Question About Film Door

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K57H639

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Hello, me again. I find myself with one more question regarding my newly acquired M6.

I was wondering if the film door on the back of the Leica was supposed to sit firmly in place, or if it was supposed to be a little loose.

On mine, it's a bit loose so you can hear it 'click' if pushed in a bit.

Here's a video to show you what I mean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Euhp_F0lEfE

It's probably nothing, but I just want to know if it's normal...

Thanks.
 
There tend to be a bit of play in the filmdoor and though it is abit nervewracking to hear it, it (usually) doesnt make a difference. There are felt seals that flex a bit when you press on the door and that can give the clicking sound. I would not worry about it, unless you start having problem with the contacts on the door not connecting properly. Filmplane shift is rare as the "filmback" on the door is springloaded and pushes the film against the rails in the body.
On my stash of M's (20+) this clicking sound occurs in about 1/2 of them and I have never had a problem that could be traced to it. Irritating yes, but function impaired-no!
 
I've had this 'feature' on about half of the Ms I have owned in the past, and the particular corner that creaks tends to vary. I actually sent a new M7 a la carte back to Leica UK in 2006 to see if they could reduce the play in the door but their response was, as Tom said, that this is normal and within specification.

Although it's not a fault as such, it is something I found very irritating, especially when it occurs in the upper right hand corner of the film door, which lies under your thumb when holding the camera. I recently spoke to one of the UK Leica engineers at Milton Keynes to see if it would be possible, when ordering an a la carte camera, to specify that they check for this during construction to avoid the problem but I was told that this would not be possible.

Guess you just have to take your chance. It won't affect the pictures of course, so it's not a huge problem. BUT - I was a little disappointed because one of the reasons to spend a lot of money on a Leica M is the enjoyment of using a well engineered piece of equipment. Have one creak and pop in your hands all the time does not inspire confidence!

All the best,

Dan
 
On mine, it is most apparent in the top right corner. The bottom corners are quite secure, and the top left is not that bad. I assumed it was worst in the top right becasue the previous owner of the camera probably put a lot of pressure on the top right corner if he held the camera with his thumb squeezing there.... Just my theory.
 
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I don't know if the amount of play in the corner changes with use, but my guess would be not, only because the problem seemed to be identical on a 1950s M2, a 1990s M6 and a brand new M7 straight from the factory. It's a pretty small sample though, so not exactly a robust analysis ;-)

Dan
 
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