Leica M6 Lightleaks (?)

[schlops]

Dear folks,

I've attached a photo from the most recent film I developed.

I've seen increasingly more lightleaks with my Leica M6 on the first few frames and lighter ones on top&bottom of the film, sometimes even going as far as the 15th frame.

The thing is I had the camera in service and told them I think there is something wrong with the back/pressure plate but now the leaks are even worse.. 🙁

Does anyone have an idea what's going on here? I can rule out that I'm doing something wrong or that the film itself is responsible, I'm using the camera now for 15 years and am simultaneously using other cameras, without that effect.

 

[Nitroplait]

Some black masking tape over the edges of the back plate after you have loaded the film should give you confirmation if your theory is correct.
BTW. Do you roll your own film?

 

[Malcolm M]

You seem to have fogging at the top and bottom of the film, so try checking the light seals around the camera back- maybe opaque tape after loading the film.

 

[BillBingham2]

At the top yes, new foam perhaps. Never looked that close to my M6 when I had one. The long ones are strange because they are not at the same point in the frame. The frame is the reference point IMHO for every frame.

I don't remember seeing this for any others with older models so I'm not sure what the answer is.

B2 (;->

Another point, ask for your money back from the folks who messed it up worse. I'd try and get a bit extra as you now need to fix their fix. Not sure culturally how do walk this line.

 

[Nitroplait]

There is no foam around the back door of an M6 (at least not my M6 classic which does not have this problem). It is hard for me to imagine how the light would come in from the back unless the camera was physically damaged.
I have had light leaks on my M2, but that came from the front when changing lenses. Sherry Krauter fixed that.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

I had an M6 that baffled me with a similar problem, which seemed to occur most frequently when changing lenses. In the end, I discovered that the lens mount was loose - you could shift it minutely by grasping the lens and waggling it. I tightened the screws, finding one had stripped its threads in the die-cast camera body(!) and when they were all finally secure, the mount no longer moved and the light leak disappeared. Just a thought...

 

[BillBingham2]

I had an M6 that baffled me with a similar problem, which seemed to occur most frequently when changing lenses. In the end, I discovered that the lens mount was loose - you could shift it minutely by grasping the lens and waggling it. I tightened the screws, finding one had stripped its threads in the die-cast camera body(!) and when they were all finally secure, the mount no longer moved and the light leak disappeared. Just a thought...

Interesting....

OP, do you advance the film fully after each exposure? Trying to figure out what is causing the vertical streaks.

Phillp, did your leaks (vertical streaks) show up in different locations like the OP? Great info on the lens mount.

B2 (;->

 

[Bill Blackwell]

... Does anyone have an idea what's going on here? ...

Since the leak encompasses the sprocket holes, this should exclude the film chamber (behind the lens) as a source. I suspect you have a loose strap lug.

 

[schlops]

Some black masking tape over the edges of the back plate after you have loaded the film should give you confirmation if your theory is correct.
BTW. Do you roll your own film?

I can try that but I'm not sure if this helps, because the after a few frames 8-15 the horizontal ones on the edges fade away.

I don't load my own film, I'm using regual HP5.

talking to a friend we had the idea of it coming from the spool while developing. Because all of those streaks are always at the beginning of the film, which is the part that is the furthest into the spools (standard Paterson), so them being not the newest ones, so that they stick onto it and no developer or fix could get there.

BUT: that doesn't explain the vertical ones AND I checked older negatives that where developed in a professional lab, with the same result

 

[schlops]

At the top yes, new foam perhaps. Never looked that close to my M6 when I had one. The long ones are strange because they are not at the same point in the frame. The frame is the reference point IMHO for every frame.

I don't remember seeing this for any others with older models so I'm not sure what the answer is.

B2 (;->

Another point, ask for your money back from the folks who messed it up worse. I'd try and get a bit extra as you now need to fix their fix. Not sure culturally how do walk this line.

I will definitely ask for my money back. I messed up 10 rolls from my trip to italy due to that (which is the worst party), I have to bring my camera to the shop once more, can not use it for a while and have to go there and pick it up again.

 

[schlops]

I had an M6 that baffled me with a similar problem, which seemed to occur most frequently when changing lenses. In the end, I discovered that the lens mount was loose - you could shift it minutely by grasping the lens and waggling it. I tightened the screws, finding one had stripped its threads in the die-cast camera body(!) and when they were all finally secure, the mount no longer moved and the light leak disappeared. Just a thought...

That's one thing I told them to fix as well, it moves slightly directly on the mount. To be honest with you, after getting it back I thought that's just how it is and will always have some room.

I never change lenses, because I only got one 😉

And again: then the leaks shouldn't stop after a few frames.. :/

 

[schlops]

There is no foam around the back door of an M6 (at least not my M6 classic which does not have this problem). It is hard for me to imagine how the light would come in from the back unless the camera was physically damaged.
I have had light leaks on my M2, but that came from the front when changing lenses. Sherry Krauter fixed that.

I mean I bought the body (used but mint condition) about 12 years ago and used it alot (even in the desert) and it looks pretty good. Can't say that it's damaged.

I just noticed that I can move the back a tiny bit from left to right, while the camera is closed. Can you do that with yours as well?

 

[schlops]

Since the leak encompasses the sprocket holes, this should exclude the film chamber (behind the lens) as a source. I suspect you have a loose strap lug.

Something I will tell them to look at, thanks. To me they seem pretty tight.



It's mind buggling to me how something like that can happen in a Leica Shop. It's not that I went to some random camera repair guy, which in this case could probably have done a better job 😛

 

[Malcolm M]

I'm still going for a leak through the back-flap, probably on the right hand side onto the take-up spool, which is why the leak is not in the same place on every frame. Can't see why it should only affect the first half of the film, though.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

Just for reference there are a few good light leak threads about the M2. Your leaks look sort of similar to some of those.
My M2 leaks were solved by repairing the light shield around the rangefinder prism, a "top-plate-off" repair.

 

[rolfe]

These light leak problems can be hard to diagnose. My M3 took trips to three repair people before finally getting fixed by DAG. In the end it was a combination of light shields and leaks around the prism.

Rolfe

 

[Nitroplait]

I just noticed that I can move the back a tiny bit from left to right, while the camera is closed. Can you do that with yours as well?

No, I can’t.

 

[JSteed#2]

Make sure that you are fitting the bottom plate correctly. I had "an incident" myself that turned out to be my fault in not making sure that the bottom place was tightly sealed and locked. Check the back flap as well.

 

[schlops]

Make sure that you are fitting the bottom plate correctly. I had "an incident" myself that turned out to be my fault in not making sure that the bottom place was tightly sealed and locked. Check the back flap as well.

I'm always making sure of that 🙂

But I can move the flap of the back a tiny bit (1-2mm) with the bottom plate in the right position and locked.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

The M6 I referred to was producing fogging across the frame at the top of the image - i.e. The light was coming in from the bottom of the frame mask. The base plate never was a great fit - it's been dinked at some stage - but I couldn't see how that, or the rear flap could let light in to fog images as they were. As the fogging started along a sharply defined line a few millimetres in from the edge of the image, the extraneous light coud only to be coming from the lens side of the frame mask/shutter. That's when I noticed lens and mount were moving, opening up a minute gap between mount and camera body that allowed light in under the sheet metal internal baffle. Taking off the mount - easy DIY job - fixing the stripped thread (not so easy) and screwing it firmly in place did the trick.