Leica M6 0.85 Meter Underexposing

[Dorsa]

Hey guys,

I have a M6 .85 and recently just had a problem. The light meter is giving me completely underexposed readings. It started happening when I went to the mountains this past weekend and all of a sudden my meter only said correct exposure was f16 @ 1/1000 @ iso 400. I changed all my settings including my ISO settings and nothing came of it. I changed out the batteries and put new fresh ones in and to no avail. Anyone have this occur to them and what did you guys do? Thanks!

 

[Rob-F]

Well, that is at least one stop more stopped down than one would ordinarily expect. However, it is possible the meter was not off. If you were at high altitude on a clear day, with the subject lit by direct sunlight, I'd say it's not out of the question the meter may have been responding correctly. And if the subject were unusually light--say, there's a lot of bright sky included, or light colored rocks--that would help things along too. I wouldn't necessarily believe the meter under those circumstances--I would bracket.

When back from the mountains, I would try the meter with a familiar subject. It might not be wrong, after all!

 

[Dorsa]

Ok so I've test it inside my house and I had it set to 100iso / f5.6 / 1/250th and that was giving me correct exposure on a darkroom at night with only 1 dim lamp on facing a wall. The light was roughly 12 ft from the wall I was pointing at and my sekonic was saying my shutter speed should be 1 full second.

 

[Rob-F]

Ok so I've test it inside my house and I had it set to 100iso / f5.6 / 1/250th and that was giving me correct exposure on a darkroom at night with only 1 dim lamp on facing a wall. The light was roughly 12 ft from the wall I was pointing at and my sekonic was saying my shutter speed should be 1 full second.

Well, that sounds fairly obviously way the heck off, doesn't it! As a final check, I would still try for as "sunny 16" reading outdoors if possible. But it sounds like you are closing in rapidly on a malfunction. It's hard to imagine how the camera could be claiming the light is brighter than it is. For the camera to claim the light is less than it is would seem more intuitive. Like a dim photocell or something. But there you have it. It is what it is.

We can of course all recommend our favorite repair techs . . .

 

[Rob-F]

Could it be that the ISO speed dial has slipped internally, so that it is set to a much higher speed than it appears?

Are the back door contacts clean? (Don't scrub them with an eraser. Use a soft cloth.)