Leicaflex insanity

po-stit said:
Hi guys, i've recently bought one beautiful black Leicaflex SL mainly for the Summicron-R 50mm so i didn't payed attention to much for the body. So now i figured my Leicaflex Sl mirror is getting stuck in the up position (viewfinder all black). I need to manualy lower the mirror again. Even when i press the shutter the mirror goes up very slowly.

Is there any easy way of fixing this before selling the camera. I would like to sell it in working condition since all functions (including meter =O) seem to work flawlessly.

Thank in advance guys.
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I have a similar problem with a nice Leicaflex Standard I got here last week. The mirror goes almost all the way up when I press the release, but not enough to trip the shutter. A second pressing of the release does fire the shutter most of the time; if not, then I have to give the camera a shake to get the mirror to go all the way up -- then it'll fire when I press the release.

Seems to not be a problem if the camera is pointed down, or if pointed up. And it doesn't seem to manifest itself with all lenses. I don't know if this is an indication of a fatigued spring, or a lack of lubrication. But based on Vickko's story of his explorations earlier in this thread, I expect I won't be able to service it myself. Nonetheless, I'd love to hear suggestions.
 
I'm not a camera tech. When my cameras get into these kinds of problems, I send them in for repair. Or sell them as is. Or give them to someone who wants to repair them...

G
 
Thank you guys. I think i'll leave to some expert or for the next owner. I don't want to mess with this beautiful camera.

One more thing. The real reason i bought this camera is that she came with a beautiful summicron-R 50mm (that i want to adapt to nikon with Leitax). The lens has a little bit of dust and a spot of light fungus inside. Anyone knows how to disassemble this Summicron V1 to give me access to all the surfaces of the glass?
 
po-stit said:
Thank you guys. I think i'll leave to some expert or for the next owner. I don't want to mess with this beautiful camera.

One more thing. The real reason i bought this camera is that she came with a beautiful summicron-R 50mm (that i want to adapt to nikon with Leitax). The lens has a little bit of dust and a spot of light fungus inside. Anyone knows how to disassemble this Summicron V1 to give me access to all the surfaces of the glass?
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Just like with the bodies, I leave lens dismantling, cleaning, and reassembly to professional service...

G
 
Yes -- SLR lenses especially, even primes, are scary: lots of moving parts. And Leica SLR lenses, assuming they're like the cameras themselves and the rangefinder lenses, are put together really well (meaning, they're prone to damaging them in trying to take them apart, if you don't know what you're doing).
 
A little apart from the main thrust of this thread: I found out from Leica USA in that they can still do the update to my 1965 Summicron-R 50mm f/2 to make it fully compatible with the Leicaflex SL open-aperture metering system. It needs a CLA anyway (old, dried-out grease in the focusing helicoid) and is such a fine performer I might just send it in to Leica to do a full service and update.

It isn't cheap ... about $400 ... and I could buy another lens for that money. But eh? it will be like new by the time Leica finishes with it, ready for the next 49 years worth of picture taking. :)

G
 
I just sold a pristine chrome SL. It's amazing to see the black ones in mediocre condition selling for over double the chrome ones in mint condition.
 
Hello
If the camera is jammed, it is the coupling gears in the bottom, and the linkage under the shutter release that needs to be addressed.

The square hole in the tripod is the head of a nut, which holds the bottom on. Turn the nut clockwise to loosen.

The shaft under the shutter release is behind leatherette and you must remove the self timer to access it.



Good luck.


Fredbel said:
Hello Viccko,

Thanks for your repair infos on Leicaflex SL.

I have mine jammed too.
I'm aware of repairing many cameras including Leica M, but for this one i had an unpreviewed problem: i have put apart the top cover and around, but i can't take the bottom cover apart. Since it's often the most easy part to take off, i've unsrewed the two screws with their rings and the battery cover. But it seems to be still strongly stucked by the tripod hole, or any part around it. I uncovered all the leathers, no clue under it. As i can't go further, i can't get the bottom off to fix the shutter so i can't un-jam it.

The only clue i found is a square shaped hole at the end of the tripod insert. I tried to turn it to unlock the tripod, nothing moves. Dont wanna force on it, i don't find neither any grip.

Please would you have an advice about this strange problem and a way to put the bottom apart in a normal way?

Thanks by advance, and please excuse my errors as English is not my native language.
Best Regards
Fred
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One comment you made based on your experience is that the Leicaflexes seem to be non-modular. But I gather the selftimer is a discrete unit?

I'm also wondering where one gets a wrench for a square nut? Never seen such a thing.
 
Yes, the self timer is modular. Tension it first, before removing it, and keep a note on the orientation of all the little washers. It isn't hard to figure out if you trigger the self timer when it is out.

As for the wrench, I ground one from an allen key. I'm pretty sure it was a custom tool for Leica.


KoNickon said:
One comment you made based on your experience is that the Leicaflexes seem to be non-modular. But I gather the selftimer is a discrete unit?

I'm also wondering where one gets a wrench for a square nut? Never seen such a thing.
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Thanks for the pictures, i have a friend with two Leicaflexes which need some degrees of repair, and I always wanted to take a look inside.

On the other hand i don't find the Leicaflex (non-SL) viewfinder anything special at all, to be honest. What i like is how they feel in the hands and the smoothness of the shutter operation.
 
KoNickon said:
What is it that makes them so difficult?
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According to Sherry it is because of the level of overbuild. The worse is claimed by Sherry is to be the SL2.

Perhaps it is like working on a diesel engine verses a gas engine.

BTW I had Sherry build me a SL2-MOT out of two parts cameras that I secured for little money. For $289.00 I first bought the black SL2-MOT, but it had a dead CdS cell and a desilvering prism. I believe the meter failed very early in its life because it seemed to be a shelf queen with no signs of wear.

Then I secured a chrome SL2 as a donor camera that was all dented and worn in that the lens mount needed to be replaced, but it had a perfect prism and the meter was spot on.

Sherry updated the battery voltage to avoid Mercury cells that are no longer made. Anyways she kinda did this job as kind of a personal favor telling me how Leica made the SL2 the most difficult camera to work on.

Know that only about 1000 SL2-MOTS were ever built, and mine is like a museum piece that is factory fresh even though it is from 1975.

Cal
 
Godfrey said:
There is a reason why they were so ferociously expensive back in the day. I seem to recall that a Leicaflex SL body was two or more times the cost of a Nikon F Photomic FTn, itself not by any means an inexpensive camera.

G
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Godfrey,

It has been reported that one could buy two Nikon F2's for the cost of one Leica SL, and that Leica actually lost money on each one they sold.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
Godfrey,

It has been reported that one could buy two Nikon F2's for the cost of one Leica SL, and that Leica actually lost money on each one they sold.

Cal
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Sounds right to me. There was a reason Leica contracted with Mintolta to supply body castings.
 
Calzone said:
It has been reported that one could buy two Nikon F2's for the cost of one Leica SL, and that Leica actually lost money on each one they sold.
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That eventually was what killed it. But it was not really a matter of overengineering, but rather one of currency developments - initially it sold in the same price range, at a profit. But after letting go of the artificial fixed (4DM/$1) ratio in 1970, the dollar collapsed and almost halved in value relative to the DM within two or three years, making production in Germany for export to the US (then the biggest market by far for Leitz) unprofitable.
 
sevo said:
That eventually was what killed it. But it was not really a matter of overengineering, but rather one of currency developments - initially it sold in the same price range, at a profit. But after letting go of the artificial fixed (4DM/$1) ratio in 1970, the dollar collapsed and almost halved in value relative to the DM within two or three years, making production in Germany for export to the US (then the biggest market by far for Leitz) unprofitable.
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Sevo,

Thanks for the clarity.

So initially there was a currency peg, this also plays into the end of the gold standard around that time period, and the later double digit inflation of the mid seventies that went along with double digit unemployment in the U.S.

BTW I was just sharing/repeating what Sherry told me. It is evident in this thread that the design was not modular, and it is a rather complicated camera design.

Cal
 
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