Lost Flash Port Protection Cap, AGAIN!!

[Guest]

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I just received an excellent M6 TTL .58 this weekend, very happy to have one with the .58 viewfinder because I rarely if ever go longer than a 50mm lens on an M, ( I do have the VC 75mm 1.5 which is a wonderful optic, but I have used it only a few times ), and a 35mm lens is my "normal" seconded only by a choice of 28mm lens. So the .58 viewfinder makes perfect sense for me.......

However within an hour or so of testing out the "new" camera the tiny plastic flash sync went "walkabout", as have all the others that my film M's had originally but couldn't hold on to. So does anyone know how to keep these little buggers in place other than taping over them? I never use flash with these cameras so the ports are not used but I don't want to do something drastic like using SuperGlue to keep them in place, maybe another type of glue?  I would like to keep the ports covered so crud doesn't build up inside them, preferably covered with the proper caps, so any ideas or solutions?

Edited August 29, 2022 by petermullett

[maxfairclough]

Yeah it's annoying and happens. It took a year for my first one to fall off. Now it happens weekly. Luckily, my store has given me a bunch for free. 

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[a.noctilux]

Hello Peter,

If the lost cap is not the proper cap, not great lost.

 

To be positive, there are quite a lot of flash socket caps.

At first, I didn't bother with these, never lost one.

But with M6, lost some of them,so I investigated why and how.

Old style caps is better built with a groove to retain it while new style caps lack the grove.

Not big deal, but this explains the lost.

So if it's with groove type, it would not fall.

 

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link "with groove" Edited August 29, 2022 by a.noctilux

[Guest]

Bonjour Arnaud, even the "correct" caps that came with the new M-A and MP cameras disappeared quickly.............so it's endemic.

Edited August 29, 2022 by petermullett

[a.noctilux]

Peter,

Miracle, those caps on my two M-A with "Leica" in script are still attached.

I just checked, they are NOT of "with groove" type, so still lossable.

Not so funny thing that the flash ports on M-A don't accept old style "with groove" cap, I tried the old cap from M4 "with groove" on M-A,

not possible to attach, I think the retaining mechanism inside also went away.

 

Maybe the Leica store can give you a bunch for free like Max above.

2 hours ago, maxfairclough said:

Luckily, my store has given me a bunch for free.

 

[Guest]

Merci Arnaud, first I have to get some more from my dealer/s then I am going to see if I can find a low impact glue, something I'd just use a small dot of and hopefully that will stop the caps going astray and then rub off easily if/when I want to remove the caps at any time, ( not likely )........otherwise it's going to be a black paper tape solution again.

[Huss]

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Don't keep the flash port caps on with the M4-2 and M4-P.  The flash sockets are attached via a very weak plastic connection which can snap right off.   Previously they were attached via a metal connection.  The caps provide extra snaggy leverage to make this much more likely - happened to me twice...

Not sure if Leica changed the construction here on later Ms, but that is how it is with the M4-2/P.

[LocalHero1953]

IIRC the flash port covers that came with my M4 (bought last year) came as an connected pair. They also disappeared within a couple of days. Is it still possible to get the connected pair? I assume so - mine disappeared so quickly that they must have been replacements to a previous series of pairs that all disappeared with new owners, and renewed when sold.

[trisberg]

8 hours ago, Huss said:

Don't keep the flash port caps on with the M4-2 and M4-P.  The flash sockets are attached via a very weak plastic connection which can snap right off.   Previously they were attached via a metal connection.  The caps provide extra snaggy leverage to make this much more likely - happened to me twice...

Not sure if Leica changed the construction here on later Ms, but that is how it is with the M4-2/P.

Yep, learned this the hard way with my M4-2. Never happened with an M6 so they must have changed it.

-Thomas

[Chuck Albertson]

I just slap a piece of gaffer tape over the (open) PC port, once the cap inevitably disappears.

[Doc Henry]

... you can also purchase here Peter  : https://www.dagcamera.com/store/p158/M2%2C_M3_Black_Flash_Plug.html