Flare/light leak? From M6 or Voigtlander?

[bhop73]

I've had my M6 for a few months now. I still love it, even though parts fall off sometimes.. but lately i've been noticing this..

It has been happening to at least one frame per roll, sometimes two, ever since I got my CV 28mm f/2. (it's the only lens i've used for a few rolls) Before that I only had my Canon 50 f/1.4 and never noticed it happening. This makes me think it's the lens, but while searching the web for answers, I noticed other people with early M6's having a similar issue? So that makes me wonder if maybe it's the camera body?

Any thoughts?

 

[bhop73]

Guess nobody knows.. ok..

 

[payasam]

It is light leaking around the lower edge of the shutter. Did you change lenses in the open while this frame was in the gate?

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

Three threads that might have some input to what you are experiencing.

I've had light leak issues with M's before. The only way I found a solution was to burn a few rolls and search for the problem. Lucky for me it turned out to be a loose base plate. This is a horizontal light leak, its possible the leak could be coming through the top of the shutter.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65353&highlight=light+leak

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70098&highlight=light+leak

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77947&highlight=light+leak

 

[payasam]

Sorry: upper edge, not lower.

 

[laptoprob]

Strange that it happens since you have your CV 28. This does not look like a lens thing.
It can very well be the top end of the film gate, where the shutter moves through. Like Mukul suggested.
Have a look with a flashlight along the edges of a closed shutter, both cocked and uncocked.

 

[payasam]

I've had this identical problem with two Leicas, first a IIIc and then an M2: except that in both, the defect was visible close to the tops of photos.

Let me be specific. Because this usually happens when changing lenses in relatively bright light, it is easily avoided. If you must change a lens in the outdoors, put a blank frame in the gate and discard it by winding on after the lens change. Ideally, of course, the camera should have skilled attention.

 

[bhop73]

Darn.. thanks for the help. Even though it's bad news.. 🙁

 

[bhop73]

Just had a thought.. the little ring that goes around the flash port recently fell off, possibly around the time I started noticing the leak on the frames. I was told by a repair guy that the part is just cosmetic, but it looks like a slight gap in the hole between the metal from the flash plug and the top plate, could light be getting in there?

 

[payasam]

The flash socket is nowhere near the place where the leak shows itself. It is also circular, not straight. Finally, a leak from the rear would have to go through the backing of the emulsion. The location and colour tell us that this is light leaking around the shutter.

 

[bhop73]

Ok, thanks...

 

[Philip Whiteman]

My mid 1980s M6 did this, fogging the lower part of the negative (top part of the image) upwards (downwards on the image) from a sharp horizontal edge.

The problem seemed to go away when I tightened the baseplate latch. It returned more recently, when I discovered the lens mounting ring had somehow worked loose on the camera body. Having fixed that, the problem seems to have gone away again.

I'd certainly get that flash socket trim back in place, if I were you.