How tough are M bodies when it comes to bumping the camera and misalignment?

[petereprice]

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How susceptible to misalignment is the Leica M cameras when bumped, or dropped etc?  I have an M10-R that’s totally functional but I’m new to the M system and just curious how tough the camera is.  My backpack where my camera was housed fell off of a chair once and I was paranoid that the fall might have caused a misalignment of the rangefinder even thought it was in a padded compartment of the bag, but I tested it and it seemed ok, so I was just curious how careful I need to be with it?

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[TomB_tx]

I've used M cameras for over 50 years, and only had an RF get out of alignment once - on my M9 when (unthinking) I tried to mount a dual-range Summicron. (I did have another M returned from a routine CLA with the RF adjustment off, but another tech explained it wasn't the camera's fault.) The M9 primarily relied on a sliding friction fit to hold alignment, while the M10 went back to a proper screw-thread adjustment. The M10 should be quite rugged, but I wouldn't take that as a challenge!

[romualdo]

9 hours ago, TomB_tx said:

 the M10 went back to a proper screw-thread adjustment. The M10 should be quite rugged, but I wouldn't take that as a challenge!

I just acquired a second hand M10 & the rangefinder was "out" - wasn't aligning at infinity & was out of sync with the EV focusing.

Simple adjustment with the 2mm hex key

[shanefking]

My M9 took 8 years of use with lots of travel in a backpack and a few slight falls and was no worse for the wear.

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by shanefking

[elmars]

Leica has newly constructed the rangefinder for the M10. It is more precise and more durable. The M is a very robust camera. 

[jakontil]

I dropped my m240 from more than a meter to a concrete and badly chipped, thankfully the RF alignment was still perfect, my m10p dropped from a sofa i was sitting, RF was still perfect, but internally something was broken that touchscreen bit fiddly, sent to leica

[Patarei]

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I bought a second hand M10 one year ago, that i had to send to Wetzlar for calibration and some repairment.

 

A couple of month ago i bought a second hand M246 that was not spot on the calibration, so i booked an appointment at Wetzlar and went there.

Now both of my cameras is perfect

[M11 for me]

I have "tested" this with my M10. It fell downs twice. The first time a cow (!) wanted to smell my backpack and gave it a push. It fell down together with my M10 lying beside it. It fell into hard gravel and got some slight dints. A second time I sat an the bench in front of my house to put on my hiking shoes when I wanted to turn around. My thick winter coat gave the M10 a push and it fell down onto stone plates at my entrance. Again small dints. But never ever something was damaged. When I sold my M10 in the local Leica store they found it was in good condition and the rangefinder worked perfectly.

[PCPix]

They are pretty robust, as demonstrated by many photojournalists down the years.

I’ve used M2s, M6, M10 and -R extensively, out of a pannier on various motorcycle journeys (e.g: Kalahari, Namibia, Congo, Sahara, India). Thousands of kilometres on corrugated dirt roads and tracks over a few decades. No rangefinder issues.

However, it is possible to get out of alignment (many stories on the forum) - and if you’re concerned  - just look at an infinity subject with lens on the hard stop and if it’s going out of alignment that’s most likely where you’ll see it first. 2mm Allen key to adjust infinity (roller inside the lensmount) or vertical alignment behind the red dot, if needed. Check it daily if you’re in a faraway place, or after a drop or bump if you’re worried. 

Edited August 7, 2022 by PCPix
Sp

[pedaes]

On 8/5/2022 at 5:14 PM, petereprice said:

bumped, or dropped

When Leica redesigned the rangefinder for the M10 it was said it would be the most robust/stable unit so far.(collaborating what  elmars said in #5)

[intangiblethings]

I dropped my M6 from about knee height and it landed on the lens hood of my Voigtlander 50mm 1.2 III.

Lens hold and lens were fine but the RF was misaligned vertically and I had to get it fixed. 

[jimofnyc]

I have never dropped my Leicas.  I always wind the neck strap once or twice around my wrist so that if the camera slips out of my hand it will be tethered to me.  And always have a lens hood on as a bumper.  I did drop a 500c 'blad onto concrete once.  The strap slipped off my shoulder and went straight down to the floor onto the 80mm Planar.  The lens hood (that one was made out of metal) crumpled but the lens and camera survived intact.  Kids: don't try this at home....

[charlesphoto99]

I've only had an M6 TTL go out in the vertical due to a bumpy bicycle ride on the outskirts of Hanoi (had the camera in the front basket). Otherwise, they can drift, or more likely come brand new from the factory out of calibration (had this happen on a few bodies - M8, M9M, and most recently an M10-R BP). 

[Alberti]

Many years ago Leica Netherlands (ODIN, the importer that is)  had a very 'smart' offer: they sent technicians around the country, you could walk in with your camera. They checked my M2. They found the distance from bayonet flange to the film differed 1-2 microns left and right. [I never noticed of course with film; there is no feedback..] It planted the idea with me to  trade up . 

I suspect my M240 was also bumped, because a new 28mm lens had a small focus shift in one side. 

 S~O - it is not just a RF alignment that can go off; also the body can get damaged from falling. It can be compressed.

And of course lenses get damaged. My chrome 50mm Summicron V is particularly prone and I had to send it back (to replace the flange) and now again it does not turn smooth after a bump against an iron pole (while my old version II - that always was continuously severely mistreated - stayed in great shape). Well, I tell myself to live with it but it does not give me the big smile. 🥲

Edited August 25, 2022 by Alberti

[FORUMUSER]

Does anyone here have experience having the M10 on a multi-day trip on the bike (bag on the bike)? In the store in Wetzlar they said that it should not matter to the camera. Depending on the route, the vibrations can already be violent on the bike. Currently, I use a Restrab handlebar bag and inside an ONA bag that fits exactly in the Restrab. My SL 601 I have often worn on the back, but with the M I do not dare. We are currently planning a trip to Crete and for next year a 3-week trip in Vietnam just with the bikes. I am afraid to destroy something in the mechanics by the constant vibration

[David_Manning]

I think they're pretty robust overall, but the good news is that for modern digital Ms (as opposed to film Ms) you can immediately check your image focus, and if something looks bad, you can use live view.  So the big picture is your M will function and deliver in-focus images for your trip.

[TomB_tx]

On 8/26/2022 at 11:16 AM, FORUMUSER said:

Does anyone here have experience having the M10 on a multi-day trip on the bike (bag on the bike)? In the store in Wetzlar they said that it should not matter to the camera. Depending on the route, the vibrations can already be violent on the bike. Currently, I use a Restrab handlebar bag and inside an ONA bag that fits exactly in the Restrab. My SL 601 I have often worn on the back, but with the M I do not dare. We are currently planning a trip to Crete and for next year a 3-week trip in Vietnam just with the bikes. I am afraid to destroy something in the mechanics by the constant vibration

Not an M10, but decades ago I toured Scotland for 10 days on a tandem with my film CL in the handlebar bag. The CL was smaller, lighter build, but similar RF, and it had no problems. Of course, nearly all roads we took were paved, and the tandem rides smoother...

[Al Brown]

On 8/5/2022 at 6:14 PM, petereprice said:

How susceptible to misalignment is the Leica M cameras when bumped, or dropped etc?  I have an M10-R that’s totally functional but I’m new to the M system and just curious how tough the camera is.  My backpack where my camera was housed fell off of a chair once and I was paranoid that the fall might have caused a misalignment of the rangefinder even thought it was in a padded compartment of the bag, but I tested it and it seemed ok, so I was just curious how careful I need to be with it?

Are you asking about analog or digital M bodies? Two totally different things.

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[FORUMUSER]

Am 28.8.2022 um 19:07 schrieb Al Brown:

Are you asking about analog or digital M bodies? Two totally different things.

Hi AI Brown,  

I thought I was in the M10 forum. It's about the digital version. Above in the Threat is already some information on the subject. But I'm a little skeptical about how the camera deals with permanent shocks, which at least for me are not spring-loaded. Would wearing on the back possibly better? I'm just a little afraid for the camera and especially my back, if I fall. 

[Al Brown]

3 hours ago, FORUMUSER said:

Hi AI Brown,  

I thought I was in the M10 forum. It's about the digital version. Above in the Threat is already some information on the subject. But I'm a little skeptical about how the camera deals with permanent shocks, which at least for me are not spring-loaded. Would wearing on the back possibly better? I'm just a little afraid for the camera and especially my back, if I fall. 

You wrote M bodies, that could be anything since 1954.
The bodies from the analog days are worlds apart from the bodies of today. The analog Leicas were tough mechanical workhorses that you could repair with anything handy on the fly, even in Vietnam and other difficult places. The digital M bodies of today are, well, much much more fragile and sensitive for many reasons. Tons of discussion about the subject in this forum.
One plausible theory goes like this: "A superbly made mechanical camera lasts about 75 years; a superbly made electronic one should last at least 30." Plus, digital M bodies may still be around in 30 years but most likely the spare parts for them will not be.