LEICAMETER MR-4; repair or junk it??

[jc48375]

Bought a Leicameter MR-4 seller claims to be "active" but not tested for accuracy...

Put in a brand new P625 battery in and, of course, there is absolutely no activity - the needle moves when the power testing button is pushed - but it is not sensitive to light at all...

The "0" adjustment screw on the bottom made no difference at all

I got it for $70 and the possible repair costs can range from $80-$140 upon evaluation in California.

Would you still have this meter repaired or should I just return it and find a known working model instead?

I have disassembled A summitar and a Rokkor lenses and put them back together just fine - would I have similar luck if i were to attempt repair this meter?

Any DIY suggestions you can share regarding the MR-4 meter?

Thank you again for sharing your experiences -

cheers,

 

[Godfrey]

I paid about $190 for a very clean MR-4 with case that is in perfect working order last Spring; that seemed the middle of the going rate ($150-300) for a good one. If you can get the one you have overhauled and put the total dollars in that range, then you'll know it's working correctly and that you haven't overpaid for it.

G

 

[whitecat]

As long as it doesn't work you should try to fix it. The last meter I opened had an obvious fix......it needed a wire soldered.

 

[awilder]

If the seller won't take it back and issue a refund, take it apart an attempt repair, it's very easy. Typically, the contact "fingers" or copper plate have oxidation buildup that can be easily cleaned by rubbing with a fresh pencil eraser. The trick is separating the housing cover: simply slide the battery check switch all the way to one side while pulling off the housing cover from the plastic base. This of course assumes exposed side screws and hiddden top screws have been removed (revealed my removing the aperture/ASA discs).

 

[Huss]

The problem with these meters is sellers often say they are working when they are not. So the next one you get may be the same thing.
I would get the one u have fixed.

 

[sc_rufctr]

I'd return it and get a Voigtlander VC Meter. As you probably know they don't interface with the shutter speed but they work very well.

I have a working MR and they are beautiful but they're all getting old now.
(I hope Leica make an updated version for the M-A)

 

[Godfrey]

Hmm. I have both the VC meter and the Leicameter. Personally, i find the Leicameter much nicer to work with.

G

 

[Timmyjoe]

I tried the VC meter and didn't care for it. Then I found a Leicameter for $30 that wasn't working and I bought it to take it apart (love old camera gear). Got it working and put it on my M3. It was great, for about a month, then it started giving really inconsistent readings.

Best,
-Tim

 

[jc48375]

Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts - I took the meter apart and cleaned up the corrosions in the power testing button and the meter reading area... The meter is till erratic / I think it needs professional repair..

Will send it in for a potential refurbishment.

Cheers!!

 

[sc_rufctr]

Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts - I took the meter apart and cleaned up the corrosions in the power testing button and the meter reading area... The meter is till erratic / I think it needs professional repair..

Will send it in for a potential refurbishment.

Cheers!!

It's certainly worth repairing.
I wish someone would produce a kit so you can install modern electronic internals.

 

[awilder]

At least now it responds to light, although erratic.

 

[Erik van Straten]

The MC-meters are nice too - when they work. No need to touch the meter, you read it and set the f/stop.

Leica M2, Nokton-M 50mm f/1.5, Tmax400.

Erik.

 

[x-ray]

Hmm. I have both the VC meter and the Leicameter. Personally, i find the Leicameter much nicer to work with.

G

Same here.

I recently bought 2 MR meters, on for $25 (original MR with button on the end) and a black chrome MR4 for $45. Both were in excellent shape and worked but we're not accurate. I sent my original that Ive owned for twenty years and the black chrome to George Milton at Quality Light Metric to be converted to a modern battery, calibrated and fix a hanging needle in the black one. Each were right around $100 to service and they now work properly on an alkalin 625 and reed perfectly.

IMO it's well worth the cost to get these services and converted to a modern battery. I like them much better than my VC meter. I'll be sending my MR to George very soon. George is old school and is customer oriented. He takes about 2 days for the repair and usually you have it back in a week. He's repaired 4 meters for me. One had a minor problem when I received it back and shipped it back to him. He corrected the problem in a day and shipped it back with a check for my shipping costs. How many companies would do this kind of service and refund your shipping without even asking for it.

 

[ColColt]

If it were me I'd talk with George at Quality Light Meter Co. Excellent service on most any old meter like this. I just got a Luna Pro SBC back that's like new from George. Give him a call(no website). He's in LA.

323-467-2265

 

[Robert Lai]

Don Goldberg repaired mine, and changed the voltage to 1.5V, so that I can use an alkaline cell (or silver oxide with a non voltage changing adapter). Cost was $50.
Well worth it.

 

[x-ray]

Don Goldberg repaired mine, and changed the voltage to 1.5V, so that I can use an alkaline cell (or silver oxide with a non voltage changing adapter). Cost was $50.
Well worth it.

How long did Don take to turn it around. I initially went with George because Don was saying several weeks and George turns them around in one or two days. I've had George repair 4 meters now and have been very pleased. I have a couple more to send to him. Does Don repair other than Leica meters?

 

[Robert Lai]

Don took about 6 weeks, because I guess this one item wasn't a high priority item. However, if you have a bunch of them, and are in a time crunch he could do them faster.

He's also worked on some non-Leica cameras for me. You just have to ask him first.

 

[x-ray]

Thanks. I've had him clean and lube a 90 Apo asph on fast turnaround and was very pleased. I have a mix of different brands of meters and didn't think about him repairing anything but Leica.

 

[ColColt]

For my MR-4 I'm using the Wein MRB625 batteries. After three months I decided to check the voltage and it's spot on at 1.37v and most accurate. I keep several of those batteries around as I don't know how long they last. Even if only 6 months they're cheap enough.

_1DF3975a by David Fincher, on Flickr

 

[x-ray]

I bought a couple of adapters odd ebay thay take a modern silver cell and drop the cell to the correct voltage. I think they were about $20 each. I bought a half dozen of the required cell for about a dollar each. I've yet to replace one and it's been about six months. I understand they last a year or more.