Leica M1 slow speeds

[Lee6470]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi everyone 

Have a question regarding my recently acquired M1. 
Lovely camera, very clean, and functional - except the slower speeds (1/30s and slower), where the shutter times are clearly ‘out’ and the curtains ‘hang’ before closing fully. 
I guess the camera is in need of a service!

My question is - I paid £300 for the M1 (which I think is a good price) - should I return it to the vendor, or pay to have it CLA’d?

 I would intend to keep it indefinitely. 

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[a.noctilux]

Easy ...

CLA and peace of mind.

Those ancient Leica M "always" need some Cleaning and new lubricant once in a while anyway.

M1 can be cheap to CLAed as there is no rangefinder to be adjusted or later on in use "out of calibration".

[Pyrogallol]

Keep working the slow speeds, they may come back, or try to manage without them, how often do you use them? On a tripod you could use B and guess. But if you really intend keeping it have it serviced.

[TomB_tx]

The condition you describe is due to dried lubricant. While “exercising” it may seem to make it work better, the lubes all through the camera will be in similar condition, just not as obvious. It will not be reliable with changes in temperature, etc. until it has a good CLA to remove the dried stuff and lube properly.

[Lee6470]

As always, thank you all for the wise advice!