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Leica R7


Idrissi

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Hi

I would value your advice

I bought a while back a Leica R7 got it to work  fine and left in a drawer  for several months . yesterday  got it out   checked that the battery contacts are clean and  replaced the batteries  after checking the voltage . all well so far.first I set the speed dial to T and pressed the shutter release button.the mirror went up and shutter opened  and  remained like this for over an hour !!!!!

this puzzled me . I took the batteries out again rechecked the voltage , replaced back no joy .I could do nothing  after an hour or so the mirror came down and the shutter curtain closed. that was a relief .today again the same issue. again left the camera for a while  and the mirror and curtain returned to starting position . am I doing something wrong here . so the third time I put the dial to A at 30 of a second and as I am wring this the mirror is still up and the curtain fully open.

I am new to Leica R system I am reading the manual , and can't find an answer.Is it something I am missing here . or has the camera just died for good ! 

I would value your opinion and suggestions .

Thanks

Al

 

 

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Hi once again  an update on the above problem.

As I said . I left the camera  after pressing the shutter release , the mirror remained up and the shutter  curtains open .on my desk  and took my son for a walk . returned 3 hours later and the mirror was still up.lifted the camera up and hit the bottom of the camera  gently  and to my surprise the mirror came down and the curtains closed . !!! I thought is it maybe  just  due to lack of use , so continued to fire the shutter   and subsequently once or twice I had to to give it a knock on the bottom plate .However what I have noticed is that there is a lag between pressing the shutter release and the mirror going up, so it was SLOW .However I come across a thread in the forum of someone mentioning a dirty or stiff air damper inside the mirror box, he had to peel a small bit of the lining in the mirror box to access  a tab which he lubricated  and solved the problem.

Although I got the shutter to fire , the mirror travel is markedly slow. I think I will consider sending it for a CLA.I was quoted £175 plus Vat . and wonder wether to go ahead or get a Leica R5 .

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I would advise for an R6.2 or, if you don't need the 1/2000, the more affordable R6. I was fighting dying electronics on an R4 and, as it happened, needed a proper film SLR for a real-world job (B&W). Despite the still working aperture priority, the funky behaving T and P programmes made me lose faith in the camera and purchase the professional R variant, the R6, due to its mechanical shutter.  

Although the camera looks the same, it feels different, and the metering indication is light years better. Plus, the shutter wheel is much, much better to work with when looking through the viewfinder. I also have the graphics/repro ground glass, which I find much more usable.

Bottom line: the R6 is a huge upgrade in a whole other league and arguably the pinnical of classic SLRs.

I might be wrong, but at some point in the future an electronically controlled shutter will become a hard/impossible to repair liability. Perhaps now is the time to pull the plunge.

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Am 30.7.2022 um 12:16 schrieb Idrissi:

I set the speed dial to T and pressed the shutter release button.the mirror went up and shutter opened  and  remained like this for over an hour

?? speed dial to 'T' ? - What ist going on, if You set the speed dial to 'OFF' while the shutter is opened?

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Good morning!

 

James, you are referring to  stcky " release magnet". Well, I don*t think, that this is the problem in this case. Then the camera wouldn't release, or only sometimes. But Al speaks here about a shutter delay and that come to 99% from a sticky - well, stickyness is involved ....😉- mirror damper piston. A common thing on the "minolta XD" based R models, like the sticky magnet is.

The access to the piston is quite a mission and thats why even some Leica mechanics decided to do a simple "ouside repair". Technically, nothing really wrong to go that way. It works. Have done that repair so far on 2 R models. 

Here I spoke about it in the german forum:

One word to the R7. In my opinion one of the best R models. I've got 3 in use and they hardley give any issue.

regards,

 

Torsten

 

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Hi 

 Thank you all for your reply .After doing some searching I suspect it is the mirror damper.anyway I didn't know how to takle the job .as I could not find a service manual or even photos of how the camera looks inside .  so I have sent it off for repair, and will keep you updated of the outcome.

I think I will consider an R6 instead all these ageing electronics are a worry. I have two  dead Nikon F5  cameras and could not find a repair shop here in the UK to fix them.

Thank you

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  • 2 weeks later...

I occasionally used to have an analogous problem with my R7, especially with no fresh batteries. It was annoying, carrying it all the way only to find out it wouldn't fire!

Eventually, I found a sort of remedy. After a shot, I turn the wind level half way, pause, then I complete the move. The trick always works, at least up to now, but I haven't figured out what the problem is or what that trick does.

Well, never mind as long I take pictures---and my camera is now 26 years old!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Idrissi

Have you got the camera back from repair yet? How did it go? Is it working as it should? My R7 has the exact same problem, although it fires within 5 to 10 seconds of depressing the shutter release, and sometimes almost (emphasis on 'almost') immediately. But never as it should compared to my R5. Definitely something sticky in there and I need to get it a thorough CLA. But I am curious how yours went.

Edited by avid1
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  • 2 months later...

Hi all

After 4 months I decided to phone the repair shop.and guess what  the guy didn't even touch it. he was too busy  I have asked him to send it  back  and will be expecting it next week. I have decided to do the job myself and will follow what Wagner mentioned earlier.I am hopeful I will fix it , if not  it will be a nice paper weight and will blame no one else but myself.I will keep you up to date..and thanks for your patience.

 

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