Leica M6 classic - film advance lever issue?

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gilus

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Hi!

First of all I'd like to say HELLO to everybody! I'm new here and I hope you will help me out 😉

I do have Leica M6 classic. It's my first analogue Leica so I'm not familiar how they should work. My question is about film advance lever. How it should perform? When I advance the film, lever is not coming back to original position, stays in a half way. I do not have general problems with film rolls but I'm wondering if it's a normal operation or a sign that something not good is happening. Same story when I advance the lever - I feel that resistance is from half the way (looked on the spools and it seems that film is being rolled when lever is in half of it's way).

I have recorded 20s video to illustrate the issue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkjlTUmyyEs

I would be more then grateful if any of you could tell me if it's OK or not? Should I worry or just ignore it and shoot more films (shot approx 10 of them - everything was fine).

Thanks!
Michal
 
Hey Michal,

It's 100% working correctly - the advance lever sticks out a little bit so you can hook your thumb into it and use it as a bit of a grip when you're holding the camera.
 
Hi!

Thanks for realy fast reply! I should also ignore the fact that it doesn't return after I advance the film? Stays half a way and I have to fold it back by hand.

Michal
 
gilus said:
Hi!

Thanks for realy fast reply! I should also ignore the fact that it doesn't return after I advance the film? Stays half a way and I have to fold it back by hand.

Michal
Click to expand...

Yes, that's correct. If it went all the way back into the body after advancing you would have to pull it out again every time you advance the film - so it stays a little bit out. Try using it for a few rolls, and hook your thumb in there between shots and when you're holding it - you'll understand why it works that way. When you are not using it you can either leave it out or push it back in - either is fine.

Here's a vid I found demonstrating: https://youtu.be/ZAh3pFoYEbs?t=41
 
Thank you!l very very much ;-) I am at the begining of the road!
On the way home, I ll stop and bu some new rolls ;-)
Have a great day! Thanks!
 
Welcome and enjoy the M6! My first M Leica.

This is normal behavior and is actually described in the manual (p. 57 w/photo) as such:
Quick-wind lever - The quick-wind lever is used to advance the film, to cock the shutter and to automatically advance the frame counter. For rapid sequences, the user can put the lever into a "ready position".
Click to expand...
https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_m6_ttl.pdf
 
You can (***should***) always read a manual even the camera looks simple to you. You might find some valuable information to prolong the life of your new camera.

Leica M6 manual -> https://www.butkus.org/chinon/leica/leica_m6/leica_m6.htm

gilus said:
Hi!

First of all I'd like to say HELLO to everybody! I'm new here and I hope you will help me out 😉

I do have Leica M6 classic. It's my first analogue Leica so I'm not familiar how they should work. My question is about film advance lever. How it should perform? When I advance the film, lever is not coming back to original position, stays in a half way. I do not have general problems with film rolls but I'm wondering if it's a normal operation or a sign that something not good is happening. Same story when I advance the lever - I feel that resistance is from half the way (looked on the spools and it seems that film is being rolled when lever is in half of it's way).

I have recorded 20s video to illustrate the issue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkjlTUmyyEs

I would be more then grateful if any of you could tell me if it's OK or not? Should I worry or just ignore it and shoot more films (shot approx 10 of them - everything was fine).

Thanks!
Michal
Click to expand...
 
Welcome aboard.

FWIW, I reckon you should search out an old fashioned paper folded with staples style instruction manual. You can stick it in your pocket and look whenever you need to and so get the best from the camera.

Regards, David
 
M6 Advance Lever

M6 Advance Lever

I believe that they (mechanical Leica M bodies) all basically do that. I seem to recall a Single-Stroke M3 that I owned many years ago, and IIRC its film advance lever snapped back to flush with the camera body. Maybe this was also the case with my M2, but I lent that to a family member (aspiring young photographer who never returned it) and have been using M4-P bodies for the last fifteen years so couldn't say.

I seriously doubt that your M6's advance lever is malfunctioning. Put a few rolls of film through it, develop and inspect.

Tom R
 
An interesting point about the M6 is that it could have followed the earlier CL and used the film advance lever as a meter switch. On the CL the lever flush with the body switches off the meter but in the sticking out position it turns it on.


Just a minor point but I thought it neat in the 70's and still do...


Regards, David
 
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