My M6's light meter is malfunctioning (I think). Help!

[S.L.Dixon]

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Hi,

I have had a M6 (serial number is in the 1665000 range) for about 7 years now and to be honest, haven't used it a lot in the last few years, but fired it up again recently and noticed that I think the light meter is functioning odd. In the past, I could press the shutter button when the film wasn't wound on and the light meter would activate, briefly, and then I could set the exposure. Now it doesn't do that, but when I wind film on, it will activate the light meter and not turn off until a photo is taken.

I ran a roll of film through and it works fine - i.e the exposures were fine - it just seems to activate differently that it used to. Is this a common thing anyone knows about?

I live in Melbourne, Australia and it's tough to get a repairer here who will look at an M6.  Any advice would be REALLY helpful. 

Thanks in advance!

Scott

(Also, I added a photo of my camera just 'cause it's a nice looking thing.)

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[jaapv]

Note that the light meter is switched off when you push the wind lever all the way in and/or the film is not wound on, and will only activate when the film is wound on and the lever in the active pulled-out position. In other words, the camera is behaving as it should.

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[S.L.Dixon]

Awesome! Thank you. I guess I just misunderstood / misremembered how I used it. 

Thank you so much. I knew this was the right place to come for an answer.

 

[EddieJ]

10 hours ago, S.L.Dixon said:

Hi,

I have had a M6 (serial number is in the 1665000 range) for about 7 years now and to be honest, haven't used it a lot in the last few years, but fired it up again recently and noticed that I think the light meter is functioning odd. In the past, I could press the shutter button when the film wasn't wound on and the light meter would activate, briefly, and then I could set the exposure. Now it doesn't do that, but when I wind film on, it will activate the light meter and not turn off until a photo is taken.

I ran a roll of film through and it works fine - i.e the exposures were fine - it just seems to activate differently that it used to. Is this a common thing anyone knows about?

I live in Melbourne, Australia and it's tough to get a repairer here who will look at an M6.  Any advice would be REALLY helpful. 

Thanks in advance!

Scott

(Also, I added a photo of my camera just 'cause it's a nice looking thing.)

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Welcome to LUF.

As Jaapv as eluded too your M6 is functioning as per normal. Looks in great condition.

As for servicing, yes they are far and few between in Melbourne town, however they are about.

Try

Camera Exchange http://cameraexchange.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=58_100_111&product_id=116

European Camera Service http://europeancameraservice.com/

Camera Clinic https://www.cameraclinic.com.au/index.php/en/

I have used Camera Clinic and Camera Exchange in the past.

Best

Eddie J - a fellow Melbournian.

Edited October 7, 2019 by EddieJ
Grammar

[S.L.Dixon]

Eddie J,

Thank you for all your help. Really appreciate it. I took it into Camera Clinic last night. We'll see what they say.

All the best,

Scott

[M9reno]

On 10/7/2019 at 1:17 AM, jaapv said:

Note that the light meter is switched off when you push the wind lever all the way in and/or the film is not wound on, and will only activate when the film is wound on and the lever in the active pulled-out position. In other words, the camera is behaving as it should.

Does the M6 light meter really depend in any way on the position of the lever?  My understanding is that the meter will activate if the shutter is cocked, and the shutter button pressed to the first detente, regardless of the position of the lever.  The meter then remains on for ca. 10 seconds or until the shutter fires.

A light meter that will not deactivate for a long period of time, as the OP suggests, is in my opinion problematic, and will soon run down the battery.

But this is from memory, I’ve not read the instructions for a long time, so may be wrong.

[jaapv]

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I’ll check it out on mine as soon asI get home in a couple of weeks. I’mfairly sure. 

[EddieJ]

2 hours ago, M9reno said:

Does the M6 light meter really depend in any way on the position of the lever?  My understanding is that the meter will activate if the shutter is cocked, and the shutter button pressed to the first detente, regardless of the position of the lever.  The meter then remains on for ca. 10 seconds or until the shutter fires.

A light meter that will not deactivate for a long period of time, as the OP suggests, is in my opinion problematic, and will soon run down the battery.

But this is from memory, I’ve not read the instructions for a long time, so may be wrong.

Your memory serves you correctly.

Once the film advance lever & shutter is cocked, regardless of where the film advance lever is, the meter will work once the shutter button is pressed lightly. Once the shutter has been triggered and not advanced then the light meter will not activate. Therefore extended battery life (meter).

As I posted in the I Love My M6! thread.

A neat trick - you can advance the film and simply keep a lens cap on the lens - no meter activation. This will however not save you from accidental shutter release and a wasted frame.

I would recommend NOT advancing the film.

 

[Graham (G4FUJ)]

I've missed a couple of photos by not advancing the film after a shot.

When I put my M6 into a camera bag, the lens cap will always be on and the shutter speed set to "B", that way the meter will not operate.

[Chuck Albertson]

If the film hasn't been advanced and/or you set the shutter speed at B, the meter is off. Having the lens cap on or the film wind lever in any position doesn't make any difference in that regard. The Nikon FM2/FE2 have an on/off switch built in to the film wind lever.