Glass pressure plate

[colyn]

I was under the impression that only the very early (1954 first year) M3's had glass pressure plates but I have a double stroke 55 vintage M3 with glass.

What gives???

 

[SolaresLarrave]

You're just plain lucky, Colyn. Or a previous owner did you a favor.

 

[colyn]

You're just plain lucky, Colyn. Or a previous owner did you a favor.

I won this camera last week on ebay and had it fixed 20 after it arrived. While cleaning it I noticed it had a glass pressure plate and got to wondering if it was a transplant.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290102750651&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=019

 

[KM-25]

854001 in 1957 was the first metal pressure plate.

 

[Ororaro]

What's better? Glass or metal?

 

[KM-25]

What's better? Glass or metal?

Glass, or in the case of the M3, ceramic pressure plates are supposed to be superior at keeping film flat. But the downside of it might be that in really cold weather the static electricity could spark and cause fogged film.

There are no reports of this, so I highly doubt it has happened, especially since the double stroke slows the film transport speed down.

So really, there is no better one, I have never heard about a metal pressure plate not holding the film flat enough on a Leica M.

 

[Ororaro]

Thanks for the answer...

 

[kinoglass]

The issue of film flatness will never be resolved. Contax had designed a camera, a reflex which had sunction openings build in the pressure plate not only to stop the film firmly when shooting at a fast frame rate but also to keep it from buckling. Contax claimed that only then can modern lenses render their capable performances. I believe, they are theoretically right.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

The glass pressure plate was changed in about 1957 (sr. 844,xxx).