What in the world caused this?

[NaChase]

It's been quite the week for me as far as camera problems are concerned. First I had to send back a TC-1 to Japan because a piece broke off in the film chamber and now the M5 I just got has these wholes in the shutter curtain. I'm no expert, but they look like they were burned in, though the location seems odd. At least the old girl is under warranty, so she's getting repaired, but it's a real bummer.

IMG_2882 by Nick Chase, on Flickr
IMG_2881 by Nick Chase, on Flickr
IMG_2878 by Nick Chase, on Flickr

 

[gbealnz]

Sun is my guess.
Gary

 

[ABrosig]

Sun is my guess.
Gary

I'd tend to agree, but you'd almost expect them to be more rounded. Those look jagged, at least the one does, like something was nibbling at the curtain material.

 

[NaChase]

Sun is my guess.
Gary

That was my first thought too, though (and I imagine this will expose my ignorance of physics) I always figured burns resulting from sun exposure would be located closer to the middle of the curtain.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

I've heard of burnt curtains, but this is the first time seeing it.
It's awesomely terrible isn't it!
So you are saying last week when you went to the beach and left the camera pointing toward the sun without the lens cap is covered by a warranty?

 

[NaChase]

I've heard of burnt curtains, but this is the first time seeing it.
It's awesomely terrible isn't it!
So you are saying last week when you went to the beach and left the camera pointing toward the sun without the lens cap is covered by a warranty?

It is indeed. Though replace going to the beach with sitting in a dry cabinet.

 

[rfaspen]

I've seen this! I can solve the mystery.

At least, the case I saw looked identical and was caused by the owner changing lenses while smoking a cigarette. I wasn't present when it actually happened, but I understand he had the cigarette between fingers while fumbling around removing one lens and attaching the next. A couple embers/ash fell off the cigarette during the process.

Yet another reason why I don't smoke.

 

[farlymac]

The sun doesn't have to be in direct center to burn holes in a shutter curtain, thus the off-center placement of these. One reason for irregular shape is the camera could have been bumped while it was happening, or it's just the way the burn spread through the material.


PF

 

[Huss]

It is indeed. Though replace going to the beach with sitting in a dry cabinet.

It may have happened when you went to the beach before you put the camera in a dry cabinet. Or it was sold to you like that and you didn't notice until now. Because you do mention it is covered under warranty which suggests a recent purchase from a camera shop.

As for the reason they are not centered - if the sun was not centered in the frame it would do that. For all the naysayers that do not believe this could happen, Leica even cautions against it in their owner's manuals.

 

[peterm1]

There have been a number of posts here on RFF about repairing holes in shutter curtains. Holes of this sort are actually quite simple to fix. Depending upon their size I have previously used liquid electrical tape to do the job and I have also seen larger holes repaired by a technician who glued in a small patch - the biggest problem being getting the patch material (an old shutter blind from another camera). By the way the problem is common because it can happen so easily and quickly with these cloth shuttered focal plain cameras. I would not be too fussed about it to be honest.