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straps & lugs & O-rings on M4


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22 hours ago, Stephen.s1 said:

If it ain't broke don't fix it...

Do you change the oil in your car?  There are all sorts of moving parts that are subject to wear when the lubrication oxidizes and gets sticky or worse. There are seals in the shutter mechanism that can deteriorate and fall apart and jamb the mechanism. The list goes on. Two statements that I hear all the time that boggle my mind: "just exercise it" and "all shutter speeds are accurate" no M film camera except M7 has accurate shutter speeds, some are just worse than others.

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17 hours ago, Rob L said:

Do you change the oil in your car?  There are all sorts of moving parts that are subject to wear when the lubrication oxidizes and gets sticky or worse. There are seals in the shutter mechanism that can deteriorate and fall apart and jamb the mechanism. The list goes on. Two statements that I hear all the time that boggle my mind: "just exercise it" and "all shutter speeds are accurate" no M film camera except M7 has accurate shutter speeds, some are just worse than others.

If it ain't broke don't fix it. 

Hand wringing about what could happen is just a way to unnecessarily liberate money from Leica users and sound 'knowledgeable' at the same time. It's a professional camera with plenty of usage built in, and you don't know the circumstances it has been used in, so blanket statements don't help and only contribute to the febrile jeopardy that many Leica users feel about using their cameras. 

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21 minutes ago, 250swb said:

If it ain't broke don't fix it. 

Hand wringing about what could happen is just a way to unnecessarily liberate money from Leica users and sound 'knowledgeable' at the same time. It's a professional camera with plenty of usage built in, and you don't know the circumstances it has been used in, so blanket statements don't help and only contribute to the febrile jeopardy that many Leica users feel about using their cameras. 

There is quite a lot of that, so called, "knowledgeable advice" on this forum. As you say "if it ain't broke don't fix it", you are only lining someone's pocket.

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If I thought Don Goldberg and Sherry Krauter were rich, I might agree. Film Leicas do "have plenty of usage built in", in fact they last forever if maintained every 25 years, but usage and age are two different things. These are mechanical devises with many moving parts and potential age related deterioration. I personally like the peace of mind of having my 50 year old camera with unknown history, or my BMW motorcycle (although I do that myself) serviced before they break (possibly far from home). I have less than $1500 invested in my mint, CLAed better than new M4 and a similar amount in my mint M6. Talk about liberating money, no one on this forum debates the wisdom of new $5000 unreliable film cameras, pretentious leather trimmed canvas camera bags, Overgaard hoods, Special edition black chrome lenses...

Edited by Rob L
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38 minutes ago, Rob L said:

If I thought Don Goldberg and Sherry Krauter were rich, I might agree. Film Leicas do "have plenty of usage built in", in fact they last forever if maintained every 25 years, but usage and age are two different things. These are mechanical devises with many moving parts and potential age related deterioration. I personally like the peace of mind of having my 50 year old camera with unknown history, or my BMW motorcycle (although I do that myself) serviced before they break (possibly far from home). I have less than $1500 invested in my mint, CLAed better than new M4 and a similar amount in my mint M6. Talk about liberating money, no one on this forum debates the wisdom of new $5000 unreliable film cameras, pretentious leather trimmed canvas camera bags, Overgaard hoods, Special edition black chrome lenses...

There is a huge difference between a CLA when needed and the usual answer on these forums that a CLA will cure everything. Also when I spoke about lining pockets I was not referring to the likes of Don and Sherry. There have been rather too many stories of cameras being returned from a CLA with more problems than before they were sent off.

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40 minutes ago, Rob L said:

Yes, and I was off topic, I apologize. I was reacting to the statement "if it works, don't fix it" and suggesting that proper maintenance by skilled technicians is a good investment, like an oil change.

I doubt many people on the forum would be without a camera if their M broke down. But what are the service intervals on a Leica M? Here's a clue......there are none. So the analogy with a regular oil change is bogus. And suggesting a regular CLA is a requirement simply fuels the unfounded fear and trepidation that is endemic on the forum. Many people are fearful of almost every aspect of Leica photography and they are made fearful because of knee-jerk reactions that their camera needs such things as a CLA or falsely made scared of cleaning their own sensor. It makes people impotent and beholden.

It happens all the while on the Film Forum, an often simple question covering 'is this a processing fault of a camera fault?' is almost always first met with a 'get a CLA' answer whether or not that is the correct answer. If your camera breaks down the main part of the repair costs is labour, not parts, so it makes no sense at all to keep paying for CLA labour on a regular basis if the camera isn't broke. 

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I took a closer look at the strap on my old M3.  I believe it's an original leather Leica strap, maybe, and what looks like brass rivets holding things together are corroded.  I doubt it will fall apart, but a new strap sounds like good insurance.  I put the #14312 on any camera it fits on (but it won't fit my Fuji X100's).  I'll have one on order by tomorrow afternoon.

From Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Leica-Neck-Strap-Cameras-14312/dp/B000U9QQ5E/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=YilUs&pf_rd_p=49ff6d7e-521c-4ccb-9f0a-35346bfc72eb&pf_rd_r=7TTYXRNSBTAC4RTTHHC1&pd_rd_r=57e1b60e-8058-4c12-8330-35bcbf5f85da&pd_rd_wg=ZqqCm&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d#

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Edited by MikeMyers
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/5/2019 at 1:37 PM, Pyrogallol said:

I prefer the traditional “0” ring, taken from old neck straps or bought in fishing tackle shops like the trace link shown, but I have had those type of trace link start to straighten out and slip out of the little bent clip that holds it ( when fishing).

The modern Leica straps are good, as are the Benser type screw down ones.

When buying an old Leica worn strap lugs on a camera are a good sign that a camera has had a lot of use.

 

One on the top was nothing but trouble. I have my M-E 220 landed on my wrist palm twice after this crappy, odd uo-ring came out from the lug. No idea how and why it happening. I even asked camera store person to do it right and it still happened. I installed normal O-ring. Will switch it to triangle ones. And this Leica strap is crap as well. Worn out within one year.  

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  • 1 year later...

Again, I am on the perfect strap search. I have the M7 and .95 Nocti and that is one heavy unit, for me anyways. Way too heavy for a thin strap. I have the Peak Design Slide (larger one) on and it is really really comfortable. I bought it originally for my SL 601. It's also super efficient. It works great. Better than I can imagine BUT its so freaking ugly and clunky. Just looking at it makes me go arrrghhh. It just violates the sleekness of the camera and lens. I know it sounds goofy but it doesn't give me the mental aesthetic I need when I photograph. Does this make sense? BTW thanks for the floss trick guys. Awesome.

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Aramid fibre is another option to protect your strap lugs.  See www.dsptch.com

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On 1/27/2021 at 12:16 AM, Ko.Fe. said:

One on the top was nothing but trouble. I have my M-E 220 landed on my wrist palm twice after this crappy, odd uo-ring came out from the lug. No idea how and why it happening. I even asked camera store person to do it right and it still happened. I installed normal O-ring. Will switch it to triangle ones. And this Leica strap is crap as well. Worn out within one year.  

 

       ...I have used the "modern Leica strap" for 24+ years - from my M6 to my current MP. Zero issues. YMMV.

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  • 9 months later...

I've had my M4 for about 10 years.  The lugs looked worn to me when I bought the camera back then.  My solution was to order a half case from Kameraleder which has the strap mounted to the case.  They were made by a guy here in the States and are beautiful.  I don't see active link to his site and my guess is he retired or passed away.  I did the Bic barrel liner hack mentioned earlier in the thread but I prefer using the half case which helps grip the camera as well.  Sorry I don't have a photo of it.

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