M240 shutter design

[Steve Ricoh]

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I'm wondering why the M240 (and all the other digital Ms) moved away from the rubberised cloth focal plane shutter to the double metal blade system. The rubberised focal plane shutter works very well, it's quiet and has a long working life, and the M7 proves it works with aperture priority by the addition of control electronics and solenoids. Any ideas why the 'all digital Ms' diverted from the legacy of the cloth focal plane?

 

Is it a limitation of the cloth focal plane shutter maxing at 1/1000s ?

Edited August 2, 2017 by Steve Ricoh

[a.noctilux]

No silk/fabric type allow shorter than 1/2000s.

 

Leica tried to overcom 1/2000 with M8's shutter, too far 1/8000, first try but not really reliable with vibrations, louder than most shutter.

Then with M8-2 lower noise and vibration with top shutter 1/4000.

And continue with that type of shutter in newer Ms to M10.

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[jaapv]

A cloth shutter would take up too much space (and has some drawbacks, like a slow sync speed and slow fastest speed)

The M8 shutter and subsequent M shutters are a development of the R8 shutter and are (AFAIK) built by Copal.

[Steve Ricoh]

I think I could live with the slower SS, seems ok to me on my M6. If I had been directing design, it would be cloth, and I'd remove some of the other stuff to make it fit. All I want in a digital M is it look like and behave like a traditional M, albeit with a digital sensor; no fancy stuff.

[a.noctilux]

My M (type 262) is just a bit louder than my M-A and Leica released M-D for the purist-no-screen-analog-M-experience.

And now with M10 it's ISO dial (in place of screenless ! > so people ask for one M10-D), near silent shutter and even better viewfinder.

[jaapv]

I think I could live with the slower SS, seems ok to me on my M6. If I had been directing design, it would be cloth, and I'd remove some of the other stuff to make it fit. All I want in a digital M is it look like and behave like a traditional M, albeit with a digital sensor; no fancy stuff.

Well, the stuff you would need to remove is most of the electronics... The sensor on its own would not be able to take pictures.

[epand56]

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People ask a lot of things instead of using their camera to take pictures. You can't have a new model out for a couple days without somebody going to ask something more and more and more. If the new camera is more thin, they want it a millimeter thinner, if it is more light they want it lighter. This is not photography, this is perverted fetishism. 

Edited August 7, 2017 by epand56

[Exodies]

Well yes, but it's not a case of either/or, it's both.

 

(ETA both satisfaction with the present and desire for a better future)

Edited August 7, 2017 by Exodies