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Hello everyone. For a long time I’ve been frustrated by the lack of information on how to disassemble a Leica R8. So I made a video about it. My purpose was to establish whether I’d be able to replace its damaged shutter. If anyone has a good shutter, or a whole R8 (or R9?) that’s surplus to requirements, or an R10 (with its autofocus shutter; that’d be nice), do let me know. The Part 2 video is being developed and will be available for all to see sooner than any of us see an R10. I found three problems with the winding system and will be glad for your input on solving them. Regards, Rick.

Hello everyone. Here is my Leica R8 Disassembly - Part 2 video. The shutter is removed and disassembled too. Then I do some repairs on a few winding issues. There's some surprises. As mentioned with Part 1, I am on the hunt for a new, like-new or undamaged shutter. Also, if anyone feels inspired to pull the bottom off their R8 we could compare notes on what you see. I'm curious about the sensor-switches and parts that feature in this video. Regards, Rick.

Okay so, a month ago, when I had my M3 serviced (again), I wrote the following post: So the 2nd and 3rd issues (since they are owing to the same reason) I mentioned in the previous post still remains even after the service this time round. The photo I uploaded here is one of the 76 frames that I only took a bright sunny blue sky to test the performance of the shutter. (I’ve used two rolls only for this, they look practically almost the same so I only present one here). The settings were f/8 and 1/1000s (ISO 400 film), and the lens was Summicron 50 mm. We can assume that vignetting can be ruled out. You can see the left upper side of the frame is much darker than the other part of the frame. The right side of the frame is also slighted darker probably because of the same shutter issue, but it is not as severe, so let’s ignore that for now. What I wanna ask you is, if you were me, would you just ignore this shading issue and just use the camera or try your absolute best to fix this? Somewhere in RangefinderForum, I read someone saying “even at Leica, the tolerance limit for the 1/1000 shutter speed is 20% as it is prone to be out of calibration”. (Link: https://rangefinderforum.com/threads/leica-m-1-1000-uneven-shutter-issues.79230/) Also, the experiment was conducted under a very extreme conditions, so I presume in practice it won’t be as noticeable. Additionally, I’ve seen many people saying that even for newer Leica M film bodies, the 1/1000 speed tends to be an issue quite frequently. Considering all this, does this seem to be an acceptable condition that you’d use this camera after biting the bullet, or would you try your absolute best to fix this issue by trying other servicemen as many of you suggested? I’d like to see what you guys think. Thank you.

I'll try to make it short so that people actually care to read. I wonder how many people, M3 users in this forum, have experienced shutter-related issues with their M3. In my case, I've had: a problem that the images have some faint horizontal lines across the frame uneven exposure across the frame (i.e. broad vertical lines/shades) Shutter capping (i.e. complete darkness on either the left or the right side of the frame) Important point I want to emphasise here is that I've always had a Leica-certified serviceman fix my camera (Camera Doctor, Mr Kim; I live in Seoul, Korea, if you know you know). happens owing to the dust particles stuck between the shutter curtains, according to the serviceman; a simple cleaning job will fix this issue, he said, but even after doing so, it happens quite often. (Refer to the first pic, in the foreground, you can see it more clearly) happens a lot, especially at the higher shutter speeds (i.e. 1/500 and 1/1000 s). This happens in various styles, but the most common one for me is that the left side of the frame appears a bit darker than the rest of the frame. I know this happens because the shutter slit distance is not consistent during the movement. (Refer to the second pic, you can also see a faint horizontal line as well, probably owing to the first issue) happened only once, and the weather was very cold, almost close to 0°C. The camera was serviced, and it has never shown the same issue (just yet), although I have yet to test at such a low temperature. "2" happens the most and irritates me the most, but my serviceman said it is inevitable since the camera is very old, so the inside mechanism has been worn out, which causes the inconsistent functioning. I then asked him would I be better off buying another M3 body, but he said my camera is actually in good condition considering the age. What I want to know from the M3 users is how many of you have experienced this problem with the shutter mechanism, and how did you deal with it? Would be nice to know if this is a common problem that I just need to concede and carry on, or if I've got the shit one and been unlucky. This is not a scanning issue as this same problem appears on different pics as well. This has been a problem for me, I’ve posted a similar issue about a year ago: here (Reddit post) And then as you can find in the comments of the post, someone else reported a similar problem. It happened with an M6. M6 with the same problem (Reddit post) I honestly just wanna use the camera and enjoy the photography itself without worrying about how the image will turn out every time I send the films to the lab, because each time I found some faulty photos, it just takes me back and makes me not want to do this hobby anymore (let alone the increasing price of the films). Since I love 50 mm so much, getting other M-bodies is also not really a solution for me (again, that will cost me a fortune as well). Thanks for reading this long complaint. I hope I can find some answers and peace.

I just developed a Delta 100 film,(using my M3 and 50mm summilux) and found a bright point in each frame at the same place. I put a light in the place of the lens towards the shutter and found a tiny hole in the cloth of the shutter. Is it possible to close this tiny hole without changing all the cloth? Thank you, Edgard

Hi, I think my cherished R3 may have a shutter fault. I fitted new batteries recently intending to use the camera and gave it a check over. I haven't checked it with a film but, it appears that the shutter isn't firing correctly at 1/500 or 1/1000 speeds - all other speeds seem fine but at those top speeds the shutter fires, but you can't see any light through the shutter as you trip it. It's an odd one and not a fault I've ever seen before - just wondering if any one else has experienced this or if anyone knows if the R3 shutter can be fixed? I will contact some repairers also, and - just for certainty - run a film through it. I've had this camera since new, it was a present and has sentimental value as well as being a great SLR body, so I want to save it!

I did a search here on the Forum to see if there was any history or discussion on an interesting problem I was having with my M Monochrom 246 but found nothing. Therefore, I thought I would document my experience for the record. My issue was that the shutter was randomly misfiring, either too fast or too slow. This was producing some "unusual" results with some exposures unpredictably wildly off the mark. In my blind trust of Leica, I was a bit slow to conclude that the problem was with the camera rather than me. At first, I could not understand how such varying results could be produced in aperture-priority mode but gradually began to suspect the shutter. I took a series of shots of the same scene and the same lighting, with the same aperture, but with a manually-selected shutter speed both in "S" and "C" modes. As it turned out, the shutter speeds for each image file were all over the place with the minority at the actual set speed. Furthermore, it did not seem to matter what shutter speed was selected and, of course, it did not matter what lens was on the camera. When I wrote to Leica Camera USA describing my situation, I got an answer in pretty short order with the suggestion to do a camera Reset. This worked! The Reset function apparently is a like a o/s reboot on a computer which sadly had not occurred to me as a possible solution. Of course, all my menu-driven customizations were wiped out with the camera reverting to the factory default but that was a small price to pay to have normal shutter operation restored. Anyone else seen this?

Hi guys, After idly wondering for the past few years how to figure out the shutter count on my M Monochrome mk1, I finally did a little research. I found this excellent (i.e. very easy even for me to use) Leica app on the Leica Rumors site - https://leicarumors.com/2010/11/02/free-software-for-viewing-leica-m9-images-and-exif-data.aspx/ Dragged the most recent file I shot onto the app, and found that the shutter actuations on my camera number 36,950. Does anyone think that's a high number? I know that pro Nikon and Canon cameras are over-engineered, and their shutters are designed to exceed 250,000 but the M9/M Monochrom mk 1, I think, is not designed for that kind of high mileage. Leica were kind enough to replace my sensor last year (for free), and I just wonder how many more useful years are left on the shutter of my cherished camera. Anyway, if you've ever wondered about your shutter count, do get the app - it's incredibly simple to use. Best wishes all, Colin

Hello everyone! I'm new here, nice to meet you. It's a little bit of a let down to see the M10 doesn't have a "real" BULB mode but it's limited to 125s. Similar to the Leica Q... It's also weird that the time is ISO dependent. I was wondering, why is that? The SL gets to 30min for example or the D810 can up to 1h30min and beyond i T mode. Thanks for your time, Tomas.

My M9 fell to the ground from waist level. When I try to take a photo, the shutter is not working. Battery is full and all menus are working, no issues on the display as well, even the light meter also working. Somebody pls help

Hi guys, so I have been shooting 3 days in a row with my M10-P, and I found this shutter issue once a day for the past 3 days. So basically, I had Live View on, and when I pressed the shutter release, it couldn't go down all the way, like not a full stroke, but only halfway, and of course, the photo wasn't taken. It didn't occur at the start of the camera, nor in hibernation mode or burst shots. Again, it only happened once a day, usually I would suspect it's the shutter that got damaged, but logically, wouldn't this issue be way more often and easy to reproduce if that is the case? Or could it be some systematic or cache bug, where the camera think it's not ready to fire the shutter? Or, just a broken SD card causing trouble? Has anyone experienced same issue? Any thoughts?

Hi, I inherited a R4S and R5. I'm sure they haven't been used in ages. I'm trying to fire the shutter to test them out. They both seem perfectly fine in terms of electronics, metering, battery, etc. I'm also testing using 3-cam and 4-lenses. In both cases: They'll only fire on Bulb. At any other setting they won't shoot unless I retry at bulb. Yes, I make sure they're wound, and there aren't any obstructions in the film area (neither are loaded with film; I don't want to waste it if there's a problem). The self-timer will quickly flash, then slowly, as if it's going to fire, but then... nothing. I've swapped lenses, program modes, speed, aperture... just about everything. Neither is attached to a winder / motor drive. I'm not sure why they're both fine on Bulb but not at any other speed. I read a lot about gunky lubrication over time, but I'm kinda ruling that out since Bulb is fine (fair?). The mirror is fine; it's not locking into an intermediate position.. Do they only work if they're loaded with film? I don't see anything mechanical that would force this, but who knows?

So over the weekend a few drops of red bull were spilled on the top plate of my M2 (don't ask) - mainly on the right hand side, so the frame counter and shutter button were hit. The day after I noticed that the aforementioned parts felt sticky - the shutter button particularly was returning to it's normal position more slowy after being depressed. I didn't have any isopropyl alcohol on hand since it seems to be impossible to find in the UK, so I put a drop or two of denatured ethyl alcohol (surgical spirit, as it is called here) into the shutter button, then began to depress it repeatedly. This process was repeated 2 or 3 times. It seems to have worked very well and the camera feels normal again, but I am scared that ethyl alcohol might have adverse effects on the camera. From what I've read, isopropyl alcohol (if anything) is what should be used, and I've even read that ethanol can react with brass to cause oxidation. Is this something that I should be worried about, or am I overreacting?

I've recently noticed that my M6 shutter seems to be doing something weird while in bulb mode. While in bulb mode, the first shutter curtain seems to stop short and remain 0.5-1mm into the film gate. This only happens in bulb mode, it clears the gate at all other shutter speeds as far as I can tell. Here is a video I recorded demonstrating what I mean: https://imgur.com/a/ENYmR7i You can see that the shutter clears the gate just fine when set to a shutter speed of 1 second, but when I switch it to bulb it seems to stop short and remains visible in the gate until the shutter release is let go and the shutter closes. I asked on Reddit but didn't get much of a response. One user did say that their M6 also does this and has no effect on the images. Can anyone else confirm? I just had my M6 overhauled by Leica NJ earlier this year so would this be something they would cover under some kind of warranty?

Hello friends, I seem to have an issue that is not entirely rare. The cloth focal plane shutter curtain seems to stutter, or even bounce. I have searched this issue prior, and I guess "bounce" does seem to be the syntax for this certain phenomenon. I have included a clip of the shutter at 1/500 from a slow-mo video I attempted to take on my phone. I also scrubbed the video and took a screenshot of every frame that contained the movement of the shutter in the video. And to my surprise, by looking at the past two frames, the shutter does indeed appear to "bounce". The shutter seems to travel the full distance, with the second to last frame capturing the almost fully relaxed shutter. But then the last frame shows a larger gap of light appearing again. Not ideal. I noticed on a couple photos I took, a bar of overexposure on the right side of the frame. Since this issue is well documented and the solution known (CLA baby) my purpose for cluttering this forum with a much too common ailment was to possibly learn what could cause this? To make this already long winded post windier; I purchased the camera from Shueido Camera back in March 2022. It was supposedly CLA'd before sending out. The camera did come in, visually, absolute pristine condition. The first test roll I shot didn't seem to have any issues. But then I went on a 10 day trip to Iceland. Almost none of the photos I took in Iceland had the bar, but with overcast, cloudy days, I was most likely shooting at 1/250 and lower. (From what I understand this issue comes alight mostly at 1/500 & 1/1000 (increased tension for high speeds?)) Upon returning to the land of America, I shot some random pictures around me to finish off my last roll from Iceland. Almost all the photos exhibit the nefarious white bar of sadness on the right edge of the photo. Now, this is Florida, during midday, in summer, so one could assume almost every photo I took was at 1/500 and 1/1000. Could the Leica's foray into the land of Fire and Ice been too much for it's old bones? Could the 10 days of constant cold (I camped for the duration of my stay, so my new buddy did not spend much time in a comfy, first class, heated environment) affected this old tools mechanism, summoning the frosty ghost of over exposure? Thanks for even reading this phone typed, mental diarrhea. I know I have to get it CLA'd, but it is just simply a bummer that a camera would need a second CLA in one year. I'm hoping to figure out how this may have been caused so I may avoid bringing this problem back in the future. MOV_HFR_120F_20220723012348~3.mp4

Ich besitze jetzt seit etwas einem halbe Jahr eine Leica MP (Produktion 2021). Mir ist dabei aufgefallen das bei den Zeiten 1/15 und 1/30 nach dem eigentlichen Ablaufen des Verschlusses noch etwas in der Kamera "nachschwinkt", wenn man das denn so nennen kann. In der angehängten Audio-Datei habe ich dies versucht einmal aufzunehmen. leica_mp_shutter_sound.mp3 Ist diese Geräusch normal für die MP und habt ihr das bei eurer MP (oder anderen analoger M) auch? Vielen Dank für eventuelle Hinweise

I bought my M8 around a half a year ago. It was my second M mount camera (The first one was R-D1s). I enjoyed this camera very much, but several days ago i faced the first problem with this camera. Suddenly, shutter button and on/off lever became a bit off. I mean that on/off lever became much more tight and expousure lock position moved a way futher than it was before. A few dozens of millimeters behind shutter release itself. It became a common situation, when i want to lock my exposure, but because of this problem i occasionally took a photo. i found some old topics on similar issues, but photos with dismount of shutter button were unavalible. Has anyone faced the same or similar problem? What is the key to solve this problem? Can it be done at home by only myself?

Hi! I've been noticing uneven exposures, usually on the right side of the photo. Have you guys experienced the same thing? What could be the cause?

Hi, Found this lovely forum while searching for info on a Leica R4 body described as having a "small problem". It belongs to a friend who gave me the option of buying it off him cheap, in its existing state, and trying to fix it and re-sell to a collector. I have been reading up on this and trying a few things and had a couple observations and questions that I am hoping the experts in this forum can help me with. 1) When I received it, I discovered that the shutter was not just firing with a delay, it was stuck and unusable. The film advance lever was stuck as well, indicating that the shutter probably froze midway through its cycle. The mirror was down, but the DOF preview lever was "loose". 2) The battery LED would light, but there was no activity in the viewfinder, meaning no leds or anything at all. The camera seemed dead. New batteries did not change anything. 3) After a fair bit of research, I found a thread (unsure where) that suggested "smacking" the camera bottom on a bed or similar soft surface. Somewhat frustrated, I did this, and it actually worked. The shutter finished its cycle and the film advance lever was working again, AND the viewfinder leds worked. I checked the meter and it seems fine too. 4) Advance the lever (no film), press the shutter, and same exact problem. But over many tests, I discovered that in B and 100, both mechanical modes, it would sometimes fire with a big delay, and other times get completely stuck. Smacking always releases the shutter. 5) Based on many threads in this forum, I believe this problem is typically related to dirty magnetic dampers. However, I find mixed information on how to reach the magnets. There was one thread that suggested it can be reached from the bottom plate and is easy, while another suggested it is behind the dof preview lever and complicated to reach, requiring some degree of disassembly. Unfortunately, I did not find information on WHAT disassembly is required. 6) In the meantime, I have also found that in all of the electronic modes (manual operation, but shutter speed electronic), the shutter button actually never fully depresses and therefore the shutter never fires at all. It feels like a half-press only in the electronic modes. In the mechanical mode, I can clearly see and feel the shutter go much deeper and actuate something. So my questions: 1) Is the shutter button behaving normally? Is there something else I am missing, as to why the shutter button won't fully depress in electronic mode, but works in mechanical mode? 2) If its the dampers, do I go from the bottom or the top? In any case, how do I get the top plate off and get any sort of serious disassembly done on this camera? I see one screw in the back, by the eye-piece control dial, and know that the top most screw on the mount holds the top plate down. But are those the only two screws? What else do I need to remove to get the top plate off? I am guessing the film rewind lever (on the left side, over the ISO dial) needs to come off, and the entire ISO dial mechanism probably needs to be lifted off too. What about on the right side, how do I get under the film advance lever and the shutter control? 3) Given the fact that the meter seems to work properly, I am guessing the electronics on this sample are okay (its a 156xxxx serial number). But just to be sure, if the electronics are toast, how do I know this? Any help/advice is appreciated, including an opinion on what price its worth buying at and then trying to fix it so I can keep it for myself, OR sell in working condition to a collector. A warning that it might be more valuable sold off to a collector in present condition than executing a botched repair and destroying its value completely is also taken in the right spirit. Thanks, Karthik PS - I literally went thru every single page of the English forum looking for answers. Now after posting, I see threads related to this in the German forum! Is there a way for me to search on the other language forums? Any pointers appreciated, but please understand that I did a pretty comprehensive search and processed what information I already found before making this thread

Has anyone ever experienced an unexplained shadowy gradient area along the edge of the frame as shown in the photos below? I've been shooting with my M10 close to a year now and I mainly use it for weddings and portraits. As a very rough estimate, I have put 15,000 clicks on it in the last year. In recent weeks, I have noticed a strange darkened area appear randomly on the frame in some photos, but not all. It's on the right side when shooting vertically or on the bottom when shooting horizontally. I have so far only noticed it happening with photos shot with the Noctilux .95, and I can't replicate it although it continues to happen randomly. I've uploaded a few files as example, from different days showing both the strange dark area as well as images that don't have it. I understand shooting at .95 I will have vignetting as shown in the second wedding photo, but the shadow area is very different and I don't understand why it's happening.

I have a general question, that I guess will apply to CL, TL and others. I know from experience on the CL that the mechanical shutter produces far better images than the elecronic shutter (there is a demonstrable banding issue indoors, and generally mechanical just 'looks' better). This view seems to be supported by many other posts. However, I'd simply welcome an explanation of 'why' this is the case. In a digital camera, what advantage does the mechanical shutter provide? I'm just intrigued. Many thanks.

I lost my cable release which I had used on my M10 since I got the body about two years ago. So I bought a new one (A Leica one) in the Leica Store in Mayfair, London. It worked for the first day, then stopped working. It's odd because you wouldn't think anything could go wrong with something so mechanical and simple. But it has. When I press the shutter release at the end of the cable, the prong at the other end does not stick out (the action what would normally trigger the shutter). I can't see anywhere to screw it tighter etc. All idea welcome as I can't easily get back to the store to return it.

I am very pleased to say that my M9 returned home today after being with Leica since September for the removal of an SD card label (Fuji 16gb card) jammed in the shutter, and for a sensor clean and service. It came as a surprise as they had bot notified me it was on its way, but they appear to have done a great job, and sent it back in its own box by UPS. Now to tackle Fuji about the SD card, who seemed to be pretty disinterested when I spoke to them on phone. Gerry

Hello- I just got my M4-2 back from a repair service for this light leak/shutter issue - a band across the top. I got my first roll back, and 95% of the frames didn't have it - but the last few frames did. None of the frames with my 35mm Summicron had it, only the last few with a 50mm Canon 1.4 LTM with an adapter. Is there any chance this is a lens/adapter issue, or is the shutter still the culprit? Band happend when shot into the direct sun at 1000th, sun behind be at 100th; and also in muted indoor light around 250th. Cheers

Hi! Newbie Leica owner here. I've been using my Leica Q for a few months on the silent mode (no sound for anything) and suddenly, today, the shutter is making a fairly loud clicking sound when I shoot a picture. I checked my "acoustic signal" settings and everything is set to "off." I changed some settings and returned them to off (hoping it just needed a boost!) and that didn't work. I then reset the camera and that didn't work, either! The shutter makes a click no matter what. I'm worried I have broken my camera somehow -- and hope you all have some ideas for me. Thanks so much! Amy