Problem with my M6

[henryiloveilove]

hi everyone, i am a new member of this forum,i would like to ask why my m6 alway out of battery?
i have to push to the "B" mode to switch off it.
if i did not do that my battery will all gone in a few hrs

 

[photogdave]

Welcome!
Your fresh batteries are going dead in a few hours? Did you test the batteries before putting in the camera?
If the batteries are fresh when installed and draining within a few hours it sounds like some sort of electrical short, and should be looked at by a proper service technician.
Good luck!

 

[Ara Ghajanian]

Search this forum. I remember another thread similar to yours within the last 2 months. Don't quote me, but I seem to recall someone saying something about certain M6's with this problem.

 

[henryiloveilove]

the battery is fresh, if i turn to the B mode it will be ok,no problem. if i hold the speed dial at other speed ,the battery will gone at around 8hrs

 

[BillBingham2]

Just for giggles, try cleaning out the battery compartment. Use a pen eraser if you can find one, making sure the no parts fall into the camera. It might be as simple as a film built up in the compartment, not probable, but it’s cheaper to start with the easy stuff.

Do you have a Softrelease on the camera which might be coming in contact with the sides (including top or bottom) of you bag (turning on the meter)? MSRs or even AR-9s can do it too. Try sitting your camera on a safe table and see if you still chew through. Check to see if your meter is on when you do not push down on your meter button. batteries.

Those are the easy ones, let me know how you make out.

B2 (;->

 

[BillBingham2]

Are we talking about a M6 ttl or M6 Classic?

 

[henryiloveilove]

i think the reson why my m6 's battery gone away,because my meter did not shut down after a few second, the meter still on ,so use all of the battery
so what can i do?

 

[henryiloveilove]

my m6 is non ttl

 

[BillBingham2]

Do you have a soft shutter release of any type attached? If so, try pulling very genteelly upwards on it and see if the meter turns off.

 

[Artorius]

Don't cock the Shutter

Don't cock the Shutter

Do not advance the shutter when putting the camera away. Leave it un-cocked in the bag. If M6 non ttl, keep it on bulb when putting it away.
A quick battery drain usually means there is a short somewhere. If the above dosen't work, get it serviced.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

What Art said. BTW, the M6TTL has an "Off" position, the regular M6 doesn't.

 

[Jonathan R]

What Artorius said. Best guess is that the shutter button is getting depressed while the camera is in the bag.

You could formerly buy a gadget called a 'Rose' from a guy called Larry Welker, which replaced the battery cover with a switch. You could then turn your M6 into an M4 at will. Very nicely machined item, but I don't know if he is still in business. Try a web search if you're interested, and try for a s/h one.

 

[ferider]

i think the reson why my m6 's battery gone away,because my meter did not shut down after a few second, the meter still on ,so use all of the battery
so what can i do?

Hi Henry,

if the meter doesn't go off after 15 seconds or so (shutter not touched)
the camera is broken and needs to go in for service.

Sorry for this,

Roland.

 

[henryiloveilove]

where is it broken?
the shutter sensor or the meter?

 

[Benjamin Marks]

where is it broken?
the shutter sensor or the meter?

Henry: It could be anywhere in the electrical circuit connecting the meter to the shutter release. There is a circuit board in there too (I know, I needed mine replaced when my M6 meter went dead about four years ago). I don't know where you are located, but you could try giving a good Leica repair person like Shery Krauter an e-mail.

She is at: krauter@warwick.net

Good luck,

Ben Marks

 

[henryiloveilove]

if i hold the shutter at B mode,the battery is ok no problem ,the meter can use a long time if i push to B after take a shot

sorry,man my english writing is not good

 

[ferider]

No problem, Henry, your English is fine.

When you switch to B you switch the electronics off completly.

Too much leakage current in the electronics of your camera, I would say.
(camera not on B). Because the LEDs stay on.

I also have an M6 at DAG at the moment for circuit board replacement
(the meter was 2 stops less sensitive than my other M6).

Like Ben said, it happens .... these are > 20 year old electronics.

Sherry or Don (at DAG) can fix it and give the camera a general CLA at
the same time.

Best,

Roland.

 

[DxPhoto]

who designed and manufactured M's metering system? I saw the the M6 meter board in the repair shop the other day and I was very impressed in the other way.

 

[henryiloveilove]

i live in hong kong,i think it is not easy to find a expect to fix Leica's problem.
they always told me to bring the body back to factory,but it cost a lot
around 40% price of the camera

 

[EmilGil]

Try to get hold of Dr Yao, a HK Leica dealer, he should be able to tell you what's wrong. (I'm not sure of his mail adress, try joseph (at) yao (dot) com)