My M7 missed frames! got 19 shots on a 36 exp. roll..

[martinb]

I had a small asignment yesterday shooting a kid. Most of the pics were shot digitally with Nikon SLR gear but I also shot a roll of Reala with my M7.
I got the roll processed today at the lab. The strange thing was that the M7 had missed frames! Some there were pictures on and some not. So I had pictures on frame no. 2, 4-5, 7, 9-14, 16-18, 20-21, 25-27 and 34. The rest of them were blank! So from a 36 exp. roll I got 19 frames.
Have anyone had this problem? do you know what can be wrong or what I may have done wrong?

[wparsonsgisnet]

It sounds like a shutter problem. The curtains may not be separating or the shutter is not traveling but is releasing the shutter release button. It sounds like it needs a trip to the spa for a cla.

[ddp]

Could be a transport issue - had a similar weird problem on one of my MP's. Is it still under passport?

[martinb]

Bill,
Thanks! Not good to hear

dpp,
Don't think so..

[martinb]

I bought the camera about two months ago used from a store and have only shot two rolls of film with it. It's in very good condition.
What's very strange though is that I shot a roll of film about a month ago and I got 37 shots from that roll.

[wparsonsgisnet]

Martin, Take the back off and watch the shutter as you cock and fire. See if it is working properly. It may have a problem at a single shutter speed? Try all the speeds.

[wparsonsgisnet]

You can also waste a roll of film after you visually check the shutter. It may have to do with the transport and you can see that with the back off, as well.

[wparsonsgisnet]

Don't you wish you had the camera with you?

[martinb]

Bill,
I did what you said. The shutter moves so fast at 1/1000 and 1/500 that it's really hard to see how it's working but I think it does. At 1/250 I'm 99% sure I could see it working and at 1/125 and all the way down to 4s I could see it working. The transport looks really good too.

[Jean LeBlanc]

Lens cap?

[martinb]

Jean,
No. That's not the issue here.

[martinb]

Bill,
After having looked more closely it looks like 1/1000 and 1/500 works fine too.

[wparsonsgisnet]

Martin. good.
put a roll of film thru it, and watch with the back off. See if it's ok when running film.

[earleygallery]

Just a thought, were you using flash when you had the missed frames? Is the battery fresh?

Also, hold the camera with lens removed and back open then fire, in front of a CRT TV or monitor. Try the same speed a dozen times in case its an irregular misfire.

Also, as suggested already, then run a roll of film though, while keeping the back open, to make sure it actually winds on and cocks the shutter each time.

If you bought from a camera shop they often provide 3 or 6 months g'tee on s/h equipment, worth checking.

[pvenables]

Martin

My M6 has a similar problem sometimes. The "missed" frames either look massively underexposed, or totally black. I can go a few rolls without it happening and then 4 or 5 frames can be blank on a roll. It is infuriating.

Sooner rather than later I will send the camera to CRR in Luton to be looked at. The blank frames seem to occur most when there is very bright sunlight, so when I've had the fortune to be out in the sun I've consciously tried to use the f16 rule. This may be a red herring though.

Whether it's a dodgy meter or a dodgy shutter, at least my M6 is 14 years old. You must be well gutted to have to have such a recent and expensive camera looked at.

Paul

[martinb]

James,
I was not using flash. I don't know if the battery is fresh because I bought it used but it should be and it looks like it is.

I will try the back open with one roll of film. Bye bye one roll of Reala!

[martinb]

Paul,
That sounds strange. It's not nice knowing that you can't trust your camera especially when you shoot for money.. Sometimes it feels like I would be better of with a F6 because I've had some issues with loading Leicas (no longer though) and now this

[pvenables]

Martin

That's the way I look at it, good job I'm only an amateur. But if I was using the camera to make a living I'd have it serviced often anyway.

You can't go wrong with Nikons. I dropped my F100 from six feet up onto a stone floor on my honeymoon and it's still with me and working.

Hope you can get your M7 fixed soon, and cheaply !!.

Paul

[doubice]

Martin,

I don't believe this to be a transport problem, as there are missed frames, not double exposed ones. I have yet to see a camera that transports film at two frames per one rate when wound manually.

Most likely a shutter problem - the M7 has an electronic shutter and it is entirely possible that it did not open during exposure, curtains travelled across the film gate in a closed position. The testing that you have done is a good test, but I would change the batteries to start with. Many M7's come with depleted batteries; mine did. Were the original shots taken in cold weather or was it indoors? Cold would affect the state of the batteries and if the consequent testing as done indoors, the battery capacity might be back up to a marginal level.

I would definitely start my diagnosis with new batteries......

Good luck,

Jan

[doubice]

Another thought - did you use the camera in metered manual or aperture priority mode?

Jan