All Metal vs Plastic-tipped Advance Lever

I actually, weirdly, feel pretty strongly about this. I like the look, and most importantly the feel, of the metal one-piece better. I even had my M7's lever swapped out for a metal one-piece.

The advance lever is a major part of your interface with the camera...if you love the way it feels, you love using the camera!
 
My M8 is missing the wind lever but I've never noticed. There is a little squirrel inside that does the winding.
 
CLE-RF said:
Can anyone confirm this, or can you share sources? I never heard of this before.
Click to expand...

It's true - the M3 DS version is shorter compared to those produced later. Although "functionally" the same, the MP advance lever is slightly different yet - a little less metal is used on the arm (it is a bit thinner).
 
So, if the SS had longer levers, did Leitz swap the levers as well when you factory upgraded from DS to SS?

Or can I tell from the lever length whether a camera started out as DS vs SS?

EDIT: I was wondering about the above, since I have sent my black M3 DS off to Will van Manen and cannot check the lever length. But, I just thought of the shots on my Flickr with the M3 in them: the substitute black lever I bought and fitted on it apparently is the MP lever. Longer than the M3 DS lever and less thickness.

That's gonna itch for some time to come, gotta find myself a correct lever for that M3🙁
 
Last edited:
Well- you made me look at the M3DS. And it makes sense that they had to length the advance lever on the Single Stroke model as the lever has to be rotated farther.

Also on the Double Stroke: the eyepiece is a smaller diameter and has less eye relief than the Single Stroke.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
Well- you made me look at the M3DS. And it makes sense that they had to length the advance lever on the Single Stroke model as the lever has to be rotated farther.

Also on the Double Stroke: the eyepiece is a smaller diameter and has less eye relief than the Single Stroke.
Click to expand...

Keep looking - there were literally dozens of tweaks (most were 'improvements') made to the M3 over its life-span.

Ironically, the M4 underwent NONE (the only film Leica M model of which you could say that).
 
Even my Nikon F2's underwent the tweek of substituting a Plastic Tipped advance lever for the original all-metal lever.

My M3DS is a later one, preview, metal pressure plate, and newer series shutter-speed progression. It's 8/1957 production, about a month newer than me.
 
The M3 metal one on an M6 gets very close to the shutter speed dial.

The plastic one is made to have some "give" as Leica clearly realized their rewind cranks were not as robust as Japanese SLRs, so this "give" in later designs actually protects your gear.

Use what was designed for it - metal on earlier models, plastic on M4ps and up.
 
Many years ago a Leica rep visited a large camera store near here and offered free shutter speed checks so I took my trusty M3 in and he is the one who told me about the different lever lengths. My M3 #802280 should be a DS but at some point got upgraded altho still with the shorter wind lever. I like the metal levers but the plastic ones on my M6's work just fine. Joe
 
I'm dealing with the trauma of seeing a thread on the main page entitled 'All Metal vs Plastic-tipped Advance Lever' running to thirty five posts ...

... now thirty six! 😱
 
It was on Oprah last week, people are only starting to talk now. It was the big conversation over the lunch table at work....
 
Keith said:
I'm dealing with the trauma of seeing a thread on the main page entitled 'All Metal vs Plastic-tipped Advance Lever' running to thirty five posts ...

... now thirty six! 😱
Click to expand...
but one of the metal levers is about 4mm longer....thickness of a couple of matchsticks!....this is BIG deal! - think how it will affect your shooting! 😱
 
aizan said:
the solution, of course, is the hexar rf. 😀
Click to expand...
Aw, you beat me to it...

tjh said:
My M8 is missing the wind lever but I've never noticed. There is a little squirrel inside that does the winding.
Click to expand...
My Hexars use hamsters. Big, healthy hamsters...

Funny thing is, up until the M2 I got on very-extended loan last year, all my main-line cameras have been non-wind-lever-equipped (i.e. built-in motorized wind/rewind) for the last eighteen years. What's an underemployed right thumb to do?


- Barrett
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom