[Leica] Battery Report M9 Firmware 1.196

[red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone)]

There is only 1 application for the Leica battery... otherwise called the
BLI-312.  Leica M8/9 cameras.  Overall, substantially less than 200,000 have
been made in the past 6 years or so.  ( even if I am wrong with the 200,00,
certainly no one would think Leica made a Million M8 or M9 cameras....)

The market for Leica M8/9 batteries is so small, there is only 1 conclusion
that can be drawn....   All the batteries, Leica branded or otherwise, are
from the same manufacturer(s).

The ones that Leica gets are tested and have passed some Leica criteria.
The batteries you get from aftermarket companies are the ones that may have
passed, are overruns, or failed some test criteria of Leica.  You do not
know which.

Further, in MOST firmware, there is a check program that looks for the
current residing version.  If the proposed version is more recent than the
old, you can upgrade.  If the proposed version is older than the current
residing version, you can not upgrade.  It is likely Leica employed this in
the design of the new FW.  ( I think I remember something on this in this
forum in the past.... )   If you are going to try this, you will need to
have kept on your computer or SDHC Card, the old version of the FW, as Leica
keeps only 1 version available for download at one time.... V1.196 currently

More further, if you are chicken to upgrade FW because of your supply of
aftermarket batteries, remember that the next  version of the FW will be
based upon this version of FW.  All the worries you have about batteries
will be repeated ad nauseum in the future.  Which means that IF Leica does
improve something ( not only an added feature, but a real improvement),
unless you bite the bullet, you are locked out of that improvement.
Eventually you will drink the Kool Aid.

Lastly... the aftermarket batteries cost 1/10 those of Leica heritage.  If
the aftermarket batteries only last 1/2 as long, and cost 1/10 as much, you
are 5 times more ahead of the game......  Basic logic says that if you need
or want a mess of batteries ( long trip, remote trip, long shooting session,
etc) you are best off financially buying the aftermarket ones, cull out he
bad ones, and keep the good ones..... but they may not last as long.....
no big deal, remember they saved you $140 each.

Forget the Apple battery comparisons... Apple makes so many computers, that
it pays an aftermarket manufacturer to make a battery from their own
designs.  Some of these designs will use parts that are different,
"differently" toleranced, or just plain defective.  Not true with Leica.
Not enough market to be worth the production and marketing headaches.

My M9 comes back from the Doctor tonight.  I will install the new version of
the FW, and try out my OEM and old non-OEM batteries and report back.
Hopefully that will put this to bed, finally.

Frank Filippone
Red735i at earthlink.net


Anyway, all three fit the M charger, work fine in the M9, and report a full
charge.

FWIW, I have had extensive experience with replacement batteries for Apple
notebooks.  Like Leica, the Apple batteries seem over-priced, and the
Chinese replacement batteries are way cheaper.
When you first get one they seem to work okay, and once in a while you get a
good one that holds its charge and you feel smart because you just saved
over $100.  However, some Chinese batteries have small tolerance problems,
and don't fit precisely (it might fall off).  Some don't fully charge, or
recharge.  In that case you just lost your $25 bargain.  From this I would
say that the suspect battery has to be tested in an M9 to be sure.