I just received the L-Camera Forum newsletter, which calls for beta-testers for the upcoming firmware updates for the Leica M8 and M9. According to the newsletter, Leica wants the new firmware to be tested by a broad range of users before releasing it officially, to make sure it works correctly with all Leica lenses and under all lighting conditions:

In den nächsten Tagen steht eine Betaversion zur Verfügung, die darauf geprüft werden muss, ob sie mit allen Leica Objektiven und in allen Lichtsituationen perfekte Bildresultate erzeugt.

I take from this that the new firmware is more than a mere bugfix. It might containt an improvement to auto white balance, judging by the above statement. If they could now also implement an M8-like lens selection menu in the M8 firmware, then we could finally get rid of the hassle with getting our third-party lenses coded!

According to the newsletter, the new firmware will be released “within the next weeks”. So stay tuned!

Here’s the announcement in the L-Camera Blog, where you can also sign up as a beta-tester if you’re interested.