Leica M2 shutter noise against Leica IIIa shutter noise

[edodo]

I find my M2 too noisy but its the first M ever I shooted. Having said that it is a little bit quieter than my IIIa but not by far. Is it normal? The shutter of the Pentax LX with the blocked mirror is still a lot more noticeable... But the minilux is quite a bit quieter than the M2. I thought the M's were the quietest on the market of focal plane shutters... Any comments appreciated!

 

[ffttklackdedeng]

The M2 I got is almost as loud as my (recently serviced) IIIf, but although the noise level is quite the same, the pitch is much lower. Plupp vs. Tschak

Btw: I think that 'mine' M2 needs a service

 

[Joerg]

Hi,

I did not hear much of a difference between the M2 and my IIIc's.
Iterestingly the user IIIc is quieter than my recent CLA'd IIIC. go figure.
Just make sure that both cameras have film loaded, because that removes a big resonance chamber and makes all more quiet.

Ciao

Joerg

 

[FrankS]

What's been said already, plus the Minilux has a leaf shutter and is therefore much quieter than any focal plane shutters.

I have noticed a wide variation in shutter sound levels between the screwmount and M Leicas that I have owned. It all depends on how well they are set up.

 

[jkelly]

My M3 is quiet as a whisper, and my IIIa is considerably louder, but neither are anywhere near as loud as my Pentax SLR. Both are clean and well-lubed. The M3 just has a much softer shutter mechanism.

 

[payasam]

When I used an M3, people would often ask me to hurry up -- after I had already got in a frame or some. No case to damp the sound. It was a sort of whispering sound. My current IIIc is by no means loud, but I can hear something hard hitting something else of the same nature.

Roland, I suspect the answer to your question is ball bearings.

 

[pvdhaar]

I... But the minilux is quite a bit quieter than the M2. ..

Huh? The Minilux sounds like Robocop on steroids. The shutter may be quiet, but the AF-noise is really bad. Setting a distance manually doesn't help either, cause the lens still keeps whining in and out when you half press the shutter. It's really a shame, as the 40/2.4 is susch a fine piece of glass..

 

[roundg]

The quitest one I have is my M4-P. even quiter than my friend's new MP. Surprising but true.

M2's shuttle is some kinds crisp, or u call it noisy. It is the loudest among my M2, M4p, M5.....

 

[FrankS]

The loudness of the shutter on Leica M's and screw-mounts is determined to a greater extent by the set-up of each individual camera rather than by the camera model. You can't say, for example, that M3's are quieter than M2's. In my exoerience this even holds true even when comparing an M model camera to a screw-mount model camera. The greatest factor in shutter noise is the set-up of the individual camera you are listening to, not any difference in shutter design, even though there are differences here.

 

[Krosya]

My freshly serviced IIIf (serviced by Oleg Khalyavin) is more silent than my M3. But than again, M3 hasn't seen service in a while. Not that it's loud, its very quiet, actually, but IIIf sounds better now.

 

[edodo]

I think the M2 specimen I had was bad...
It has many dings, hazy viewfinder wich was difficult to see through when indoor for example. The illumating frame window was repaired with plastic tape! And the shutter was suspiciously loud, that's the reason for me starting this thread. Anyway I asked a refund and now I bought an M4 mintish with III generation 50mm cron (1969-1979 black without tab) and mint working leica meter MR-4!
It was a hefty price but I am tired of bad looking users...