Davidae
Newbie
Hello, everyone,
I just bought an M3 in beautiful condition that has obviously been well taken care of and hasn't seen much use, serial number over 1 million. Using my M6-TTL over the last few years provided me with less working knowledge of the M3 than I originally thought. After bringing it home, I noticed a couple of issues: 1). I use a Leica 35mm f/2.0 ASPH. lens, and when focussing with the M3 to the minimum range of the lens, the rangefinder seems to stop at around 0.9 meters, although the lens can focus down to 0.7 meters. When the lens is on the M6, its rangefinder continues to focus down to the minimum 0.7 (so I know it's not a problem with the lens). Is the M3 in need of repair, or is the lens focussing beyond the operational limit of the M3's rangefinder? 2). The 1/8th second shutter speed cycles too quickly (sounding closer to 1/60th or 1/125th). It's an intermittent problem, which is why it didn't occur on my initial inspection when purchasing. Without doing a film exposure test, and judging by ear alone, it appears to be the only shutter speed that is way off. At first, it occurred on every other trip of the shutter. Now it seems to be off only after 5 or 6 trips in a row. Is this a typical problem on M3s? Could this indicate the need for a major repair (i.e., over $500)? Any insight would be most helpful. Thank you!
I just bought an M3 in beautiful condition that has obviously been well taken care of and hasn't seen much use, serial number over 1 million. Using my M6-TTL over the last few years provided me with less working knowledge of the M3 than I originally thought. After bringing it home, I noticed a couple of issues: 1). I use a Leica 35mm f/2.0 ASPH. lens, and when focussing with the M3 to the minimum range of the lens, the rangefinder seems to stop at around 0.9 meters, although the lens can focus down to 0.7 meters. When the lens is on the M6, its rangefinder continues to focus down to the minimum 0.7 (so I know it's not a problem with the lens). Is the M3 in need of repair, or is the lens focussing beyond the operational limit of the M3's rangefinder? 2). The 1/8th second shutter speed cycles too quickly (sounding closer to 1/60th or 1/125th). It's an intermittent problem, which is why it didn't occur on my initial inspection when purchasing. Without doing a film exposure test, and judging by ear alone, it appears to be the only shutter speed that is way off. At first, it occurred on every other trip of the shutter. Now it seems to be off only after 5 or 6 trips in a row. Is this a typical problem on M3s? Could this indicate the need for a major repair (i.e., over $500)? Any insight would be most helpful. Thank you!
