To M6 CLA or buy lenses? Both expensive!

Ranchu said:
I'm curious how this was done? I'm going to replace the rf mirror on my minolta AL, once I figure out how to cut down one of the pieces I have. Thank you!
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Well, keep in mind I was watching a pro do this, and he was very probably making decisions and doing things because of context that I have no idea about. But what I saw was:

1. He lifted the old mirror out, which had gone pretty dark.

2. He cleaned all the leftover glue out from the rangefinder.

3. He found a piece of silvered glass that was close to the right size, and used a glass cutter and a ruler to size it down.

4. He put new glue in, and put the new mirror in.

He said that as the glue cures, it contracts slightly and the focus may shift, so it may need to be adjusted in about a week.
 
Mister E said:
If the speeds aren't off then pass on the CLA. Take the $500 and fly somewhere in South America and shoot for a week or two. Screw buying more lenses.
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well said, i agree. go take some photos...no need for more glass! If anything, buy a cheap handheld sekonic and be done with it.
 
hteasley said:
If you need a repair like that, I'd consider sending the camera to Youxin anyway: he'll go over it and might discover other things you would want to take care of.
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Yes. I would if it were a Leica certainly. It's a Minolta AL I've had for years in a drawer with a stuck shutter. I finally know enough now to have fixed that without screwing it up. Patch is pretty dim though...
 
I am taken by the intermittent appearance of your problem -- some frames seem as much as two stops underexposed.

I very strongly agree with making some simple tests to see if the shutter is off.

The one thing I have not read in this thread is the issue of the M6 meter sensitivity pattern. I'm wondering if you are shooting with the M6 as though it had the Pentax metering pattern, and whether the different distribution of light and dark in your photo subjects may explain your problem.

If you google "M6 metering pattern" and again "K1000 metering pattern" you should get info that would allow you to decide whether your metering procedure needs adjustment.

Good luck.
 
pagpow said:
I am taken by the intermittent appearance of your problem -- some frames seem as much as two stops underexposed.

I very strongly agree with making some simple tests to see if the shutter is off.

The one thing I have not read in this thread is the issue of the M6 meter sensitivity pattern. I'm wondering if you are shooting with the M6 as though it had the Pentax metering pattern, and whether the different distribution of light and dark in your photo subjects may explain your problem.

If you google "M6 metering pattern" and again "K1000 metering pattern" you should get info that would allow you to decide whether your metering procedure needs adjustment. Good luck.
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Good advice, I already considered this and reserched the differences between the two meters. I think the k1000 acts like more of a spot meter than the m6 does. From what I've read the m6's metering seems to be a bit "fatter" than the k1000.

All the advice about dismissing everything and going out and shooting film is well enough, but somewhat preposterous given the results I"ve been getting. I've put about 30 rolls through the m6 and have yet to get consistent results. I am not ruling out user error ultimately because I am far from perfect. However, I find this unlikely due to the very consistent results I've gotten in the past with manual slr cameras.

I'm almost ready to cut my losses and pick up a used mp. It's not a decision motivated by assuming the mp is better, but more along the lines of I really wanted the mp in the first place, but jumped on the m6 as soon as I had enough money. I'm the kind of guy who likes to have one camera and keep it forever. In the back of my mind, I've always though of the mp and not really felt like the m6 was my camera for life. Now i simply have a legitimate reason to pursue the mp. I'm getting poor images with the m6. Whether it's user error or camera malfunction...well i guess I'll find out when I dunk my first roll from the mp in rodinal soup.
 
stompyq said:
Youxin ye CLA'd my M6 last year. The RF was slightly off and he adjusted that as well. I payed $125 total. No MP upgrade. The CLA price you've been given is a little high. Where did you get the quote from?
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He did my M3 for that price as well and turned it around for me in record time! Camera works great. He even fixed the flash synch, and CLAed my DR.
 
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