M6 shutter noise at low speeds

[mababoonz]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Why do you think the sound is strange? It sounds perfectly normal to me. Nothing to worry about.

 

Because I've never ever used any Leica M before that's why I asked.

 

Anyway, thank you so much ! 

[adan]

@ mababoonz: Mechanical film Leica shutters are timed by clockwork. There are lots of gears whirring around under spring power that hold back the second shutter curtain for the appropriate time to give an exposure of 1 second or 1/8th second or whatever it is set for.

 

You push the button - curtain one opens - gears spin for a specific time, and then release second curtain. Sort of a "time-delay fuse."

 

There are separate sets of gears/clockwork for various ranges of speeds: BULB; 1s to 1/8th second; 1/15-1/50th (sync speed - lightning-bolt symbol); 1/60th-1/1000th (where the gears actually adjust the DISTANCE between the curtains, rather than the time: narrower spacing/slit = shorter exposure time). If your fingertips are sensitive, you can feel the gears "shift" between each range (a little extra resistance), as you turn the shutter dial through the whole range.

 

Without even listening to your recording, I'm betting your mystery sound at 1/15-1/30 sounds like a ball-bearing dropping on a table-top. A "TICK-ticktick" sound. It IS normal. Not sure exactly what it is, mechanically. Just the clockwork specific to those speeds.

[Advertisement]

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

[hetoog]

I’m using Leica m since 1988 (m4p m2 m6 m8 m9) so i know how times should sound. Bought a m6 today and at 1/15 th it sounds like this. Thats odd isn’t it!? 

Sounds like a bullit passing by.

haven’t loaded it with film yet. At 1/8 th its normal again

[hetoog]

or actually it sounds more like someone whistling. Can't take pictures of pretty woman passing by #meetoo

[adan]

Sounds like a digital M to me.

[earleygallery]

That's the sound of £££'s leaving your bank account for the repair it needs.

[plaidshirts]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

On 2/16/2021 at 5:11 AM, hetoog said:

I’m using Leica m since 1988 (m4p m2 m6 m8 m9) so i know how times should sound. Bought a m6 today and at 1/15 th it sounds like this. Thats odd isn’t it!? 

Sounds like a bullit passing by.

haven’t loaded it with film yet. At 1/8 th its normal again

Sounds like the squeak my old Canon A-1 used to make. 

[Vlad Soare]

I understand that the residual buzz that can be heard for a fraction of a second after the second curtain has closed is normal and is part of how the mechanical shutter works. However, what's not clear to me is why this only seems to happen with Leicas. I've seen mechanical shutters before and can't recall hearing anything after the exposure. During a long exposure, sure, they all buzz, but after the exposure...?!

Don't all mechanical shutters use clockwork for timing? Are there other methods of achieving various exposure times mechanically?

I've just checked my Bessa R3M, which has a completely mechanical shutter.
Short exposures go "clang" (Bessas use double metallic curtains, which don't merely click, but rather clang, and quite loudly at that).
Medium exposures (say, from 1/8s to 1/30s) go "clang...clang".
Long exposures (from 1s to 1/4s) go "clang...buzz...clang".

So the extra buzz after the exposure doesn't seem to be a necessarily intrinsic characteristic of mechanical shutters, but rather a Leica feature. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Vlad Soare

[250swb]

You can hear the residual sound of a spring after the shutter has closed on a Nikon F and F2, not the same sound as a Leica of course but on all the speeds below 1/30th.

[Noctinoir]

Hello community 

Ok so similar situation - got a mint black M4 off ebay and noticed the buzzy sound at speeds 1/30 and lower.

 

Reading this thread says it’s nothing to worry about. 
 

However, I tried my M6 immediately after and couldn’t hear any such sounds at the same speeds.

 

So hmmm, which should it be? 
 

many thanks!

[a.noctilux]

7 hours ago, Noctinoir said:

Hello community 

Ok so similar situation - got a mint black M4 off ebay and noticed the buzzy sound at speeds 1/30 and lower.

 

Reading this thread says it’s nothing to worry about. 
 

However, I tried my M6 immediately after and couldn’t hear any such sounds at the same speeds.

 

So hmmm, which should it be? 
 

many thanks!

Welcome here @Noctinoir

 

Your M6 can be quieter, or better "muffled" than older M4.

Maybe the old M4 needs to be CLAed.

...

Set the shutter speed at 1/8 on your M6, listen to the shutter noise.

If not still not hear enough, take out the lens and listen from front.

Edited September 16, 2022 by a.noctilux

[GarageBoy]

From how it was explained to me, Leica Ms use a different/older more primative style of slow governor that resets when you cock it, so it makes a different noise compared to other mechanical cameras. 

[Huss]

17 hours ago, Noctinoir said:

Hello community 

Ok so similar situation - got a mint black M4 off ebay and noticed the buzzy sound at speeds 1/30 and lower.

 

Reading this thread says it’s nothing to worry about. 
 

However, I tried my M6 immediately after and couldn’t hear any such sounds at the same speeds.

 

So hmmm, which should it be? 
 

many thanks!

It's fine.  A different older camera made with different parts etc.  Open the back, look at the shutter as it opens and closes at different speeds.  Just so you can see how it works.

[a.noctilux]

I don't know if the shutter components had been changed over time.

 

Out of curiosity (nothing to do better 🙈), I listen to many Leica M's soundings.

To find that even same M type two cameras have distinctive "own" sound not same as the other one, fascinating hand/man made mechanics.

As side note, newer cameras emit less "mechanical" sounds and "shorter" than older..

 

👍

Fine half an hour "past time" for me, I have learned something new.

[69xchange]

On 7/25/2021 at 12:17 AM, Vlad Soare said:

So the extra buzz after the exposure doesn't seem to be a necessarily intrinsic characteristic of mechanical shutters, but rather a Leica feature. 

My new brand new  M-A from early 2023 has an odd "buzz" sound. After firing the 1 second and 1/2 second shutter speed, it has a slow or rather lagging "buzz". Almost like its broken or not well lubricated. It sounds like "buz...uzz.......uz". instead of a straight smooth "buuuzzzzzzzzz". 

From my understanding, this is just the gears free spinning and shouldn't be a concern as long as the buzz sound between curtain opening is smooth?

[250swb]

The buzz sound is an indication that it isn't broken. Panic if you don't hear it.

[69xchange]

41 minutes ago, 250swb said:

The buzz sound is an indication that it isn't broken. Panic if you don't hear it.

thanks, but the thing is that the "post buzzing" is not buzzing correctly. For example, it buzzes for a bit then stops and buzzes again at least 3 times on the  one second shutter speed. Like something is jamming it or poor lubrication. Just want to confirm if the "post buzz" issue matters at all since its just a free spinning escapement after the second curtain closes?

[Huss]

10 hours ago, 69xchange said:

thanks, but the thing is that the "post buzzing" is not buzzing correctly. For example, it buzzes for a bit then stops and buzzes again at least 3 times on the  one second shutter speed. Like something is jamming it or poor lubrication. Just want to confirm if the "post buzz" issue matters at all since its just a free spinning escapement after the second curtain closes?

Open the back and watch the shutter mechanism at those slow speeds.  Of course make sure there is no film in the camera