Cocked or Uncocked

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wontonny

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When carrying your M around do you keep the shutter cocked or uncocked? Is it prone to accidental firing when cocked and you're just carrying it around on your shoulder?
 
I do a lot of street candids where a second one way or the other is a missed shot. Having a blank frame in a roll of film is nothing compared to missing 'THE" shot. I am locked and loaded. When the camera is though for the day , I fire the shutter to keep tension off the springs.
 
Always cocked. Never release "the tension". There's no point.

Any pre-M8 Leica M is made to last forever.
 
Now I have the M5 back, I'm trying to get out of the habit of cocking the shutter immediately after taking a shot. Why? Because cocking the shutter turns on the light meter, draining the battery!
 
Cocked and ready to go. On the Bessa R3a I keep the shutter lock in the locked position to prevent mis-firing when the camera is in my bag since it's a lot easier to flip this than cock the shutter.
 
ChrisN said:
Now I have the M5 back, I'm trying to get out of the habit of cocking the shutter immediately after taking a shot. Why? Because cocking the shutter turns on the light meter, draining the battery!
Click to expand...

Chris, I can't actually say for M5, but in M6 the meter operates under two conditions: cocking the shutter (thereby bringing the white metering spot on the curtain into metering position) AND half-pressing the release button. So, even if the camera is cocked, the battery doesn't get drained unless you press the release.
If M5 behaves in similar manner, you may not worry about battery to get exhausted in cocked camera if staying clear of pressing the release button.

Alex
 
Always cocked and ready - though, I am reconsidering this as I'm getting a soft release. I never worried with just the basic shutter release as it's quite small and somewhat recessed in, what I call, the 'shutter release dish.' With a soft release on it, however, it will be a LOT easier to trip off the shutter.

Not concerned about the spring tension either as it's ALWAYS under 50% full tension anyway (75% when cocked).
 
Always cocked! But I don't use a(n) (n)ever ready case and it happens every once in a while that the shutter is released in the bag and I'm missing THE shot anyhow. It seems that the M's have very tough tensioning springs and it doesn't matter if they're stored cocked or not.
 
Leitz had to replace most of the innards of my M2 - worn, stripped a cog, they had trouble with parts even in '76.

Always cocked, in gbag.

Noel
 
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alexz said:
Chris, I can't actually say for M5, but in M6 the meter operates under two conditions: cocking the shutter (thereby bringing the white metering spot on the curtain into metering position) AND half-pressing the release button. So, even if the camera is cocked, the battery doesn't get drained unless you press the release.
If M5 behaves in similar manner, you may not worry about battery to get exhausted in cocked camera if staying clear of pressing the release button.

Alex
Click to expand...


Hi Alex - no, with the M5, the cell is mounted on a swinging arm, which is raised into place as soon as the shutter is cocked (if a lens is mounted). It is then switched on. And, as soon as you start to depress the shutter, the arm starts to swing out of the way. It works well, and I don't really know what the battery drain is like, but I don't want to waste the good battery that Sherry provided!
 
My M's are cocked all the time when a film is in. Cannot remember a single incidental firing.

M6ttl and M4 so no worries about draining the battery.

Roel
 
All this talk of cock..ing the shutter.

If I'm out taking photo's then the camera is in my hand. I instinctively wind-on after each frame.. If I have the camera stored in my bag then the lens is collapsed and the camera is as-is after the last frame, uncocked. I just don't like the thought of out of focus inside-bag shots :)
 
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