Leica abuse!

[mooge]

My friend told me that a reason why he bought his Leica was that it could withstand the abuse of his arduous cycling trips- he broke his Canon FTb on one of such expeditions, the meter messed up or something worse...

but what about the RF mechanism? I imagine that the shutter and advance stuff are pretty sturdy, but if you beat a Leica about, does the RF go out of whack? how does it stand to drops and collisions?

or perhaps I'll simplify the question- what sort of abuse have you put your Leica through, what happened, what (if anything) broke?

cheers!
Dragunov.

 

[swoop]

I brought along an R3a on a cross country bicycle trip. About 1,700 miles. Worked fine the entire time.

My Leica has survived a 3 foot drop. Torrential rain and sleet (only occasionally being taken out of the sopping wet bag. Perpetual snow and freezing conditions. Occasional knocks around. They're very hardy cameras.
Having it in the underseat storage of my scooter caused the rewind lock lever screw to come loose and then dissappear. I think it was because of the excessive vibration of the engine. But Leica sent me another free of charge after a quick phone call.

 

[mooge]

ok! that answers my query... but I was hoping for more than one response... what, the rest of you are a little more careful?

thanks, Swoop! and what M was it by the way?

 

[piazza63]

I would like to hear more about this. Because I have heard that riding a bike with an M can loosen up small screws and mis align the RF. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have not been riding with mine out of this fear. And would love to take it with me on the bike.

 

[breathstealer]

I've yet to have a problem on a bike but I did bump the RF out of alignment on my RD-1 when I put it in the back of a moped.

 

[Al Kaplan]

The R3 was based on a Minolta body, as was the R4. The last reflex that Leica made that was built to traditional Leica standards was the SL2.

Sometimes you can knock the hell out of a Leica M and just get a slight dent, sometimes an M rangefinder might get out of whack, and on the rare occasion what seems like a gentle bump can delaminate the main prism and you'll just see black in the viewfinder. From my own experience all of these are pretty rare happenings though. The M series can stand plenty of rough and tumble use over decades of time, and more than likely will still function just fine when they're well past the point of looking pretty. My Leica M bodies date from the fifties and sixties and do NOT look pretty but they're still chugging along and feel smooth when you wind them. The shutters are still close to accurate. Always carry a seperate meter even if the camera has one built in. Meters have a life span of their own.

 

[samoksner]

i dropped mine in a 2 foot puddle once (m2), picked it up and examined it... I rewound the film and when i got home, i opened up the film door and let it dry, 2 days later i had more film going through it.

I can't say much to physical shock though.

 

[hans voralberg]

A few swing and bang to concrete walls for my M3, still working 😉

 

[Roger Hicks]

Sometimes you can knock the hell out of a Leica M and just get a slight dent, sometimes an M rangefinder might get out of whack, and on the rare occasion what seems like a gentle bump can delaminate the main prism and you'll just see black in the viewfinder. From my own experience all of these are pretty rare happenings though. The M series can stand plenty of rough and tumble use over decades ....

Exactly. And the lenses are even tougher. I worry more abut being struck by lightning than I do about rangefinder problems with Leicas. That's after almost 40 years with screw Leicas, 35 with Ms -- and NOT always new Ms.

Tashi delek,

Roger

 

[projectbluebird]

My M3 has taken a few tumbles, including at least one out of a bag onto a concrete floor. The most arduous abuse was probably one two week trip through the American West. Exposed to Sand, Salt, Sun and Beer, left loose in the back of a 14 passenger van, and at least one snowbank.

It wasn't anywhere near mint when I got it and as far as I can tell; I've managed to add a few new brightmarks, one scratch, and a missing chunk of vulcanite. No effect on focusing or operation, and my main lens is a summilux from the same year.

Incidentally, that lens is a great example of the protection provided by a proper hood. It has the leitz clip on hood (I forget the name) with four little tabs that grip the outside mounting ring. There are a number of dents the size of those tabs. Caused by the camera hitting something hard (the ground, walls, etc) with the shade on.

My M3 isn't pretty, but it has shaken off anything I've put it through without slowing down. I refuse to treat it like a baby, I'd much rather put it to good use doing what it was designed for. Taking pictures!

 

[Sparrow]

Isn’t anybody going to do the Jacques Cousteau story? That one is always good for a laugh

😀

 

[Vince Lupo]

In Solms at the Leica factory there's a little 'museum' of sorts (more like a large glass case on a wall) that has, among other things, a Leica that was dropped from a plane (recovered, film was processed and still worked), one that blocked a shot from a gun, and one that was recovered from the wreck of the Hindenburg (though of course that one no longer worked).

Personally, I haven't done anything catastrophic with my M's, but I did have one of my screw mount Leica's fall on the sidewalk from a 4 foot drop about 20 years ago. Other than a bit of a dent on the bottom corner, no harm done and I still use the camera today.

 

[Harry Lime]

Vibration is the enemy of all mechanical devices. High frequency vibration in particular.

Make sure the camera is packed with a good amount of padding. Some people will wrap it in a small towel or coarse bubble wrap.

 

[sevo]

The R3 was based on a Minolta body, as was the R4. The last reflex that Leica made that was built to traditional Leica standards was the SL2.

Uh, for hard abuse, I'd pick either a R3 or R6 over pretty much any other Leica reflex, and certainly over the SL/SL2.

The SLs were complex and vulnerable, and rather prone to failure when used hard - they never reached a M-like reliability, and most press photographers back then either kept to their M's or left the brand for Nikon. The R3 was a considerable improvement on them, rock solid, and the first Leica reflex which saw wide acceptance among hard-working pros (the R4 initially was a setback, but improved to R3 like quality later in the series).

In the long run, the R3/R4 seem rather more subject to wear than the SLs if we go by the state used ones are currently in, but that may be due to the fact that these were seriously used, while SLs often ended as shelf queens quite soon in their life cycle.

Sevo

 

[bidnez]

Sorry, but for taking a beating; old Nikons all the way. Nikkormats and Fs. Heavy and edgy, yes, but unflinching. I ran over a Nikkormat FTN with the back wheel of a Toyota Corrolla many years ago; took the base plate off and pushed the dent out and continued shooting. I saw a friends F after it was dropped down a rocky mountainside for quite a distance. Not pretty anymore, but i worked.

The RD1 is a great camera, but rather sensitive in the rangefinder departement, I´ve learned. On the other hand; you can re-adjust it yourself - even if it´s a bit tricky with hands (and motoric skills) like mine. 🙂

 

[Ronald M]

M are pretty shock resistent, but are not tolerent of water.

The one that fel out of an airplane belonged to a PJ who lost it out of a F4 Phantom over the Mojave Desert from 20,000. It was not found for years.

Leica Photography had an article about someone who fastened one to the front of a motorcycle and went all over Europe. It survived.

Water no. There are no water seals and you either get lucky or not. Get it significantly wet and it is off to repair to prevent rust. PJs in Vietnam used to cycle the cameras every few months through repair whether they worked or not.

Personally, mine are in a bag or up to my eye.

 

[Sparrow]

The one that fel out of an airplane belonged to a PJ who lost it out of a F4 Phantom over the Mojave Desert

How could that happen? The canopy would need to be open

 

[feenej]

Isn’t anybody going to do the Jacques Cousteau story? That one is always good for a laugh

😀

What is the story?

 

[DriesI]

My brand new MP3 developed rangefinder misalignment after about 6 months.

Probable cause: 2x 30min train ride per day.

I always did put the camera on a litte desk or beside me on the couch.
Don't do that.

Vibrations can be a threat. The intensity, but even more the exact frequency of the vibration is important. I think I just had bad luck that that train had a frequency in its ride that resonated with the rangefinder mechanism.

Keep the camera in a well padded bag to reduce impact from vibrations.

Dries

 

[Beemermark]

I would like to hear more about this. Because I have heard that riding a bike with an M can loosen up small screws and mis align the RF. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have not been riding with mine out of this fear. And would love to take it with me on the bike.

I've been riding all over the country on my Motorcycle with the (generally) camera equipment in my take bag for decades.. I no longer even own a car. I used to do 30,000 miles a year though now I only ride between 14~15K. I have never,ever had any screw come loose. I have never had the RF come out of alignment. I've seen (and bought) Leica's whose top deck (made of solid brass) was horribly dented from a great fall and still worked great. Back when I used to use Sherry K. for my CLA she was aghast and convinced the camera would fall apart in my tank bag, it never did. Never had any problems with my CLE either. Also I have never,ever felt a bicycle vibrate. I can't imagine how riding a bicycle would cause any thing to come apart. Roger Hicks also travels by motorcycle so he is another source.