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I don’t get the logic of this? By all means switch to an M3 for a different viewfinder, and other ‘look and feel’ aspects of using the camera. But if the electronics fail in an M6, you’ve effectively got an M2/M4 or M3 in an M6 body.

25 minutes ago, Elliotbialick said:

Apologies for typo:  Last M6 should read M3!

 

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On 1/12/2020 at 3:13 AM, Graham (G4FUJ) said:

If the meter on my M6 fails, I'll just go back to using either a Sekonic spotmeter or a spare Weston Master V :)

Don't have an M6 but do have an M3, when I take it out I like having something that won't fail electronically, or always have a spare battery in a pocket. Anyway a hand held meter is good to have. I have 2 working Luna Pros, but they are a little absurd with an M Leica, they are about the same size, so I carry a Gossen Scout, not the best meter but does a good job, agrees with the Luna Pros  most of the time. I have had no success with phone apps, but others have.

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I find by far the best light meter for my Barnacks and non-metered M's is the tiny shoe mounted Voigtlander VC2, where I have one chrome and one black one. I also have three Leicameter MR-4 meters, one of them very expensively rebuilt by QLM in Hollywood, CA and another recently recalibrated to alkaline batteries by Kamera Technik Langer in Karlsrühe. None of them are terribly accurate compared with my VC2 meters, which seem to be extremely accurate, cross checked with my big professional Polaris digital spotmeter. I also have a rebuilt Weston Master V (by Weston guru Ian Partridge) which works and looks like new , which I enjoy using if I am not in any hurry. 

Wilson

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  • 1 month later...
On 1/10/2020 at 10:18 PM, Elliotbialick said:

So, here we are in 2020 and it seems that this issue is left unresolved. 
Has any of you been able to find a resolution to your failed meter in either an M6 Classic or TTL? 
If so, what route did you take to a satisfactory solution?

Elliot

In October 2019, DAG replaced the light meter circuit board in my M6 classic.

Works perfectly and is very accurate. Hoping it stays that way for years to come.

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  • 10 months later...

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I bought a 1986 dated M6 body off a Camera Club Member many years ago now and teh meter went. So at a big Photography event in Birmingham  (England one! ) I had it checked free on the Leica Stand and the answer was the Circuit Board had gone and they took it and it cost £ 127 I remember  ( Luckily TAX DEDUCTIBLE as I put it down as a 'Business expense' for my Freelance Photography business)  Then again the meter 'Failed ' a few months ago but I had a look at Batteries and there was some corrosion on one so new batteries got it going again!

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5 minutes ago, elmarman said:

  Then again the meter 'Failed ' a few months ago but I had a look at Batteries and there was some corrosion on one so new batteries got it going again!

I make sure I only use the 1/3N Lithium battery for my M6 as they are far less likely to corrode than the Alkaline ones.

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2 minutes ago, elmarman said:

Yes -- that is just ONE battery instead of the 2 Button Cells BUT not so easy to order --  

I order them on line and, in fact, I have just received them (one for the M6 and two for my M7), expiry date 2028.

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15 minutes ago, elmarman said:

Do you use 'The Small Battery Company' OR the Cheaper 'BuyABattery.co.uk ' ? or another source ? 

Yes I do use The Small Battery Company, but I sometimes buy on eBay from reputable dealers.

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31 minutes ago, mmradman said:

There is always online retailer going by name of a big South American river.

I use them for odd batteries like the 1/3DN, as the likelihood of fakes is low but for ordinary batteries I only buy Amazon basics from them. I have had a fake multi-buy purchase of lithium-manganese AA Energizer batteries and a fake pack of 12 x CR123A Duracell via Amazon France. I buy my regular batteries from "The Battery Station" and so far so good. Really weird batteries like the 15V BLR154 one for my Avometer #8 Mark 6, I buy from the Small Battery Company. 

I had the printed circuit card replaced on my M6TTL in 2001 and even then in the UK they were becoming difficult for third party repairers to acquire. For that reason I part-exchanged my M6TTL for an M7, which was a nightmare of unreliability. My current M7 (a different one) has not been that reliable either. It went back for service and upgrade (optical DX reader and MP VF) to Solms before it got it and it would seem this was not well done, with the shutter rollers misaligned. This put a lot of stress on the motor drive input shaft, which sheared. It took over six months and a number of begging letters to Leica, before I could get a replacement shaft. The wind on is now much smoother with the shutter rollers correctly aligned and with the release magnets cleaned and accurately gapped, the shutter speeds are now accurate, which they weren't before. All done by Alan Starkie at Cameraworks-UK. 

Wilson

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22 minutes ago, wlaidlaw said:

I use them for odd batteries like the 1/3DN, as the likelihood of fakes is low but for ordinary batteries I only buy Amazon basics from them. I have had a fake multi-buy purchase of lithium-manganese AA Energizer batteries and a fake pack of 12 x CR123A Duracell via Amazon France. I buy my regular batteries from "The Battery Station" and so far so good. Really weird batteries like the 15V BLR154 one for my Avometer #8 Mark 6, I buy from the Small Battery Company. 

I had the printed circuit card replaced on my M6TTL in 2001 and even then in the UK they were becoming difficult for third party repairers to acquire. For that reason I part-exchanged my M6TTL for an M7, which was a nightmare of unreliability. My current M7 (a different one) has not been that reliable either. It went back for service and upgrade (optical DX reader and MP VF) to Solms before it got it and it would seem this was not well done, with the shutter rollers misaligned. This put a lot of stress on the motor drive input shaft, which sheared. It took over six months and a number of begging letters to Leica, before I could get a replacement shaft. The wind on is now much smoother with the shutter rollers correctly aligned and with the release magnets cleaned and accurately gapped, the shutter speeds are now accurate, which they weren't before. All done by Alan Starkie at Cameraworks-UK. 

Wilson

I had my M7 updated by Leica and it was perfect (and still is). Sadly Cameraworks UK is a bit of a no go at the moment as they are snowed under with work and do not even reply to my many messages (I need some work on my M3). I will need to look elsewhere. As far as Amazon is concerned, I only use them for the odd book, far too many fake goods and very high prices.

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On 1/12/2020 at 2:13 AM, Graham (G4FUJ) said:

If the meter on my M6 fails, I'll just go back to using either a Sekonic spotmeter or a spare Weston Master V :)

Same with me, although I'll use my Gossen LunaPro 😉

73 de W5SRT

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5 hours ago, pedaes said:

Jaapv recommended this couple and they did some excellent work for me. 

https://www.kamera-service.info/index.php/en/

They are very good and reasonably quick but their prices are not far off what Leica charge. I use Will van Manen more for lenses than cameras. What I would really like to find is someone who can do hard coating (sputtered deposition) of lenses. I want my 1937 Summar coated, so that it matches my father's coated Summar, sadly stolen with his IIIa. Alan Starkie had bought an old vacuum vapour deposition chamber but it was missing its high frequency generator/driver, which he was going to have to build. I don't think he has got round to it yet. 

Wilson

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