M2 full of smoke

[sjgslack]

Just putting this out there. Maybe some of you have had the same experience as me--

We are having some great weather and today I sat down with my M2 at a cafe and suddenly remembered the potential to burn shutter curtains.

I took the lens off and a cloud of smoke came out. 🙁

Looking at the shutter with a light behind I can't see a hole, though the inner rubbery side does have a mark on it.

I will develop the film tonight to see if the subsequent pictures have nasty blobs on. But remember folks: don't point your Leica M at the sun!

 

[fotomeow]

smoking? never heard of it. Didnt even think this would be possible in the UK!
Very interesting, good thing someone didnt pull out a fire extinguisher and douse it in flame-retardent. Yes, I am making fun, but am truly curious if others have had same experience.

 

[sjgslack]

Didnt even think this would be possible in the UK!

It isn't usually. 🙂

 

[Lflex]

Smoke!? That is first time I hear that. My late 50s M2 has a lot of "scars" on the shutter curtains but never needed replacing. I hope yours is fine.

 

[Richard G]

Astonishing. What lens and aperture and focus? Could you have hallucinated the smoke, fearing as you did combustion? And I am not one of those sceptics who think burning through a shutter in this way is some Leica myth. I used to burn leaves and paper in the school yard with my +5 glasses.

 

[gb hill]

This is one reason I enjoy my Bessa over a Leica. As far as I know you can't burn a metal shutter curtain with the sun.

 

[Monochrom]

😱 smoke!!!

what temperature you think the camera got??? Perhaps it was moisture mixed with the smell of an old camera...

The lens must be set to infinite and with a small aperture in order to cut a hole in your curtains...

 

[Joakim Målare]

I've burnt holes in the curtains, twice. In the same month! Both on original and new old-stock shutter material. Bought modern rubberized shutter cloth and made new curtains. No problems since.

A large aperture means more light and more energy to generate heat. Focal length matters, I heard. Mine had a 90 mm mounted.

 

[sjgslack]

It was a ZM 50 Sonnar set at infinity and I think the aperture was mostly open though I can't remember precisely.

I had just sat down and noticed that the camera was roughly pointed at the sun. I opened it straight away and that's when I was the smoke - no illusion 🙂

I've just developed the roll and superficially it looks ok, though I've not scanned or printed any yet. Fingers crossed!

 

[sjgslack]

Smoke!? That is first time I hear that. My late 50s M2 has a lot of "scars" on the shutter curtains but never needed replacing. I hope yours is fine.

Your 'scars' are reassuring -- I can see a mark on the rubberised side on mine, but I don't think any light is getting through.

My M6 is being repaired at the moment, so if the M2 has to go too Then I'm without a Leica for weeks! 🙁

 

[Ljós]

My condolences,

surely your heart must have skipped a beat when the smoke came out...

And, well... a f1.5 lens wide open or almost wide open.... yep, that will gather light quite efficiently, just in this situation not to the effect we want.

Also keeping fingers crossed for you that it was "all smoke but no fire" 🙂, and that your shutter is still lighttight.

Greetings, Ljós

 

[lxmike]

I wish you the best of luck and hope the shutter curtain is ok

 

[fotomeow]

Astonishing. What lens and aperture and focus? Could you have hallucinated the smoke, fearing as you did combustion? And I am not one of those sceptics who think burning through a shutter in this way is some Leica myth. I used to burn leaves and paper in the school yard with my +5 glasses.

good points. And the detective inside me now wants to know if the "smoke" could've been a trick to the eye and actually be steam-like, or dust?
I was thinking of what one's breath looks like in the winter (depending on humidity). E.g: when one breaths out hot air from your lungs, essentially coming from a point of core body temp, 98.6'F, and this meets with cold winter air, you can "see your breath".
Similarly, could the core temp of the M be that much higher than the surrounding cooler air and create a "see your breath" phenomena?

Are there clear burn marks on the curtain or rubber?
hhhhhhmmmmmm.........

 

[sjgslack]

Sadly the smoke was very visible. It also smelled of burning.

There is no visible mark on the outer side of the shutter (the cloth side). But there is a mark on the rubberised inner side.

I'm scanning the roll of film right now and the images after the burning seem not to show anything odd at all.

I think I was lucky there 🙂

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Always replacing the lens cap is a good habit to get into - much better than smoking!

Chris

 

[sjgslack]

Always replacing the lens cap is a good habit to get into - much better than smoking!

Chris

Yes indeed. I'm going to take it up 🙂

 

[paradoxbox]

agreed, don't keep your lens at infinity when you're not taking a shot. it'll burn a hole in your curtains quickly.

the smoke is real. if you don't believe it just hold a lens in front of a black piece of paper in the sun and watch it burn up within seconds. didn't anyone used to burn ants with a magnifying glass as children? it's the same principle, except your camera's more expensive..!

i saw some guy on the internet burn an enormous hole (i.e. the size of a quarter) in his shutter curtains