Shutter Cocked or Not?

[kevin sykes]

Hi all

Jsut got my hands on my RD-1 and realise I haven't had to a camera with a wind-on lever for many many years.

So is it bad practice to leave the camera for a long period with the shutter cocked, or doesn't it make any difference?

Thanks
Kevin

 

[mwooten]

I'm not sure if it does any harm, but it might and I don't want to tempt fate. Since the frames the RD1 shoots are not as dear as when I'm shooting film, if I'm going to put the camera away I'll just junk shoot that last wind-on.

 

[Altphoto]

normally with mechanic camera's the shutter has to be always cocked

 

[oscroft]

I can certainly remember from years ago that camera manufacturers used to recommend that you don't leave mechanical shutters cocked, for exactly the suggested reason - that it will weaken the springs.

With an RD-1, of course, you're not wasting any film by shooting it to uncock the shutter - if I had one I'd always leave it uncocked when not in use.

 

[JNewell]

normally with mechanic camera's the shutter has to be always cocked

Not sure why you think this is true. Please explain. Generally the advice is to leave shutters uncocked. The exception was the Leica M shutter, in which the factory said the springs were so little tensioned even when the shutter was cocked that it really didn't matter.