Does your M work at 1/1000?

[rogerzilla]

My M3 certainly doesn't; big black shadow on the left of the frame and underexposure. M7, M8 and M9 users can skip this as I think they have quartz timed shutters.

I have used this speed precisely once in the first 150 frames or so, so I'm wondering whether to let the dealer fix it under the six month warranty or just to ignore it until a full CLA at my usual technician.

All other speeds are good from 1-1/500.

The question may seem facetious but I remember a collection of Leica tips that included, "Don't use 1/1000. It never works."

Here's what happens!

 

[MartinP]

It might be 1/800 or so, but it should be useable. Go for the warranty option.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

It needs a CLA. Get it taken care of under warranty.

 

[SimonSawSunlight]

both my M2s are perfect at 1/1000, with my M4 I feel that I get a little falloff on the left side of the negative (nowhere nearly as bad as your example above), usually neglectabe but sometimes it bothers me a bit.

 

[Vics]

Plus one for the warranty. The 1/1000 on my M3 is perfect.

 

[Roger Hicks]

All mine always have. Not just Ms; the IIIa too.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

All of them work, but none of them time out at exactly 1/1000 -- more like 1/800 or 1/750. These are the results of hand-testing with a Calumet shutter tester. The only shutters I have ever tested that test within 1/6 of a stop of their top speed are electronically controlled (e.g. Nikon F4s) But what you are showing is some bad capping. Time for a shutter CLA or overhaul.

Note: the difference between 1/750 and 1/1000 is pretty small -- about 1/3 stop. Chances are you would not notice.

Ben Marks

 

[Eric L]

I've had that happen to my M3 and M6 on 1/1000. It can be fixed. And yes, it seems to show up a lot on the older Ms. And yes after adjusting they weren't exactly 1/1000. Probably closer to 1/800.

 

[daninjc]

My M6 works fine at 1/1000 - never seen anything that bad.
It looks like it's time for a CLA.

 

[250swb]

The question may seem facetious but I remember a collection of Leica tips that included, "Don't use 1/1000. It never works."

Hmmm, probably a load of bollocks.

Even my IIIf works reliably and accurately at 1/1000th of a second. And I haven't had an M3, M2, M4 , or M6 that hasn't also done this simple trick.

Steve

 

[Mackinaw]

The shutter on my MP and M3 work perfectly at 1/1000.

Your shutter is capping, which is where one of the shutter curtains is overtaking the other. A common malady for any focal plane shutter camera built 40+ years ago. A CLA will fix this easily.

Jim B.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Your camera came with a 6-month warranty and you're thinking about using it?

I wouldn't think twice about it. Have the camera repaired under warranty.

BTW, all of my M bodies work at 1/1000th of a second. I use them mostly at that speed and f5.6 or smaller with ISO 400 film under sunny conditions.

Take care... and use that warranty! 🙂

 

[rogerzilla]

OK...it's going back for adjustment. Thanks all.

Incidentally, totting up the number of films, I've actually put 300 frames through it, not 150. Shows how little I use the top speed, but I wanted the Summar almost wide open for this particular shot.

 

[Michiel Fokkema]

Never had this on any of my leica's. BUt they get CLA's every 5 years or so.
Cheers,
Michiel Fokkema

 

[Landshark]

It's a simple adjustment to correct it, have your dealer fix it.

No, you don't want to try.

Cameras, new or old are in tolerance at 1000 if they actually run at 1/750 or 1/1250.

 

[Tom A]

Mechanical cameras rarely have perfect 1/1000 - there is a fairly large "slop" factor built in. I have a lot of M's and in a fit of boredom I checked the speeds of all of them and though most of the "regular" (1/8 to 1/500) speeds were within 4-5% of dial setting, the slower speeds were slightly "draggy" on several and most had a 1/1000 that was closer to 1/800 - or in one case 1/1200 (with a strained noise to the shutter at that speed).
Electronic shutters tend to do better, but do require batteries and usually have a shorter life-span.
Remember that when Contax came out with the rangefinder (pre-war) and touted its 1/1250 top speed. I have had several of these and none even came close to that, usually topped out at 1/900 or 1/1000. It was all marketing - Leica's at the time had a top-speed of 1/1000 (again closer to 1/750) - so there was a difference - but not at indicated speeds.
The OP's M is fairly typical. In 150 shots, only one was at 1/1000 and he probably caught the camera by surprise - trying to achieve it. Sometimes it could mean that it need to be adjusted - sometimes it can be fixed by cycling 50-100 exposures at 1/1000 to "free" up the mechanism a bit.
Whenever i get a new (to me camera body) I put the camera on a tripod, load up a short roll (18-20 exp) and cycle through all speeds (adjusting the light so that it will cover all speeds and apertures) and process and check. The "density" of the negative should be the same at all speeds - only the depth of field should change. Small variations are OK - now when Kodachrome 25 is gone! It is a good idea to do this at least once a year and catch the problem early. I also do it with any cameras that are coming along on a trip. Cheap "insurance" and instills a bit of confidence in the equipment.

 

[shadowfox]

Just making sure that M4-P is represented here 🙂
1/1000 settings works just fine.

 

[kully]

I don't know whether they were a true 1/1000 but my two M2s and my M3 were always exposing well enough at that setting for me to ever notice.

Even my 1939 IIIa exposes fine at 1/1000.

As Tom said, there will be variance with mechanical shutters, but it all gets chucked in with variance in your metering &c.

However, you camera is not just a little off.

 

[ChrisN]

My M4 is fine at 1/1000 - just don't ask me about the 1s setting!

 

[Keith]

I'd love to see a test of the Hybrid Shutter in the FM3A ... with batteries and without to see how accurate it is in mechanical mode compared to electronic.

Not many mechanical shutters run to 1/4000!