v_roma
Well-known
The CLE manual says you shouldn't do it. Is this a real issue or just an overly conservative manufacturer warning?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Leaving shutter cocked overnight in CLE
- Thread starter v_roma
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 5
- Views 4K
SolaresLarrave
My M5s need red dots!
Did you notice something in the camera after leaving the shutter cocked overnight? If not, there's no damage done. If so, what was it?
To me, the only major risk is probably battery drain. In any event, nothing will happen if you did it overnight. You could even leave the shutter cocked for weeks on end before really damaging it. I've left my M3 that way for weeks, and I think my M4-2 has also had this "experience" and they still perform well.
Now, the few times I left the shutter cocked in my M6TTL bodies I lost the batteries.
Now, I don't own a CLE, so my opinion may not be backed by experience, but from owning a few metered Leica bodies, I can tell that the only "risk" here is battery drain.
Let's see if CLE owners have something different to say. Have a fun day! 🙂
To me, the only major risk is probably battery drain. In any event, nothing will happen if you did it overnight. You could even leave the shutter cocked for weeks on end before really damaging it. I've left my M3 that way for weeks, and I think my M4-2 has also had this "experience" and they still perform well.
Now, the few times I left the shutter cocked in my M6TTL bodies I lost the batteries.
Now, I don't own a CLE, so my opinion may not be backed by experience, but from owning a few metered Leica bodies, I can tell that the only "risk" here is battery drain.
Let's see if CLE owners have something different to say. Have a fun day! 🙂
Palaeoboy
Joel Matherson
Its an overly conservative manufacturer warning. Its true that certain springs and levers are tensioned by the cocking process but I have left my CLEs cocked for months between shots and all has been fine. So overnight is definitely not a problem. Often you cock the shutter to take a photo and then when you line the shot up you change your mind and not use the camera for a few days. If any film camera couldnt cope with that it would break before the first year it was made.
One thing to consider however is film flatness. When you first wind to the next shot the film is tensioned to be as flat as it can be. If left however some of that tension is lost and the film doesnt stay as flat. This believed by the die hards to be critical to film sharpness. Ive never put it to the test but it seems a logical premise. So IF I can remember not to cock the shutter till im ready to use it then I try too but thats a really big IF I remember.
One thing to consider however is film flatness. When you first wind to the next shot the film is tensioned to be as flat as it can be. If left however some of that tension is lost and the film doesnt stay as flat. This believed by the die hards to be critical to film sharpness. Ive never put it to the test but it seems a logical premise. So IF I can remember not to cock the shutter till im ready to use it then I try too but thats a really big IF I remember.
v_roma
Well-known
Thank you both for the responses. I can understand trying not to leave it cocked for long periods of time as a general practice but I wasn't sure if there was something specific to how the CLE was built that made that more of an issue.
John Rountree
Nothing is what I want
After World War II Leica did some tests on cameras that had been stored and used during the war. They specifically wanted to see if shutters left cocked for a long time would cause any adverse affects on the shutter assembly. As far as I know they only tested Leicas, but they found no degradation in shutter accuracy or reliability in cameras that had been left cocked for several years.
zwarte_kat
Well-known
I always leave my shutter cocked on the CLE, sometimes for weeks. Never had any issues. I replaced the batteries the other day, not because the were empty, but because they were in the camera so long that I was afraid they would start leaking.
