Leaky Shutter Curtains

[friedeye]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

My M2 has a leaky shutter curtain.  Not a pinhole burn spot, but what appears to be a general light seep that flashes the frame a half stop or so, if I leave the frame in the gate on a sunny day. I've had Youxin Ye look at the camera (he did a beautiful CLA) and check all seals and he agrees that this is the problem.  But he also told me that, while most Leicas don't have this problem (I have a IIf, and an M3 that are fine), Leica has acknowledged that some do, regardless of age.  Their suggestion is to use a lens cap. Excuse me? Did I just hear that right? Yikes.

 

The other workarounds would be to 1) stop down the lens all the way between shots (I'm seeing how well that works), or 2) leave a sacrificial photo in the gate.  Or, the $300 option, install new curtains -- which is probably the way I'll  eventually go.

 

But my post here is to see how many of you out there have experienced this problem and express frustration that this isn't a simple case of worn, old curtains.  Rather, something that can be present in newer cameras that doesn't seem to be being well addressed by Leica.

 

Thoughts?

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[earleygallery]

I don't think that's right. There can be light leaks from the viewfinder/rangefinder area. You need to find out what's leaking by a process of elimination.

 

Put a roll of film in. Shine a torch into the lens throat for a minute. Wind on. Shine the torch into the viewfinder front windows. Wind on. Shine it through the eyepiece. Wind on. Shine it around the rear door (unlikely to be from here but worth checking).

 

Get the roll developed and hopefully you'll determine the source.

 

As an aside, keeping a lens cap on when the sun is out is a good idea to avoid the risk of burning a pinhole in the curtain!

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[semi-ambivalent]

There's some sort of light blocking shell that goes between the front of the camera and the film gate. I've heard of this becoming loose and allowing light back into the film handling portion of the body. Google Images for clarity. James gave an empirical method to follow; a very good place to start.

 

s-a

[friedeye]

I don't think that's right. There can be light leaks from the viewfinder/rangefinder area. You need to find out what's leaking by a process of elimination.

 

Put a roll of film in. Shine a torch into the lens throat for a minute. Wind on. Shine the torch into the viewfinder front windows. Wind on. Shine it through the eyepiece. Wind on. Shine it around the rear door (unlikely to be from here but worth checking).

 

Get the roll developed and hopefully you'll determine the source.

 

As an aside, keeping a lens cap on when the sun is out is a good idea to avoid the risk of burning a pinhole in the curtain!

 

Thanks, James. I have done a very thorough and very methodical testing of the camera, running through several roles of film and many different scenarios, including using a torch.  Youxin also did extensive tests and installed an extra light baffle, that I believe was first used in the M4.  The problem persists and only occurs when a frame is left in the gate and the camera exposed to fairly bright light.  Oddly, my torch test in a dark room reveals no seepage that I can see through the curtain.  But a lens cap certainly prevents it - I've proved that in my testing. And a lens cap isn't onerous when shooting around the house.  But, on the street, dealing with a lens cap is a huge hassle that can cause missed shots, or, to great embarrassment, shots missed because the idiot behind the camera left the cap on.

 

I'll try the stopped down lens for awhile and see how that works out. Like a lens cap, it's good protection against pinhole burns, and it might be a good habit to work into my shot routine. I reflexively check my stop as I enter a target area, anyway.

 

Cheers --  Jim