pre-cocking the shutter and sticking

[wetworx]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I've been pre-cocking the shutter lever, after I take my shots.

 

I figure that when I see a photo it'll save some time. But I noticed that if I let it rest in my bag, the shutter will stick halfway upon the next release.

 

Does anyone else do this? do they run across the same issue? and is pre-cocking the lever recommended?

 

thanks.

[Advertisement]

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

[lars_bergquist]

You seem to be using a film camera.

 

In the days of film, we did always transport the film and tension the shutter immediately after each shot. There is no drawback to that. The springs inside the drive rollers of the Leica cloth shutter are always pre-tensioned to a considerable extent, even when the shutter is run down. This is a prerequisite of even and smooth running. Adding a little bit of force by re-tensioning the shutter has no adverse effects.

 

So it your shutter behaves according to your description, it is either in need of a professional cleaning, lubrication and adjusting (a CLA), or it is defective. My guess is that it is just a case of old and gummed-up lubricants.

 

The old man from the Age of the Leica IIIa

[earleygallery]

Shouldn't do that, I'd have it looked at.

[Ulrik]

You did not mention the camera you are using. I was just recently experiencing this with my Leica M6 that showed party exposed frames when using 1/1000s. I learned from my very experienced repairman that Leica for a while on the M6 cameras used a glue for the shutter curtains that becomes sticky. Result is that the curtains had to be exchanged (ouch).

Ulrik

[gyoung]

You seem to be using a film camera.

 

In the days of film, we did always transport the film and tension the shutter immediately after each shot. There is no drawback to that.

snip.....

I used to do that with my M3s, until I had a problem with the shutter, when left wound on for some time the first shot was always overexposed and you could hear the shutter running more slowly than usual. Turned out tro be a partly perished shutter blind, it had got a bit soft and was sticking to the roller when left for a while, it might be that this is a more extreme case of the same problem. New blinds solved the problem, and since I also now have an M6, where leaving the shutter wound gets through batterys in no time if the shutter release is touching the case when put away, I now leave both cameras unwound 'normally'. It takes much longer to focus and set exposure for a shot than winding on the film, so doesn't really slow things down significantly.

 

Gerry

[Posto 6]

Leaving the shutter cocked, especially at a high speed, reportedly can (it has never happened to me) render these speeds unreliable.

 

I never leave the shutter cocked for any longer periods than a few hours when using the cloth-shuttered Leicas.

[ho_co]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

As Lars said above, there is no adverse effect in winding on and leaving the shutter cocked. The shutter springs are always under some tension (even fired, they aren't relaxed), and there's less than 25% difference in tension between the cocked and uncocked positions.

 

In fact, the only case where winding on before putting the camera away might cause an adverse effect would occur if pressure on the release may run down the battery.

 

Posto--remember that the shutter doesn't have any idea what speed it's set at until it's fired. There's no greater tension at a higher speed because both shutter curtains always travel at the same speed. The camera adjusts shutter speed simply by controlling the delay of the second curtain.

 

Leica's advice was to wind on and be ready for the next shot. Note that the M8 and M9 (and all dSLRs, so far as I am aware) automatically wind on at the end of making an exposure.

[wetworx]

thank you all for the confirmation, i do own an early M, so I will be taking it in for a CLA.