How durable is the Leica?

I have owned and used half a dozen Leicas over the years, I am a big fan. But of the cameras I have owned (Nikon, Canon, Pentax), the Leicas are by far the least reliable. My M4M got a jammed shutter mechanism after dropping from a chair onto a carpeted floor, my earlier M4 had the shutter curtains fail twice. My M3 suffered a shutter curtain failure, my M6 was prone to having the rangefinder knocked out of adjustment (though every M I have owned has required this adjustment at least twice), and the batteries going dead every other week. When out shooting with a Leica, I carry a backup, because two times now I have been stuck without a working camera when whichever Leica I was using broke down on me.

With Canon cameras like the F1, I have had an issue with the shutter not working at 1/1000, with the Pentax 67 I have had problems with shutters not working at all speeds. With Nikon cameras, I have never had any problem of any type. The worst camera I have owned is the Minolta X1. I can't believe Minolta had the nerve to call the X1 a "professional" camera, both of the ones I used worked well for short periods of time, but both are now paperweights.

If you want reliable, get an old Nikon F. If it works when you buy it, it will probably still work when you sell it, even if it is fifty years later.
 
I´ve run over my M9 with the car, but don´t have more problems with the camera as before, that is, the usual M9 quirks. Ah, and yes, a slightly dented top cover.
 
Leicas work as well as anything else.

In my experience, if you bought it new yourself you are more likely to trust it. If you bought it used and don't know how it has been treated, not so much.

But, here in the alternative reality of the internet, anything is possible. Leicas die daily while Nikons and Canons run unserviced for decades. 🙂
 
A friend had put his M4-P on the roof of his car (no eveready case), then forgetfully drove off. He remembered a short distance down the road, drove back and picked up the camera. It was still working perfectly, no dents, rangefinder still OK. He was probably lucky, but still . . .
 
Artorius said:
Bill,
There are a few stories in the Military about such things, I have one personal incident I can speak to. I was in Viet Nam in '71 where we were in a firefight and I had two cameras with me. I was shooting a M2 with a Nikon F around my neck. I caught a round in the F and got knocked on my ass. It stopped the round, was found in the film chamber, hurt like hell but I am alive.
There was another member of Combat Camera in my MOPIC group who took a round in his Bell & Howell 16mm while filming. He got one hell of a headache and a huge black eye, but he was still alive when I left VN in '72.
I know there is a lot of hype about tough cameras, but these two incidents support a good history of well made "durable" cameras.
Click to expand...

Artorius -- thanks for sharing. This is astonishing -- do you still have the camera?
 
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