Brand new MP/M-A/M6 film scratches [Merged]

[delta100]

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Yes, I had the same scratched pressure plate on a brand new MA film camera! Sent it back to Leica Germany via dealer. You are very lucky to get a brand new camera, it's normal for Leica just to replace the part only and return the camera as repaired!

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[69xchange]

On 8/31/2025 at 7:49 AM, keith.christie said:

 

I have purchased a brand new Leica Silver chrome MP from my local dealer over this weekend, on arrival home I opened the sealed outer and inner boxes direct from Leica and when the film door was opened I found at least two horizontal scratches across the pressure plate.

Has anyone seen this before? any advice would be appreciated, I don't want to tamper with the camera as it may affect the Dealers/ Leica decision.

Also to note this camera has a very grainy finish to the covering and the slotted battery cover, The dealers website photos show a shark skin type covering and a matching battery cover.

My other MP camera which I have had since 2006 has no such scratches on the pressure plate and has the smooth type covering and battery cover.

I have contacted the dealer and they said they will talk to Leica on Monday and get back to me, I'm hoping they will replace the camera with a new one.

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Regards,

Keith.

The new leica MP since 2020 comes with the leather grain rather than the sharkskin as that is discontinued. Also since 2024, Leica no longer supplies two battery component door and it only comes with the slotted one due to safety risk for children.

[keith.christie]

7 hours ago, 69xchange said:

The new leica MP since 2020 comes with the leather grain rather than the sharkskin as that is discontinued. Also since 2024, Leica no longer supplies two battery component door and it only comes with the slotted one due to safety risk for children.

Thank you for your reply.

 When I received my MP I was disappointed that they had changed the shark skin to the grainy finish and the look of the new “safe battery cover” spoils the look of the camera I think. 
When I returned the camera because of the damaged pressure plate, I had them send me an M11-D as a replacement instead of another MP, obviously,I had to pay the difference.

I will purchase another MP when I find a “mint” older version that has the shark skin and the “correct battery cover”.

So far I am very happy with the M11-D as it gives me a “film type” experience without having to wait for the developing process.

best regards

Keith.

[Matlock]

19 minutes ago, keith.christie said:

Thank you for your reply.

 When I received my MP I was disappointed that they had changed the shark skin to the grainy finish and the look of the new “safe battery cover” spoils the look of the camera I think. 
When I returned the camera because of the damaged pressure plate, I had them send me an M11-D as a replacement instead of another MP, obviously,I had to pay the difference.

I will purchase another MP when I find a “mint” older version that has the shark skin and the “correct battery cover”.

So far I am very happy with the M11-D as it gives me a “film type” experience without having to wait for the developing process.

best regards

Keith.

I have an M10-D and I am extremely happy with it. It goes well with my M7 as a digital/film combination.

Edited September 10 by Matlock

[IkarusJohn]

35 minutes ago, Matlock said:

I have an M10-D and I am extremely happy with it. It goes well with my M7 as a digital/film combination.

And it doesn’t scratch film!

[Matlock]

7 minutes ago, IkarusJohn said:

And it doesn’t scratch film!

Nor do any of my film Ms and I have never come across anyone who has had scratched films, only on this forum. (I tell a lie, my Voigtlander Brilliant scratched a few films back in the 1960s).

[IkarusJohn]

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9 hours ago, Matlock said:

Nor do any of my film Ms and I have never come across anyone who has had scratched films, only on this forum. (I tell a lie, my Voigtlander Brilliant scratched a few films back in the 1960s).

I must confess, it’s nothing I’d come across before either (after 60 yeears or so of film photography). When this blew up, I looked at the films I’d run through my M-A and there were no signed of scratches.  I think this might be an aberration - poor one at that, for Leica, but perhaps not widespread.  To be honest, I would have through that having a clean film transport which does scratch film was camera making 101 …

[plaidshirts]

On 9/9/2025 at 6:14 PM, 69xchange said:

The new leica MP since 2020 comes with the leather grain rather than the sharkskin as that is discontinued. Also since 2024, Leica no longer supplies two battery component door and it only comes with the slotted one due to safety risk for children.

Did not know that - thank you for the information.

On 9/10/2025 at 1:33 AM, keith.christie said:

Thank you for your reply.

 When I received my MP I was disappointed that they had changed the shark skin to the grainy finish and the look of the new “safe battery cover” spoils the look of the camera I think. 
When I returned the camera because of the damaged pressure plate, I had them send me an M11-D as a replacement instead of another MP, obviously,I had to pay the difference.

I will purchase another MP when I find a “mint” older version that has the shark skin and the “correct battery cover”.

So far I am very happy with the M11-D as it gives me a “film type” experience without having to wait for the developing process.

best regards

Keith.

At least here in the US, there's no shortage of lightly used, less than 3 years old, MPs. Even mint black paints are selling for $4-4.4k at the moment.

[plaidshirts]

19 hours ago, IkarusJohn said:

I must confess, it’s nothing I’d come across before either (after 60 yeears or so of film photography). When this blew up, I looked at the films I’d run through my M-A and there were no signed of scratches.  I think this might be an aberration - poor one at that, for Leica, but perhaps not widespread.  To be honest, I would have through that having a clean film transport which does scratch film was camera making 101 …

I dabbled in fixing old film cameras before prices for used gear skyrocketed and have never seen it in even the cheapest and oldest (mainly) Japanese cameras. I film tested all of them before keeping or selling them. That's why this phenomenon is so surprising and puzzling. But the good thing is these claims seem to have died down somewhat so maybe Leica has it handled.

[TomB_tx]

Back in the 1960s our campus camera club would sometimes find someone's new camera scratched film. We kept a flat ultrafine hard Arkansas stone to rub on the pressure plate surface to cure the problem. Campus was located over 100 miles from the nearest town with more than one stoplight, so we had to fend for ourselves.

[KlarNebel]

Am 4.9.2025 um 19:50 schrieb delta100:

Yes, I had the same scratched pressure plate on a brand new MA film camera! Sent it back to Leica Germany via dealer. You are very lucky to get a brand new camera, it's normal for Leica just to replace the part only and return the camera as repaired!

I returned the camera within days of buying it. Maybe it was because of that, that I received a replacement? I also bought it in a German Leica Store. It coulld be that the laws are different here and they have to replace it. (Or I just got lucky.  )

Am 10.9.2025 um 03:14 schrieb 69xchange:

The new leica MP since 2020 comes with the leather grain rather than the sharkskin as that is discontinued. Also since 2024, Leica no longer supplies two battery component door and it only comes with the slotted one due to safety risk for children.

Another reason why I went to a Leica Store to buy my camera. I asked if they still had one of the "leather" battery doors by any chance and could give me one additionally to the one on the camera. One of the salesmen turned around, opened a drawer with a whole carton of them in it and gave one to me.

 

Am 11.9.2025 um 17:21 schrieb TomB_tx:

Back in the 1960s our campus camera club would sometimes find someone's new camera scratched film. We kept a flat ultrafine hard Arkansas stone to rub on the pressure plate surface to cure the problem. Campus was located over 100 miles from the nearest town with more than one stoplight, so we had to fend for ourselves.

At least on the M6 I sent back, it wasn't the pressure plate that scratched the film. It was some other part of the camera (I cannot pinpoint it exactly). 

[Eli4-2]

I bought a second-hand M-A from someone who didn't have any issues with scratches. They sent me photos of their negatives, claimed to have swabbed the brand new pressure plate to look for manufacturing defects/snags with a cotton swab (they knew about the scratch issues). I've ran about 10-15 rolls since receiving this camera and a couple of rolls had no issues whatsoever. I also sometimes scan my own film and have, on two occasions, had flawless negatives. Other rolls however have scratches that run the whole length horizontally. 

Am I screwed warranty-wise? The camera was manufactured 1/2023. Why doesn't Leica mail out replacement back doors or pressure plates? What are my options? I've reached out to DAG and he suggested buffing with a leather chamois. I'm going to start there and then run a test roll through without developing and look for scratches.  

[Eli4-2]

Update: I got an older one-piece style pressure plate for my back door. Ridiculous that not only does my old pressure plate scratch film, but I also had to get the shutter speeds adjusted because they were too tight from the factory and resulted in shutter capping at 1/1000...

[StephenH]

As I loaded my Rolleiflex 3.5F with a roll of 120 just now, it struck me that  it's impossible for any camera, no matter how defective, to scratch it.--at least with the pressure plate.