Leica LTM Leica IIIc light leak or shutter issue?

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Much food for thought here. I am sometimes getting a 'flare'; size of a ten pence piece. This is also inconsistent and also appears in different parts of the print each time that it does occur. The only consistent aspect of the 'problem' is that it has always occurred whilst shooting outside in good light.
David
 
One thing you need to check is whether the fogging stops at the edge of the image or whether it continues into the sprocket area.

If it stops at the edge of the image, or very close to it, then it is coming through the aperture gate. If not its coming into the film chamber some other way.
 
Very good catch! Beyond the edge, into the sprockets, actually!

In any case, whatever it is, it'll be in the Good Hands of Gerry Smith of Kindermann by the end of the week...


~k
 
David 11084 said:
Much food for thought here. I am sometimes getting a 'flare'; size of a ten pence piece. This is also inconsistent and also appears in different parts of the print each time that it does occur. The only consistent aspect of the 'problem' is that it has always occurred whilst shooting outside in good light.
David
Click to expand...

David, this sounds like it could be a pin-hole in the shutter curtain; if it's a single hole, and small enough, the "flare" could move around, depending on the angle of strong light coming through the lens ?


When I got my III-f & collapsible Summicron, the first few rolls were great, then I started getting "lens flare", which I blamed on the S-cron, but then the "flare" kept getting worse and worse...

Then I was changing lenses one day, and noticed that the shutter curtains had gone all crackly.... the "flare" was really result of the shutter curtains disintegrating ! :eek:

I have since been using the S-cron on other LTM bodies, and it doesn't flare much at all... :rolleyes:
 
Thanks for this. I am going to persevere for a while as some results are lovely and even the 'spoiled' ones I can mostly live with. My 1A was serviced by Malcolm Taylor a couple of years ago which I had hoped would mitigate against this sort of problem; on the other hand it is 80+ years old!
 
Verdict

Verdict

There were, in fact, two light leaks in the camera body, according to Gerry of Kindermann. These have since been fixed! Thanks for all of the info in this thread. I really learned quite a lot!
 
Any suggestion on where the light leaks might have been? I've had the same thing happen with my IIIc.
 
He said that there was a missing seal in the area where the slow speed dial is (as payasam thought might be the case). There was also a small light leak through the rangefinder window, but that didn't show up on these shots.
 
I had a similar light leak problem after I recurtained a customer's wartime IIIc. The light was coming down through the hole in the top plate for the rewind lever shaft. This camera was fitted with a later rewind lever that did not effectively block light, and the cure was to fit a snug washer over the shaft before replacing the top plate.
To find a light leak in any film camera load an old unexposed B&W film in subdued light and wind the film on a few frames and cock the shutter. Take the camera out into the light and fire the shutter to orientate the film, and then wave the camera about in the light for a while. Rewind the film in subdued light and develop it, and then orientate the film to the film gate and you should soon discover where the light is coming from.
 
Sometimes the rubber on the edges of the curtains becomes tacky with age and messes up the speeds. It can be fixed by a technician revulcanising them (I have no idea how this is done, but I assume it involves heat or chemicals).
 
leicamshooter said:
I for sure thought it was your finger tripping the shutter during expousure
Click to expand...

Give me a little more credit than that ;)

Actually, I'm not quite sure how I could get my finger caught on the speed dial during exposure, unless I was wearing big gloves, or something, which, during the Canadian Winter, is entirely possible.
 
Wow, nice mystery and solved by Gerry. Isn't he wonderful?

Thanks for posting all this information.

...Vick
 
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