New MP Shutter Release issue

[yeeper]

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I finally received my new MP from Leica Store Manchester!

It is stunningly beautiful, but one of the first things I noticed is that the shutter release takes a much larger depression than any of my other Leicas.  Also, it seems inconsistent that it needs to be pressed so far down to release the shutter.  I handed it to a friend who also owns an MP and he said it was definitely off.  He had the same thought that I frequently have when squeezing the release:  "Did I advance the film?  I must not have".   Then you squeeze much harder and it releases.  

Has anyone else had this issue?  I'm assuming I'm sending it in to warranty service.  Has anyone had issues with a Leica purchased from a UK store doing warranty work at Leica USA?

Thanks so much!

[wattsy]

Your MP release is probably within tolerance but possibly at the extreme of the adjustment range and it feels odd for that reason. Muscle memory from your other cameras (especially if non-metered cameras) means you are instinctively not quite pressing down far enough. Other than getting used to it, you might consider asking for it to be adjusted. It sounds like you are in the USA so popping to the Manchester shop is not likely to be an option. I think you might need to talk to Leica NJ about this. The Leica warranty is worldwide but the protectionist nature of the USA market means you might have to send the camera to Wetzlar for warranty work on a camera bought outside the USA. Might be easier to send it to DAG or an other respected independent technician to adjust your shutter release.

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by wattsy

[250swb]

58 minutes ago, yeeper said:

 

It is stunningly beautiful, but one of the first things I noticed is that the shutter release takes a much larger depression than any of my other Leicas.  

It depends on what your other Leica's are as to whether you should compare. The MP is a mechanical camera that relies on springs and rods and levers and thingymabob's to make the shutter work, so it's not like the electronic switch you get as a shutter button on digital Leica's. On my MP the first pressure takes the button to just below the level of the cupped shutter surround, after which a bit more pressure and more travel it fires the shutter. On my M2 or M4-P there is no first pressure because they don't have meters but the shutter still fires in the same place, when the button is well below the edge of the surround. On the other hand my M10 fires instantly after the first pressure that awakens the camera, the button barely goes down below the top edge of the shutter surround. 

[Topsy]

22 minutes ago, 250swb said:

It depends on what your other Leica's are as to whether you should compare. The MP is a mechanical camera that relies on springs and rods and levers and thingymabob's to make the shutter work, so it's not like the electronic switch you get as a shutter button on digital Leica's. On my MP the first pressure takes the button to just below the level of the cupped shutter surround, after which a bit more pressure and more travel it fires the shutter. On my M2 or M4-P there is no first pressure because they don't have meters but the shutter still fires in the same place, when the button is well below the edge of the surround. On the other hand my M10 fires instantly after the first pressure that awakens the camera, the button barely goes down below the top edge of the shutter surround. 

+1 on this. I just did a check between my MP and M2 and what @250swb says is what I felt. FWIW I also tried my M9s and the travel is similar but less stiff.

[analogM]

The shutter button on my mp also feels heavy and coarse and releases the shutter only at the very end of its travel. It has nothing to do with the 'first pressure'  for the meter. No comparisson to the smooth release of the M6 I had, which also has the meter. My mp is only one year old, so I'm still breaking it in. Hopefully the shutter release will get smoother over time. But as it is now, the extra pressure needed combined with shutter release at the very end of the shutter button's travel is eating up up to two stops of useable slow shutter speed...

[johntobias]

same here...my new mp in feb this year, also from the guys in Manchester was weird at first...long travel but that silky wind on made up for it.....now, some 40 odd films through it and it is noticeably less 'strong/clunky'.....much better.....so depending on how much you've used it, it def seems to 'break in'    worry not, its true mechanical perfection and will be working so long after all the digicams have gone!

[analogM]

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Thanks johntobias, good to hear it will get better over time/use.

Oh how I love the mechanics of the analog M-camera's, they are such wonderfull and truly durable machines!

[yeeper]

On 8/23/2021 at 9:01 AM, johntobias said:

same here...my new mp in feb this year, also from the guys in Manchester was weird at first...long travel but that silky wind on made up for it.....now, some 40 odd films through it and it is noticeably less 'strong/clunky'.....much better.....so depending on how much you've used it, it def seems to 'break in'    worry not, its true mechanical perfection and will be working so long after all the digicams have gone!

Interestingly, my MP arrived in Manchester in February but there was a communication error and I didn't get it until recently.  Same batch, surely.

 

One bigger issue emerged today:  At one point I tried to take an exposure and it simply would not fire the shutter no matter how hard I pressed.  I let go and tired again, and the button felt like it engaged differently and the exposure fired very quickly and easily.  Something is DEFINITELY wrong.  There was no comparison of the failure of my first attempt to release the shutter and my second successful attempt.  

[Mute-on]

2 hours ago, yeeper said:

Interestingly, my MP arrived in Manchester in February but there was a communication error and I didn't get it until recently.  Same batch, surely.

 

One bigger issue emerged today:  At one point I tried to take an exposure and it simply would not fire the shutter no matter how hard I pressed.  I let go and tired again, and the button felt like it engaged differently and the exposure fired very quickly and easily.  Something is DEFINITELY wrong.  There was no comparison of the failure of my first attempt to release the shutter and my second successful attempt.  

You officially have a problem. Time to take it back for repair or replacement. 

[johntobias]

date of manufacture is on the box..mine was 28-10-20 so may not be same batch.....certainly NEVER had the prob Yeeper says so yes, sounds like something not right with yours

 

[yeeper]

On 8/23/2021 at 9:01 AM, johntobias said:

same here...my new mp in feb this year, also from the guys in Manchester was weird at first...long travel but that silky wind on made up for it.....now, some 40 odd films through it and it is noticeably less 'strong/clunky'.....much better.....so depending on how much you've used it, it def seems to 'break in'    worry not, its true mechanical perfection and will be working so long after all the digicams have gone!

Is the travel still super long?  Mine is all the way to the bottom.  My friend (on here as BerndReini) who owns WAY too many Leicas gave it a try and said "This is WRONG.  This is NOT right."  And yes, I'm coming from several M6s myself.  On the new MP, after the initial "engage meter" travel, it's continuous pushing of the release until basically the very bottom and I don't know when it will actually fire.  That's a problem.

[johntobias]

7 hours ago, yeeper said:

Is the travel still super long? 

No, same as an M6    think yours must be needing adjusted or similar