Leica M7 Exposure Compensation Problem

[Mark II]

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Has anyone had any problems with the exposure compensation dial registering correctly on their M7?

 

I quite often see the film ISO blinking in the viewfinder. The ISO shown is correct (400) and the exposure compensation is zero. Jiggling the back dial and turning off then on seems to fix the issue.

 

If this is a contact issue, is it something that can be easily fixed without a trip back to Leica?

 

Thanks,

 

Mark

[alun]

Mark, I'm going back a few years now, so my recall may be hazy, but my M7 had almost no end of faults in its electronics, and the flashing exposure compensation dot was one of them. As you say, jiggling or tapping the ISO dial on the back fixes the problem.

 

My M7 ultimately developed a range of other faults too and went back to Leica for the DX Reader upgrade. This did -- or rather would have -- fixed everything but for the fact that there was also a malfunctioning circuit-board that Leica engineers didn't spot on the first visit and so it had to go back again.

 

Eventually it was fixed and functioned perfectly.

 

My personal view is that the old style DX Reader lies at the heart of most if not all of these problems.

 

At one time -- when the M7 was new -- Leica replaced the old style DX Reader free of charge, because it had such widely documented problems. I have no idea what they currently do.

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[Mark II]

Ok, that's interesting.

 

My M7 does still have the old electrical reader. It does seem to read the ISO setting correctly, so I would have guessed that the problem was the dial contacts on the back panel. Unfortunately, there is virtually no information about the circuit design that I can find online.

 

Maybe it is time to send it in for a proper service...

[jrh68uk]

Mine does it occasionally. It isn't the DX reader, which is the optical one. When I see the flashing dot I apply some very gentle pressure against the dial on the back (no need to actually rotate it) and it stops.

[Doc Henry]

Mark, I am very careful about

- The state of the battery first (check with a voltmeter both batteries CR1/3N)

- I clean the electrical contacts (on the back of the camera) if necessary with a cotton swab or a blower.

- When you turn the wheel of Isos , must be done slowly because we feel a "click" each time

Best

Henry

[Mark II]

Hi Henry,

 

The batteries are fine, but it could well be the contact between the backplate and the camera. When the current film is finished I will check the contacts and perhaps dismantle the panel to clean the switch mechanism (which is probably just a resistive track...).

 

-- Mark

[Doc Henry]

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Hi Henry,

 

The batteries are fine, but it could well be the contact between the backplate and the camera. When the current film is finished I will check the contacts and perhaps dismantle the panel to clean the switch mechanism (which is probably just a resistive track...).

 

-- Mark

Mark , I forget to tell you to remove the 2 batteries if you do not use the camera for several weeks. That's how my M7 always work well without problems !

Best

Henry

[Mark II]

It is always good idea to remove batteries when storing a camera for a long time - in case of leakage. I usually use the camera every day, although its previous owner(s) seem to have left it on a shelf unused for the best part of a decade (which could explain the contact problems).

 

I should add that I have not seen any problems with that battery life. Keeping a spare pair of batteries "just in case" is hardly an issue when compared to the bulk and cost of carrying spare film rolls...

[MarkP]

Keeping a spare pair of batteries "just in case" is hardly an issue when compared to the bulk and cost of carrying spare film rolls...

 

...or when compared to the bulk and cost of carrying spare digital camera batteries...