gettons Posted February 9, 2021 Share #1 Posted February 9, 2021 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello there, I purchased a very well kept and fully functional M6 a few months ago which had been supposedly CLA' ed from a trusted source. After a few rolls, I have started noticing that sometimes, especially after a few shots, then light meter becomes very weak and eventually disappears. I then take a shot, wait a little, and then it's there again very contrasty. But then after a while, it gets back to a very very weak light which is impossible to recognise. Batteries are brand new, and I have noticed that when it happens, it happens when I move the aperture/shutter speed in order to adjust the meter. What is weird is that if I test it after a few days it's totally fine, and infact this issue seems to present only when I am out shooting. Has anyone experienced the same issue? Again this is an M6 (the non TTL version) with serial number starting 2423XXX (0.85x viewfinder), not that it makes mcuh of a difference, but I thought I would mention just in case. Thanks in advance Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 9, 2021 Posted February 9, 2021 Hi gettons, Take a look here Leica M6 light meter randomly dimming and disappearing. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
BradS Posted February 9, 2021 Share #2 Posted February 9, 2021 I have observed similar behavior with my M6 when outside in cold weather and when the battery is weak. I’ve always attributed the behavior to the battery. make sure the electrical contacts in the battery compartment are clean and try another, new battery. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock Posted February 9, 2021 Share #3 Posted February 9, 2021 Make sure you are using a Lithium battery, or 2 silver oxides, not alkaline. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradS Posted February 9, 2021 Share #4 Posted February 9, 2021 27 minutes ago, Matlock said: Make sure you are using a Lithium battery, or 2 silver oxides, not alkaline. It maybe coincidence but, in my experience, Lithium batteries seem perform less well in cold ambient temperatures (below 10 degrees C). I generally prefer the Lithium 1/3N but in winter I'll switch to silver oxide. I'll also note that I've seen the behaviour described by the OP in other cameras (eg Nikon F2SB) as well...so, I don't think this is in anyway unique to the M6 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torontoamateur Posted February 9, 2021 Share #5 Posted February 9, 2021 Its been a low battery issue for me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gettons Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share #6 Posted February 9, 2021 8 hours ago, BradS said: I have observed similar behavior with my M6 when outside in cold weather and when the battery is weak. I’ve always attributed the behavior to the battery. make sure the electrical contacts in the battery compartment are clean and try another, new battery. Indeed this has happened over the past month or so, so it could very well be the cold weather. In terms of the batteries, I will try with a brand new set of batteries and see if that helps. Electrical contacts in the battery compartment seem to be in a good state, but I will take another look. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gettons Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share #7 Posted February 9, 2021 Advertisement (gone after registration) 7 hours ago, Matlock said: Make sure you are using a Lithium battery, or 2 silver oxides, not alkaline. what kind of batteries would you recommend? The user manual recommends either two 1.S5-volt silveroxide buttoncell or one 3-volt lithium cell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock Posted February 10, 2021 Share #8 Posted February 10, 2021 8 hours ago, gettons said: what kind of batteries would you recommend? The user manual recommends either two 1.S5-volt silveroxide buttoncell or one 3-volt lithium cell Both are OK but the Lithium cell is best, and being just one cell is more convenient. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitroplait Posted February 16, 2021 Share #9 Posted February 16, 2021 On 2/9/2021 at 11:41 PM, gettons said: what kind of batteries would you recommend? The user manual recommends either two 1.S5-volt silveroxide buttoncell or one 3-volt lithium cell Lithium cells also has a really long shelf life. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gettons Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share #10 Posted February 16, 2021 Just wanted to let everyone know that I replaced with new SR44 batteries and the problem seems to be fixed! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeandhisM Posted January 28, 2022 Share #11 Posted January 28, 2022 On 2/16/2021 at 9:01 AM, gettons said: Just wanted to let everyone know that I replaced with new SR44 batteries and the problem seems to be fixed! Has the battery swap resolved the issue? I am having the same issue with mine. serial No. 241xxx Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danner Posted January 28, 2022 Share #12 Posted January 28, 2022 Don't overlook dirty battery contacts. Cotton swap with a drop of denatured alcohol works well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrogallol Posted January 28, 2022 Share #13 Posted January 28, 2022 My Leica repair man says to turn the ISO dial on the back of the camera from one end of the scale to the other several times to keep the contacts clean. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeandhisM Posted January 28, 2022 Share #14 Posted January 28, 2022 16 hours ago, Danner said: Don't overlook dirty battery contacts. Cotton swap with a drop of denatured alcohol works well. 13 minutes ago, Pyrogallol said: My Leica repair man says to turn the ISO dial on the back of the camera from one end of the scale to the other several times to keep the contacts clean. Thank you very much, I will give these a go as well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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