I just have to vent at Leica... or myself...

[Godfrey]

The reason the baseplate latch was under the film canister on the film cameras what that, once up a time, it opened the film canister's light seal when you turned it. It was neither the wrong nor right place for the latch, it was simply where it had to be.

Personally, I had not noticed that it had switched to the other size on the M9. I just look for the catch tab on one edge to align it and lock it in place once it's seated. Rather blind of me, eh?

G

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I never got the hang of those digital baseplates. Over the course of two years, first with an M8 then an M9.

Now I shoot a Nikon digital with all AiS lenses and those things focus backwards as far as I'm concerned but the SLR has such a difference of operation that I seem to get it right somehow.

At least my Mamiya 6 focuses the proper way, like the Leica M4 and DR Summicron do.

Phil Forrest

 

[peterm1]

I do the same (ie tend to put it on the wrong way) but had not noticed that the base-plate is reversed by comparison with older models. I presume it must be for technical reasons. But even if there is a good technical reason Leica does tend to be quirky at times in how it chooses to do things........... and they always have had a reputation for doing slightly strange things. For example my old M3 has flash sync ports that are non standard - requiring that an adapter be used to be able to use any standard flash made in the past 60 years. That sort of thing. It can be galling at times. With the digital Ms what gets me is that unlike every other camera maker instead of using standard ISO settings (100,200,400 etc) it uses different ones (160, 320,640 etc) for what I can only say is for no good reason that I can conceive of. Good old Leica!

 

[Darthfeeble]

I've never had a film M, but I had the same thing with both my digitals. It's just un-natural.

 

[rscheffler]

Interesting observation. I've only shot digital Ms and would prefer to have the release latch at the same end as the film Ms... it seems to me like a more natural location for it.

Perhaps Leica reversed it so that when shooting film and digital Ms side by side, one doesn't accidentally pop open the baseplate of a film M when one meant to actually do it to the digital body...?

 

[Takkun]

It's a conspiracy I tell you, to sell more grips! You know, to the five people that actually buy them.

Never noticed this, since I have an M5. Moved the latch to the other side for the ratcheted rewind crank, which was moved for....some unknown reason with the embiggening of that camera.

 

[hepcat]

I do the same (ie tend to put it on the wrong way) but had not noticed that the base-plate is reversed by comparison with older models. I presume it must be for technical reasons. But even if there is a good technical reason Leica does tend to be quirky at times in how it chooses to do things........... and they always have had a reputation for doing slightly strange things. For example my old M3 has flash sync ports that are non standard - requiring that an adapter be used to be able to use any standard flash made in the past 60 years. That sort of thing. It can be galling at times. With the digital Ms what gets me is that unlike every other camera maker instead of using standard ISO settings (100,200,400 etc) it uses different ones (160, 320,640 etc) for what I can only say is for no good reason that I can conceive of. Good old Leica!

Peter, the M3 pre-dates the "standard" sync terminal, and the flash sync terminals on the M2 & M3 are actually a more solid setup than the "standard" PC sync terminals. Leica had hoped to set an industry standard with their version, but it wasn't to be so.

As far as the non-standard ISO numbers, once again the Leica system pre-dates the current standards... in the early film days, Kodachrome was rated at ASA 12, Kodacolor was rated at ASA 80, High Speed Ektachrome at 160, and Tri-X at 320.

There weren't any "standard" shutter speeds until the late '50s either. Early M3s have the early shutter speed designations, but that even varied by manufacturer.

 

[hepcat]

The reason the baseplate latch was under the film canister on the film cameras what that, once up a time, it opened the film canister's light seal when you turned it. It was neither the wrong nor right place for the latch, it was simply where it had to be.

Personally, I had not noticed that it had switched to the other size on the M9. I just look for the catch tab on one edge to align it and lock it in place once it's seated. Rather blind of me, eh?

G

That makes sense, but... the catch is under the take-up spool on the film bodies... even the Barnacks?

 

[hepcat]

It's a conspiracy I tell you, to sell more grips! You know, to the five people that actually buy them.

Never noticed this, since I have an M5. Moved the latch to the other side for the ratcheted rewind crank, which was moved for....some unknown reason with the embiggening of that camera.

And that may be exactly why they moved it... so the grips would fasten more solidly... for those five people.

 

[Scrambler]

Peter, the M3 pre-dates the "standard" sync terminal, and the flash sync terminals on the M2 & M3 are actually a more solid setup than the "standard" PC sync terminals. Leica had hoped to set an industry standard with their version, but it wasn't to be so.

While I am sure the second part is right, the Synchro-Compur shutter and its PC connector were out a few years before the M3.

Doesn't the IIIf use a PC connector? Or so I've read on RFF so it must be true 🙂

 

[hepcat]

While I am sure the second part is right, the Synchro-Compur shutter and its PC connector were out a few years before the M3.

Doesn't the IIIf use a PC connector? Or so I've read on RFF so it must be true 🙂

Yep. You're right! The IIIf AND the IIIg use the standard PC connector. Go figure...

 

[Godfrey]

That makes sense, but... the catch is under the take-up spool on the film bodies... even the Barnacks?

It's certainly under the film canister, where I would expect it, on my M4-2. I can't believe that my M4-2 is different from all other Leica Ms. And my IIf, IIc, and IIIf all had it in the same location.

G

 

[hepcat]

It's certainly under the film canister, where I would expect it, on my M4-2. I can't believe that my M4-2 is different from all other Leica Ms. And my IIf, IIc, and IIIf all had it in the same location.

G

Duh... of course it is. It's early and I'm working on my first cup of coffee. I think in my morning fog I was trying to picture it in my head, and what I came up with was that the rapid-load spool guide on the M2 was attached to the latch (instead of the post)... so of COURSE, the latch would have been under the take-up spool... and of course it wasn't... and isn't... duh... (except on the digi-Ms that don't HAVE a cassette OR take up spool) and of course it was waaaaay to much work to actually get out of my chair and pick up my camera and actually look at it... so I just sat in my morning stupor and confusion and posted. THAT oughta' learn me!

thanks Godfrey.

more coffee needed!!! 😉

 

[jsrockit]

I never noticed this either and did the same thing. Funny.

 

[Richard G]

It's a conspiracy I tell you, to sell more grips! You know, to the five people that actually buy them.

Never noticed this, since I have an M5. Moved the latch to the other side for the ratcheted rewind crank, which was moved for....some unknown reason with the embiggening of that camera.

I have an M5 and never had a problem with its baseplate. While the latch is the other side, is the lug on the body that engages the baseplate also 'wrong'? I'm not at home to check. I was using that concurrently with M6 and M2 and M9 and never seemed to have a problem. Perhaps the different shape allowed its uniqueness to settle in the brain immediately.

 

[hepcat]

In all the years I've shot Leica, I've never held an M5 Richard, but the lug is on the "wrong" side on the M8/M9, and I presume it would necessarily be on the opposite side of the catch on the M5 as well.

 

[Steve_F]

I'm waiting for the day my M6TTL battery dies and I inadvertently remove the base plate to change it, instead of the front cover. - whilst there's film in it.
That doesn't matter on my M9 of course🙄
No reflex action please.

Steve.