Leica IIIf shutter problem

[pschauss]

I have had this camera for almost 10 years and it just started doing this at shutter speeds of 1/200 and higher. At speeds of 1/100 and slower the images are OK.

From the look of the negatives I am guessing that either the first curtain is stopping before it gets all of the way across or the second curtain is catching up and closing the slot between the two. I have run two additional rolls through it since I first noticed the problem and I see the problem on most of the frames. Any ideas what would be causing this?

If one of my Zorki's were doing this, I would take a shot at adjusting the tension on the curtain springs but I am reluctant to mess with a Leica. Who should I send it to?

 

[Robert Lai]

The camera needs servicing. The curtains need to travel so that an even exposure is present across its entire travel. Gummed up old lubricants will make the travel of one curtain uneven relative to the other one. The old lube and dirt needs to be cleaned out, and new synthetic lube applied, then the spring tensions adjusted for even travel.

Leica USA, Gus Lazzari, and Don Goldberg are my usual repair folks for Leica.

 

[bluesun267]

Yep, it looks like your curtain tension needs adjustment. Don Goldberg or Sherry Krauter are the go-to repair people in the US. Top notch. That being said, I have played around a bit with the IIIf and IIIg tension adjustment. You need to take the shell off so you can see through the opening (a white card viewed from the front just won't tell the whole story). Requires a lot of patience and minor, minor changes can have a big effect. After I'd done enough of these I started to get a feel for it (ie, the effect of increasing/decreasing tension on closing curtain vs. opening curtain etc.). I still notice on some of my cameras (even a Nikon F) I will get occasionally have capping in really cold weather. The springs are aging and the cold can render your adjustment irrelevant. Maybe somebody who knows better can inform if it's possible on these old cameras to have 1/1000 work well in all seasons?

 

[rick oleson]

I don't think it's spring tension. I think you have a bit of dirt, maybe a film chip, in the mesh of the big gear at the bottom of the shutter curtain drum. There may be other cleaning/lubrication issues as well. Poking at the tension settings will just add one more issue to the mix to be sorted out when it's cleaned.

 

[jim_jm]

Looks like you've got a shutter curtain dragging, which is not uncommon if the camera hasn't been serviced in a few years. I wouldn't mess with the shutter tension too much unless you know what you're doing, as you could make things worse.

Send it to Youxin Ye as he specializes in Leica SM bodies, has very good prices and a fast turnaround.

 

[02Pilot]

I don't think it's spring tension. I think you have a bit of dirt, maybe a film chip, in the mesh of the big gear at the bottom of the shutter curtain drum. There may be other cleaning/lubrication issues as well. Poking at the tension settings will just add one more issue to the mix to be sorted out when it's cleaned.

Agreed. Far more likely to be dirt/debris and/or lubrication failure than a change in the tension settings. A basic CLA should set it right.