Stuck frame counter unstuck

[colint544]

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I have a nice 1974 Leica M4 in black chrome. A few years back the shot counter stopped returning to zero on removal of the baseplate. It usually sticks at about 15, stubbornly refusing to go any lower. Clearly a CLA was required, but I've never got around to it, mainly since the camera works perfectly in every other respect. 

I just got used to this characteristic, and would try to remember that when I got to 36, I'd still have about 15 shots left.

Anyway, I finished a roll of film today, and decided to exercise the shutter a bit, just to get the oil moving around the gears. Ten shots at each shutter speed. I do this from time to time, but it's never freed off the shot counter. Today it did. I noticed, to my surprise, it had gone back to five after removing the baseplate. Fired and wound on the camera a bit more, and it reset to zero. And it keeps doing that now. Think I've fixed it. We all know that these old mechanical cameras like to be worked.

A tiny victory, but If it stays this way, it'll make the camera much nicer to use. I've seen others on here mention stuck shot counters on old M cameras, so thought I'd share this.

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Edited August 12, 2022 by colint544

[Pyrogallol]

I’ve just got an M4-2 and the counter is stuck on the start position. I have fiddled about with the little feeler that knows when you take the bottom off the camera and resets the counter but that didn’t fix it. I don’t think the camera has been used for some time as the slow speeds are sticky as well. Fast speeds seem about right, developed a film from it yesterday. Not having a working counter is a bit like using a screw Leica when you have forgotten to reset the counter when you loaded it.

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[colint544]

20 minutes ago, Pyrogallol said:

I’ve just got an M4-2 and the counter is stuck on the start position. I have fiddled about with the little feeler that knows when you take the bottom off the camera and resets the counter but that didn’t fix it. I don’t think the camera has been used for some time as the slow speeds are sticky as well. Fast speeds seem about right, developed a film from it yesterday. Not having a working counter is a bit like using a screw Leica when you have forgotten to reset the counter when you loaded it.

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How annoying. Yes, it's a real fly in the ointment, not having an accurate indicator of remaining shots. Hope you can get it freed off. 

Incidentally, the film advance lever on your M4-2 looks like the beefier one from the original M4, wondering if it was perhaps swapped at some point.

[Matlock]

This problem has been covered several times recently and is not that uncommon (my M5 suffers from it). If the camera has no other problems, just live with it and keep a note of the number before you take the first shit.

[Huss]

1 minute ago, Matlock said:

.. keep a note of the number before you take the first shit.

it's always #2

[Matlock]

Don't you just love it when ...... Must learn to check before I post 🤣