 31, 2017permalink

Trundling,

Note I said "Leica screwed up".

Leica screwed up more than a point and shoot camera, unless you think that cameras like the Sony A7RII and Fuji XT2 are P&S cameras.

"b) nobody bought it anyway", because it's barely shipped.

Thanks for demonstrating your lack of camera gear knowledge.

Jul 31, 2017permalink

dmanthree:

Well the was the repeated denial by VW in about the year 2000 that petrol Golfs and Jettas were simply failing in the middle of the highway, when it was quite obvious that the cars has been shipped with defective ignition systems. Took VW years to even acknowledge the problem.

So car failures aren't your forte.

Just for fun, and a car maker with a much much better reputation for quality control than VW: Look up Honda 2006 engine failures. (Yeah, Honda had to replace those engines--but as far as I know, like Leica, Honda didn't lie about the problem, so unlike VW.)

Jul 31, 2017permalink

Yes, I read your reply. "Barely shipped" doesn't not justify the simple fact that they utterly failed in testing their product prior to shipping it. And really, nobody at Leica ever mounted the EVF and used this thing prior to shipping it? Sorry, "they fixed it" hardly makes up for this monumental screw-up. I used to shoot Leica back in the film days, and what I see now from them is just sad. Way back when, with my M6, calling it a "brick" was a compliment. It meant tough and utterly reliable. Now? It means...well some unlucky users found out what "bricked" means.

Jul 31, 2017permalink

dmanthree:

"fixed the camera... and it's barely shipped", you cut off the part about the fix.

No, Leica shouldn't have shipped it without more thorough testing.

"And really, nobody at Leica ever mounted the EVF and used this thing prior to shipping it?"

So you don't know how computers work do you? It's almost always "it has to be set this ways, so as to induce the failure, else you'll not be able to repeat the fault". It other words, and I don't have one to try, it's very likely that it took an EVF plus a particular camera setting to induce the failure.

Yeah, "they acknowledged it and fixed it" does make up for the screw up, since it's barely shipped.

The boxes may look similar but digital cameras are vastly more complex than film cameras.

Jul 31, 2017permalink

You are far more tolerant of a blatant screw up than I am. And just because other manufacturers screwed up, regardless of what they sell, doesn't justify Leica, a premium brand, not testing their camera with a very, very basic accessory. If you're happy paying top dollar for that, have at it.

Jul 31, 2017permalink

dmanthree:

I'd be a lot less forgiving if Leica had lied and pretended it wasn't a serious screw up. So that would be like VW, and Leica with the M8 to a certain extent.

I've never especially liked the T series, I didn't think the optical quality of the 23mm lens I tried was good enough for the price, but now years later I've seen better sample images, so Leica has improved that lens. I like the samples DPR posted shot with the 35mm lens.

I'll be interested to see the TL in person, though it is not something I'll seek out, unlike the M10 or the SL with the latest firmware.

Jul 31, 2017permalink

HowaboutRAW, I dare you to justify Leica withOUT referring to other companies' mishaps.

Aug 1, 2017permalink

Trundling:

"justify"? How could I justify Leica's screw up to you?

Seeing as that I don't work for Leica, I have no idea what internal Leica decisions led to Leica releasing the TL2 with firmware version 1.0 that could turn a TL2 into a block of aluminum and circuitry if used in combination with the EVF.

However Leica noted the problem quickly and fixed it quickly, unlike many others companies to which you assert I am not to refer.

Aug 1, 2017permalink