Leica did not perform in cold weather

A big thank-you to everyone who replied!

The film could have very well been mis-loaded, as this is my first Leica; however, I loaded the roll 4 or 5 times before I actually went outside to use it to make sure I knew how to do it properly. The weird thing was that at about frame 20, after being outside for awhile and having shot those 20 frames outside, the film stopped advancing. Seemed strange to me that it worked up until that point.

When I bought this camera I didn't ask if there had been a recent CLA--I was too excited that I got such a good deal it didn't even cross my mind. I did ear-test the shutter speed accuracy and everything seemed kosher. Yesterday I used the serial number to look up the age of the camera and discovered it was made in December of 1978. If the previous owner hadn't sent it in for a CLA, I'm sure that's my problem right there. I hear DAG is amazing. I may require his services sooner than I originally thought...

For the record, the Leica was hanging around my neck, outside my jacket the entire time I was outside. The camera does get extremely cold after being in those sorts of conditions! Even through thick gloves it hurts to hold it for more than 5 seconds at a time. I can certainly understand that the film would be very brittle in this weather.

Speaking of cold cameras (sorry...I'm going off on a tangent): I was thinking of buying a Luigi half-case to protect my fingers from freezing when I hold the camera in winter. Film is brittle, and I assume leather would, too. Can anyone tell me from personal experience if Luigi's cases hold up in the cold?

Thanks again to everyone who replied!
 
calexg -

Have you pulled the film out yet?

From the sound of it, I think that the film breaking is the most likely possible occurrence. It happened to me for the first time in a long time this winter.
 
calexg said:
.... I was thinking of buying a Luigi half-case to protect my fingers from freezing when I hold the camera in winter. Film is brittle, and I assume leather would, too. Can anyone tell me from personal experience if Luigi's cases hold up in the cold? .....quote]

There's no point that the leather case should make any trouble as it stays in shape and it's not supposed to be wound around a take up spool like a film. Yes, it will get hard in extreme sub zero temperatures as it contains moisture but it will soften up again inside the next pub. No personal experience though but best guess 😉.
Click to expand...
 
calexg

Next time try keeping the camera under your outer most clothing layer until you are ready to take a photo and put it back after. I use a regular Leica half case and it does help in holding a cold camera. Works well in our -20 to -30C winter weather with my M4 that was serviced at Kindermann Canada. There is a sticky about Leica repair people and you should be able to find their contact info there.

Bob
 
The advance system is a friction system. In order to cope with the changing diameter of wound film. The amount of friction may be affected by the cold, resulting in slipping at frame 20.
Since the M4 loading is much easier and especially since there is no tearing this may be the clue.
 
Erik van Straten said:
Film gets brittle when cold. The sprocket will rip the filmholes. When cold, you should keep your Leica under your coat, only exposing it to the cold air when actually shooting. A new, well adjusted M-Leica can peform well until -20C. When you want to use it in even colder air, the lubricants must be replaced by graphite. But again, the brittle film is the biggest problem.

Erik.
Click to expand...

I had that same problem with my R8 a few years ago. he film was brittle and I even coudln't get it to advance the first frame.

Cheers,

Michiel Fokkema
 
If you haven't taken the film out of the camera, let it thaw (it must be now down to room temperature) and check on it.

Then, as it was mentioned above, never carry it unexposed and naked when you're in the cold Canadian outdoors. Stick it in between layers, pull it out to shoot, and then tuck it in again.

Oh, and have it checked too. If you're keeping it and using it under those conditions, better now than having to go through an "emergency" of some type.
 
Sounds like the extra pull from the added diameter on the take-up spool is an issue... Have you tested it with a full 36-exposures film in ordinary conditions yet?

Its likely that its a combination of the cold and the clutch being too lax.

I have heard repeatedly that the shutter curtains are designed to work down to at least -40 Celsius. Never had any problem with my Ms in the cold, but mostly the range has been -5 to -20 at most.

If you will use it repeatedly in very low temperatures you probably need to have the lubricants changed. In a way it would add to the value of the camera, it will be winterized for the years to come!

An M4-2 should also be ideal for cold weather - no use having a battery in it anyway...
 
at that temperature, it's not the camera that failed...it's the film and your advance technique. That cold of a temp, you need to do nice smooth slow advances or the film will rip.
 
Bill58 said:
I wonder if an M8 would perform under such harsh conditions?
Click to expand...

I tried it once. Once. It was too cold for me to hold the friggin' thing. But it worked for the whole minute (it seemed like more, so it must've been shorter).

My 5D actually went berserk after a few minutes in -10 F weather. Went back inside and acted like nothing had happened.
 
A genuine Luftwaffen Leica would have endured the cold, but they had been lubricated with special oils and lubricants that wouldn't stiffen in the low temperatures of high altitudes.
 
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Hello Calexg,

I live in Canada too but over here it only gets down to -30 to -35C. Sometimes with wind chill, less than -40C but only on a few days. Anyway, I have complete confidence in my Leicas in cold weather. Even my Voigtlander Bessa-T performs fine, though once, the meter did stop working on an extremely cold day. I must say that when I do go shooting in this type of weather, its for a very brief period of time. What you must look out for is getting your eye lid stuck to the camera. It happened to me once and its not fun.
 
I have not had the chance to use my 43' IIIC K in extremely cold weather, but I`m sure it would perform well..... 😉

I used a 1939 Leica IIIa in minus -20/25 degrees/wind chill factor - late December in Eastern Poland in the early 1990`s with no problems 😀
*That was my FIRST Leica - matching numbers IIIa with original uncoated Summitar, I miss it greatly*

Tom
 
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Greetings Tom, What a rare and historical gem you have. Do you actually use the camera at times? I met one collector who had exchanged the original red curtain of his IIIC "K" model with a painted (red) reproduction, and kept the original aside to preserve it's condition. I'm not sure if he had Sherry Krauter do it or not, but should you want me to inquire with him about it I can do so at the next camera show.
 
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" It was -28C with windchill."

Windchill does not affect inanimate objects but only living things.
Now it will affect the rate at which an inanimate object cools to ambient temperature but once the object has cooled, it doesn't matter how hard the wind is blowing.-Dick
 
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