tinglers
Member
How do I know when I should get a CLA done? I am particularly worried about the smoothness of shutter advance. How smooth should I expect it to be? If I don't get a CLA when it needs it, will it hurt the inner workings?
M2- should I do a CLA?
- Thread starter tinglers
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 7
- Views 970
luketrash
Trying to find my range
I bought mine at an antique store and it menions being CLAed in 1971 on the bottom plate.
It works, so I'm not having it cleaned. I'd rather juts use it until it start screwing up before sending it to anyone who may or may not return it in better or worse condition.
It works, so I'm not having it cleaned. I'd rather juts use it until it start screwing up before sending it to anyone who may or may not return it in better or worse condition.
januaryman
"Flim? You want flim?"
Use it and you'll know by the third roll. If you know by the first roll, I'd ship it out this week! 😉 IF you do think it needs it, I recommend Youix Ye for speed, price and good work. He sold me an M2 I bought, and worked on another M4. Both are very good users and reliable. I have no relation with Youxix, but appreciate the value of a good camera repairman.
Ronald_H
Don't call me Ron
Depends on how tight your budget is. For 80$ I would send it to Youxin.
Just shoot a roll of slides and look at the checklist on Stephen Gandy's site.
My M2's shutter was waaaaaaaaaaaaay off, a CLA solved all my worries.
Just shoot a roll of slides and look at the checklist on Stephen Gandy's site.
My M2's shutter was waaaaaaaaaaaaay off, a CLA solved all my worries.
Dave Wilkinson
Veteran
There is an obsession on forums recently with the alleged need to have a camera regularly serviced, or CLA - if you prefer the word, - and no doubt there are many 'technicians' of varying degrees of skill ( and integrity! ) that are making a good living satisfying the demand. As a lifelong precision engineer I do appreciate the need for preventative maintenance, but unlike a motor or gearbox - etc. your camera does not have many constantly rotating and reciprocating componants under great stress, and has few parts that actually need a lot of grease or oil. If the camera has worn parts - due to heavy pro. use, by all means have it refurbished by a competant and reliable technician, but if it works smoothly - forget the 10,000 ml. service!.
Personaly I have never yet had one CLA'd in over forty years, and the two Nikkormat FT2's that have given exellent amatuer and semi-pro service since the seventies, have never yet been 'opened' yet feel smooth as silk!. The amount of cameras and especially lenses that seem to exude oil where they should'nt is increasing, and at camera fairs and sales are best left well alone!
Dave.
Personaly I have never yet had one CLA'd in over forty years, and the two Nikkormat FT2's that have given exellent amatuer and semi-pro service since the seventies, have never yet been 'opened' yet feel smooth as silk!. The amount of cameras and especially lenses that seem to exude oil where they should'nt is increasing, and at camera fairs and sales are best left well alone!
Dave.
Dave Wilkinson
Veteran
Good for you!....looks like you have not fallen for all the usual CLA hype and paranoia!....happy picture taking!
Dave. 🙂
Fraser
Well-known
use till it stops
use till it stops
leicas are no different than any other cameras use it till it stops working then get it fixed, if it feels a bit stiff it probably needs a bit of use.
use till it stops
leicas are no different than any other cameras use it till it stops working then get it fixed, if it feels a bit stiff it probably needs a bit of use.
Tom A
RFF Sponsor
Shoot a roll of film of a static subject (the proverbial brickwall or if the weather is crappy, stay indoors and shoot the bookshelves). Cycle through all the speeds, from 1 sec to 1/1000 and process. The "luminance" of the subject should be the same, only depth of field changing as you stop down. There is bound to be some variations here - 1/500 and 1/1000 are usually off by 10-15% and slow speeds can be off a bit too. Unless you have a "perfect" eye for exposures - or a damned good meter - it wont matter in most cases.
That will give you an idea of the accuracy of the shutter speeds. As for the advance, shoot with the camera for a while and see if it smoothes out. If not - have it CLA'd and at the same time have rangefinder interior glass cleaned. Rough advance could just be dried lube on the gears and by using it that will "spread" again.
M2's are really rugged, simple mechanisms and unless "crashed" badly, usually only requires exercise to smooth out.
The film advance smoothness should be such that the resistance in the advance lever is the same across the full arc of movement. You should not have to "force" it - the term "buttery smooth" is a bit misleading, one persons butter is obviously different from anothers!
If there is a rough "patch" on the advance with film in the camera, also check the rewind/knob/shaft as they often go stiff from dried lubricants.
Spin it with your fingers without film in the camera and it should move freely, with no resistance.
If all of this things work, go ahead and enjoy the camera - nothing better to make it feel welcomed and appreciated - and return good shots!
That will give you an idea of the accuracy of the shutter speeds. As for the advance, shoot with the camera for a while and see if it smoothes out. If not - have it CLA'd and at the same time have rangefinder interior glass cleaned. Rough advance could just be dried lube on the gears and by using it that will "spread" again.
M2's are really rugged, simple mechanisms and unless "crashed" badly, usually only requires exercise to smooth out.
The film advance smoothness should be such that the resistance in the advance lever is the same across the full arc of movement. You should not have to "force" it - the term "buttery smooth" is a bit misleading, one persons butter is obviously different from anothers!
If there is a rough "patch" on the advance with film in the camera, also check the rewind/knob/shaft as they often go stiff from dried lubricants.
Spin it with your fingers without film in the camera and it should move freely, with no resistance.
If all of this things work, go ahead and enjoy the camera - nothing better to make it feel welcomed and appreciated - and return good shots!
