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MP metering dot

geoffnik

By geoffnik
in Leica M-A / M7 / MP and Film M

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geoffnik

geoffnik

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The metering dot on my MP needs a touch up! Anyone know the best white paint/ink to use? Thanks

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Anbaric

Anbaric

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On 9/15/2023 at 12:50 PM, geoffnik said:

No…seems to meter fine…..being a bit anal i suppose?

Here is what Leica says about the paint:

'The uneven coverage of the white paint is not the result of faults in production. Rather, it is due to the fact that it is not possible to apply a sealed, thick coat of paint to the flexible rubber blanket of the shutter without impairing the shutter function. The uneven structure of the metering spot in no way impairs the exposure result.'

If it's working fine already, then slapping paint on it will either (a) make no difference to the metering, or (b) make things worse in some way (I imagine 'impairing shutter function' wouldn't be a good thing). Sometimes it's best to leave these things alone.

 

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Bronco McBeast

Bronco McBeast

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Leica is simply trying to make you accept the fact that their paint will chip. Because it will.

They do this because this extremely TRIVIAL issue has brought them headaches and unnecessary expenses in the repairs department.
People sending their cameras under warranty for a microscopic dab of white paint.  And criticism along the lines of “hey what’s up with Leica, I paid big money and I expect perfection. I will break your reputation blabla”.

Just imagine the hundreds of cameras they must be getting, yearly,  for this “issue”, to which they must adress and send the camera back, free of charge… and with a smile!

The point is this: if you are anal about it, as you say you are, then you can paint that miniature spot yourself. 
leica will gladly do it for you but only if your camera needs a true repair as the main job. Only then, the repairman will open the liquid-paper bottle sitting at the corner of the table and paint that little spot. Yes, as banal as that. 

No, they will not do it as a warranty job because they’ve had enough of it. That’s what their letter is saying, in other words; “stop being unreasonable” and “no, a shallowish sound of your new Leica M-A camera  does not warrant us opening it to make sure it will work okay 28 years down the line”.

Believe it  or not, self-righteous customers that truly expect PERFECTION is costing Leica a lot of money. Non-issues such as misaligned/skewed philips screws on the front of the body, non-scratching backs that need a “preventive” check, a film’s 37th exposure getting exposed on 3/4 of its surface, a film advance lever skewed 2 degrees south (as unbelievable as it may sound, but true!!)… this all adds up to thousands of Dollars in unnecessary “warranty” work that Leica has to lose time and workforce on, because somewhere, some customers got the idea that Leica means perfection, something that Leica has NEVER implied.

So… if you are anal about it, just paint it. On my part, I might just as well draw a happy face on my MP’s white dot. It’s just THAT EASY.

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ianman

ianman

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24 minutes ago, Bronco McBeast said:

somewhere, some customers got the idea that Leica means perfection, something that Leica has NEVER implied.

Implied? Maybe not, but they have explicitly mentioned it more than once. 

Leica is one of very few manufacturers today to still produce cameras for both digital and film photography. And Leica can draw from more than a century of experience.  A vast store of experience that is today reflected in the precision-engineered perfection of the classic film Leicas: the M-A and the MP.

Some customers realise that it’s just standard marketing talk and others will accept nothing less. One problem is of course the continuing insistence by some customers that a Leica camera is a boutique purchased luxury fashion accessory rather than a tool. Another is that Leica themselves push this image and yes the word “perfection” does crop up in their marketing texts quite a lot.

I agree that sometimes some “issues” customers come up seem a little (or more) OTT and that the Leica customer service dept. must get pretty annoyed with the Leica marketing dept.

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Huss

Huss

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2 hours ago, Bronco McBeast said:

A Leica can’t make a cappuccino, therefore it is not perfect.

But the Leica Store in Mayfair, London does.  And really good ones too.

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Huss

Huss

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Leica pretty much brags about perfection.  Here from the new titianium 50 0.95:

https://leica-camera.com/en-US/photography/lenses/m/noctilux-m-50mm-f0-95-asph-titan

At the highest level of aesthetics
Made of finest titanium, this special edition represents design, manufacturing quality and imaging performance at the highest level. Qualities associated with a long tradition at Leica and proven over and over again by our engineers and employees through products like the Noctilux-M 50 f/0.95 ASPH. "Titan".

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madNbad

madNbad

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23 minutes ago, Huss said:

But the Leica Store in Mayfair, London does.  And really good ones too.

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How do you tape over the "Leica" logo?

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madNbad

madNbad

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On 9/15/2023 at 3:55 AM, geoffnik said:

The metering dot on my MP needs a touch up! Anyone know the best white paint/ink to use? Thanks

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

The meter reads the light reflected off of the white dot. When you consider the stress the shutter curtains undergo with each exposure, the fact the dot last as long as it does is quite amazing.

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Huss

Huss

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4 hours ago, madNbad said:

How do you tape over the "Leica" logo?

They make sure you drink them before you leave the store.  So you don't try to flip them on the secondary market.

That pic was actually taken in 2012 which was the last time I visited.  I wonder if they still are serving those free cappuccinos.  It really was quite nice!

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