Does your M work at 1/1000?

[crawdiddy]

My M6 and even my IIIf seem to work fine at 1/1000.

I have a Canon F-1n (mechanical) with a moderate case of shutter bounce at 1/1000 and 1/2000. The bounce causes overexposure. I'm not sure what actually happens to result in capping.

 

[squinza]

My M6 is perfect @ 1/1000, I use it a lot!

 

[ruby.monkey]

My M3 is fine, as my M2. My MDa was fine at 1/1000 but slow below about 1/15; after being serviced (at a shop that had previously done great work on a number of classic cameras of mine) it ended up underexposing at all speeds up to and including 1/500 and tapering at 1/1000.

No matter. It and its brethren are due a little TLC over the next few months - but this time from someone who knows what he's doing.

 

[Graham Line]

M4-P here works well enough. Technician sets it so 1/500 is dead on and it seems to hold that speed accurately for a couple years of steady use. Never get much below 1/30 so have no idea what's going on there.

 

[rogerzilla]

Never get much below 1/30 so have no idea what's going on there.

Bad stuff probably - the delay escapement gets sticky between services if not used. Doesn't affect the other speeds though.

 

[morback]

I had that happen last winter with my M2, but much worse (90% of the frame blackened). Before that the left side of my frames was ever so slightly over exposed. Thank god it was on the last frames of the last roll on that trip...
I have to say it gave me a bad feeling about the M2 and mechanical Leicas. There was no audible (to me) difference between the working speed and the not working one. It all clacked away as it usually does. I wonder if it was the cold that triggered that.
In any case I'm happy to have an electronic shutter camera. When it fails, it'll let me know right away and prevent me from shooting blank frames for the rest of my trip...
The M2 was overhauled since then, and to be fair that was the first overhaul since it was sold. It seems to be working fine, though I've spotted the weird band on frame edges a few times since. I'm not sure if it's film or camera related, I'll have to shoot more and see if it's only a 1/1000 issue or general...

 

[morback]

I had that happen last winter with my M2, but much worse (90% of the frame blackened). Before that the left side of my frames was ever so slightly over exposed. Thank god it was on the last frames of the last roll on that trip...
I have to say it gave me a bad feeling about the M2 and mechanical Leicas. There was no audible (to me) difference between the working speed and the not working one. It all clacked away as it usually does. I wonder if it was the cold that triggered that.
In any case I'm happy to have an electronic shutter camera. When it fails, it'll let me know right away and prevent me from shooting blank frames for the rest of my trip...
The M2 was overhauled since then, and to be fair that was the first overhaul since it was sold. It seems to be working fine, though I've spotted the weird band on frame edges a few times since. I'm not sure if it's film or camera related, I'll have to shoot more and see if it's only a 1/1000 issue or general...

 

[Alberti]

My M3 certainly doesn't; big black shadow on the left of the frame and underexposure. [...]
Here's what happens!

Hi Rogerz,
I assume this is a slide film. I had a white side on negatives on my M2 even at 1/500 - indeed on this same left side.
I asked the cameraman howaboutit and he suggested trading in to an M6. Now I see I wasted money (could have it CLA'd) and - - - I always liked the handling of my M2 more than my M6.
albert

 

[gho]

My M4-P is functioning perfectly at 1/1000. These cameras are real workhorses.

 

[rogerzilla]

That's a scanned negative. White = overexposure and normally suggests shutter bounce although it could also be a sticky second curtain. Black = underexposure which means the slit has narrowed or, in this case, completely closed as the curtains travel across the gate.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Looking at the picture there is no overexposure, so the camera certainly fired at the right speed. However there seems to be a probleem with the first shuttercurtain, it doesn't fully open: get a proper cla.

Did you fire the shutter with open back?: perhaps you can see that the first curtain is staggering.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

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

Probably followed by a "shame on Leica!"


What's going on is two things:

1) 1/1000 is approximate the longer time passes without a good adjustment; it's not that "it never works", it's that it's just that: an approximation. A very good tech can make it be as faithful as possible.

2) Speaking of having a very good tech: that's what you need: it's obviously capping/bouncing a little.


Shame on misunderinformation truthiness OPs!

 

[rogerzilla]

Well, it's now in the post to the dealer, which has its own in-house technician. It's one of the largest official Leica dealers in the UK, so it should come back working.

 

[softshock]

That's shutter bounce. Both of my M's had that, but now both function as they should. You should send it for repair.

 

[umcelinho]

never had this 1/1000 issue with any of the 3 Ms I've had: M6, M3 and M4. all perfect.

 

[sleepyhead]

Like most people (I guess), I shoot mostly speeds between 1/30th and 1/500th.

But what I try to do between rolls of film is cycle through all the speeds, up and down a couple of times, to keep all the mechanisms nimble.

Plus I just love that "ke-zcher" sound that 1/15th makes!

 

[roboflick]

Like most people (I guess), I shoot mostly speeds between 1/30th and 1/500th.

But what I try to do between rolls of film is cycle through all the speeds, up and down a couple of times, to keep all the mechanisms nimble.

Plus I just love that "ke-zcher" sound that 1/15th makes!

I do the same thing! I love the sounds of the shutter below 1/30th as well and cycle through them for the fun of it and to exercise the shutter between rolls. Part of the joy of owning an M3! DAG recently adjusted my 1/500th and 1/1000th to be spot on

Send it to DAG may be more expensive but you will have a trouble free camera for a lifetime.
Nik

 

[rogerzilla]

Well, the M3 is back. I don't know where it's been but it seems to have a new seal in the lens mount and the VF is rather brighter than it was. I wonder if it's had a service somewhere?

Time to load it up and shoot some stuff at 1/1000!

 

[kipkeston]

Very normal. Just have it adjusted, no CLA needed. My M6 was like that, but DAG got it going right.

 

[rogerzilla]

Ah bugger. It's exactly the same as it was. Time to send it to a competent repairer, I think, and also to tell the dealer that their technician is a charlatan.