M6 TTL light leaks, some help needed..

[klapka]

Well, got to do something with it..

Have noticed recently that every now and then I happen to get a light leak spoiled frame on my M6TTL. It comes one and the same place and shape every time. It ruines 1 or 2 frames out of 36 in the middle of the roll randomly.
Till my last film I used to think it was due to lens changing in a bright sun, but my last film was shot with just one lens and I have two frames with this leak.

That's how it looks:

So, have anyone had this problem?
What is the solution?

 

[Vickko]

Wow, ouch. Curtains coming off the rails is pretty serious.

 

[dleyva2]

My ttl had the EXACT same problem. I believe one of the light baffles had to be replaced. You need to send it in to be serviced.

Cheers

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I did... and sent it to Don Goldberg, who replaced the light baffles. Came back, acted up again... Sent it to Leica NJ for refurbishing. Again, let light in. Sent it a second time, never happened again.

In short, you need to send the camera for repair or for a complete refurbishing. And keep an eye peeled; the leak may return.

Best of luck! 🙂

 

[klapka]

Forgot to mention in my original posting that I had to send it to someone else too. Golden Touch was the second stop. The first denied that it was a problem.

Did you have the same exact picture of the leak?

One thing about it confuses me: it is colored - orange, which is normally supposed to mean the light hits the film from the back, otherwise it would be white or grey. This makes me think it happened not because of the shutter..

 

[ChrisN]

Wow! First reference I've seen to this light leak. Is the M6 TTL significantly different (baffles, shutter Curtains, rails) from the earlier M6?

 

[klapka]

Got the DUG's primary answer:

It would be nice if the light leak was just the plastic strap lug protector falling off the top cover. There is one above each strap lug. So first of all please let me know if that is the problem.

This black plastic protectors, marked with white arrows or smth. inside the cam?

 

[klapka]

Have performed two tests today: shot a roll into bright sun with lens cap on and shot another with all the back taped in black. The roll with the lens cap on was absolutely clear, on the other roll I had 6 frames with these light leaks. Seems like changing the lens into sun helps to get a leak but is not an ultimate condition for it to appear.

Any more ideas?

 

[BobYIL]

Can we see those 6 frames in seperate pictures of at least 10cm size so we can think better?

 

[klapka]

I did the same experiment, with the same result. In the end, it didn't matter beyond that because the camera needed to be serviced.

Yes, and it will be serviced, but I don't want to send it having no specified failue to be fixed to avoid it coming back to me CLA'd but with the same isue..

 

[klapka]

Ok, some more research..

Using a powerful LED light I seem to have found the leaks, at least that's what I think..
With no lens attached a LED is inserted instead the lens, the curtains are shut and the room is dark I see the folowing:

Are these the leaks:

If YES, than that what causes them:

With the shutter opened:

 

[klapka]

Please, take a look in your M's are those stripes, marked with arrows even or also wavy?

 

[BobYIL]

klapka, thank you for the pictures but this is very interesting.. Such thing I am seeing for the first time since 50 years... You made me go check my M-Leicas: The M2s, M3s and the M4 all have the classical brush-like felt stripes along the channel for light sealing, these cameras I normally service myself. I checked all 9 of them, no waviness at all. Then I checked the M6, practically new in its box (I did not like it so it stayed in its box all the time). What did I see? Even the new M6 has such wavy plastic stripes! Why Leica needed to change the design I have no idea. For cost reduction it can't be..

Would you post the picture of the channel after you receive it back from the service, please? I wonder whether they would use the plastic stripes again or the classical felt ones. Thank you.

Regards,

Bob

 

[BobYIL]

Wow! First reference I've seen to this light leak. Is the M6 TTL significantly different (baffles, shutter Curtains, rails) from the earlier M6?

It does not seem so.. I have two, one is the classical with 0.85 finder, serial #217xxxx, it has plastic stripes but they seem flat enough. The other one I was mentioning to klapka was the 0.72 TTL with the serial number 247xxxx and having wavy stripes. I will check it soon with film to find our whether it is normal or not; but both of these cameras are practically unused at all. Why Leica needed to abandon the safe and secure design is a question.

 

[Sia]

Hello

I just found this topic and found some leaks on my M6ttl. Any recomendation or suggestion?
See pictures:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14638514/AgfaVista200-4.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14638514/AgfaVista200-5.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14638514/AgfaVista200-6.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14638514/Portra400.M6-3.jpg

Thanks

 

[madNbad]

It's the shutter seals. Leica changed them for both the M7 and the MP. You may have to go to either Wetzlar or Leica N.J for the upgrade. Spend a little more and have the rangefinder updated at the same time.

 

[Sia]

It's the shutter seals. Leica changed them for both the M7 and the MP. You may have to go to either Wetzlar or Leica N.J for the upgrade. Spend a little more and have the rangefinder updated at the same time.

Thanks!
Do you have an idea on the cost? Any good tech that can do that in Europe?

 

[klapka]

Sorry, as everyone does I haven't finished the thread..
The problem was fixed by Sherry Krauter from the second attempt. It had nothing to do with the wavy curtains, it was the shutter itself coming off its rails. So the new shutter was installed and it removed the problem completely. The camera works great since then!