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WTF? Is this a shutter problem?


runes

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So I just bought an M6, my first M-camera. Got it Sunday, shot some test rolls Monday. Left them at the lab Tuesday and got the negatives and scans back today.

 

However on some of the pics the left part of the negative is "dark". I didn't write down the F-stop/shutter combo on all of the test shots, but I did on some and it SEEMS like the problem is only on the pics where the shutter speed was 1/1000. I think I've read something about this kind of problem before, but not with fast shutter speeds, only slow (under 1/20).

 

By looking on the pictures - what do you think is the problem, and what could/should be done to fix it.

 

The pics are just cheap scans from the local lab, and all I've done is adjusting the levels.

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A few pics just to show how the pics without the problem looks.

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Shutter service required. CLA will sort it.

Pete

 

Thanks Pete.

 

Do you happen to know if it is a quick fix or a bigger operation. I'm going on holiday on Sunday, and there's no way I'll be able to have it fixed locally.

 

Hopefully I can leave it at an Leica expert in for instance Paris and have it back in a day or two before I leave for another place. Is this realistic, or too optimistic?

 

Could you also maybe explain what the problem is? Is it the second shutter that is too slow? Too fast? Something else?

 

best wishes, Rune

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This is called shutter capping: the second curtain catches up with the first curtain before the edge of the frame is reached. It usually means the first curtain slows down before it should. This can be from dragging, dried out lubrication, or curtain brake acting too soon. My M4 and M6 (both bought new) eventually developed shutter brake issues that required a CLA.

I'd say get it fully serviced rather than trying a quick-fix. It will pay in the long run.

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This is called shutter capping: the second curtain catches up with the first curtain before the edge of the frame is reached. It usually means the first curtain slows down before it should. This can be from dragging, dried out lubrication, or curtain brake acting too soon. My M4 and M6 (both bought new) eventually developed shutter brake issues that required a CLA.

I'd say get it fully serviced rather than trying a quick-fix. It will pay in the long run.

 

I will most definitely have it fully serviced ASAP, but I'd also like to bring it with me on our honeymoon. We're leaving this Sunday, and will travel Europe for a month. I've sent an mail to Photo Suffren in Paris, and cross my fingers that they are able to fix it either Monday or Tuesday before we continue our travel. Hopefully they will be able to do a "rush service CLA", if not I'll probably go for a quick fix now, and send it in for a full CLA when we return back home.

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Perhaps it's been sitting unused for a while. Try releasing the shutter a few hundred times tomorrow then put a film through and get it developed and scanned on sat to see if the lubrication has loosened. You never know.

Pete

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll try that. Can't hurt. :)

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How about using it for your holiday but not using 1/1000th second and get the camera cla'd afterwards?

 

That, sir, is actually my back up plan if Photo Suffren is unable to fix it during my few days in Paris. :D

 

I already have an ND filter for my 50 cron, and I'm gonna buy a 52mm ND for my 35mm/1.2 Voigtländer as well. Those are the two lenses I use the most, so as long as I can use them I'll be fine. :)

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Pictures taken with slower shutter speeds should still be OK, safest would be to stay below the flash synchronization speed. In those cases the shutter is fully open instead of using a slit exposure.

 

This is where the demise of Agfa Dia-Direct (32 ASA or even 16 ASA?) is felt. It was a fantastic film btw. Taking pictures inside was a minor challenge, usually using a wall or other unmoving object for extra support.

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Good choice, Photo Suffren. Hope for you they can squeeze your M6 into their tech's schedule. Only problem is, if you go to the shop, you will usually walk out with something you didn't necessarily think of before... count this in when you get an estimate for the CLA :D

Cheers,

Alexander

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I shot another test roll today. First I shot the scene at 1/500, then at 1/1000. You see the results below. :(

 

If I'm lucky I'll have the camera fixed in Paris, if not I have two options as I see it:

 

- I'll just have to live with 1/500 as the fastest shutter speed this summer, and send the camera in for CLA when I'm back home.

 

- I bring the original box, strap etc. with me to Paris and try to make a trade - my camera + cash for a 100% working M6.

 

Thanks for all the help so far.

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More seriously, solving the problem in Paris will likely take a bit of time. Did Suffren get back to you? Basically all shops I know around here would take your camera for deposit sale but not for part exchange. Two years ago, Suffren sold my M6 in need of a CLA and new speed dial detent in a breeze, but at a quite low (still fair) price that accounted for the repair it needed. You would get your cheque in the mail a month after the sale. You could call La Maison du Leica for comparison.

 

Alexander

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Hello Alexander.

 

I just got the reply from Suffren. They offered to take a look on it on Tuesday (closed on Monday), but if it should need a bigger repair (which it probably needs) there is a 3-4 weeks wait.

 

So is seems I will have to do without 1/1000. :(

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Well, let them have a look, their technician does this quickly in the back office, leaving time for scanning the shop and a chat. And as you probably know, les Champs de Mars are only a few steps away, so an excursion to their quarter is not lost time. If it does not work out, eventually, an M6 up to 1/500 is still much better than no M6...

Let me know if you need local addresses for buying low iso film (Suffren does not carry much stock and is film wise not the most competitive).

Best,

Alexander

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Let me know if you need local addresses for buying low iso film (Suffren does not carry much stock and is film wise not the most competitive).

Best,

Alexander

 

Yes please. I will be bringing some film, but am planning to buy some on the way as well.

 

Rune

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Rune,

closest to Suffren (still not next door), around Montparnasse you have Dupifphoto (no more Rolleipan and no Pan F since a while - Acros, Plus X and FP4, Portra; not too cheap); a surprisingly well sorted fridge (Portra, NPS, Pan F, Fomapan, Fuji slides) and quite good prices I discovered last Saturday in the back of Le Grand Format (Boulevard Beaumarchais, close to Bastille - hard to miss, La Maison du Leica is next door, same group); probably the best film choice and ok prices (still no <50 iso :() has Negatifplus(p.15-16), closer to Gare de Nord, not too far from Opéra either. Dupif and Negatif+ are also my b&w and colour labs, respectively. Quick turnaround (12h-24h, usually).

Disclaimer: I have no commercial or professional link to any of the businesses above. I just want to see the film photo scene here stay alive in diversity :).

Have a good trip!

Alexander

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