My M7 after being stored for approximately one year

[Orlando L. Morales]

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My M7 after being stored for approximately one year works only with the two mechanical shutter speeds (1/60 and 1/125).  All electronic functions have ceased to work , no red displays on view finder and all “AUTO” settings will not work.  I have cleaned and changed the batteries three times, cleaned with a little q-tip and alcohol the camera’s battery housing and the result remain the same.  Can anyone provide some advise as to how this problem may be solved.  Your assistance will be deeply appreciated.  
 

thank you

Orlando

 

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[jaapv]

Instead of alcohol try a Q tip with contact spray. 

[AnakChan]

I have the same issue. In my case stored for more than 1 year though - more like 8-9 years of non-use. Replaced the battery but doesn't power on. Only the two designated mechanical shutter speeds work, the others don't. Tried cleaning too and that didn't help. I don't see any corrosion or dirt on the contacts but cleaned anyway.

Think it has to go back to Leica Service unfortunately :-(.

[Mikep996]

Well...the worst thing for any mechanical or mechanical/electronic device is to NOT use it.  

 

[jaapv]

That is a rather sad comment on the build quality of modern Leicas.  

[kivis]

But we have been told a million times; exercise your camera. I pull out all my film cameras, once a month and run thru the shutter exposure at different speeds Better yet go out and shoot real subjects. In otherworld's, if you don't use it, you'll lose it.

[Anbaric]

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It would be reasonable to expect an expensive camera to last longer in storage than a packet of biscuits. This isn't something that can be blamed on the user.

[Fotoklaus]

But the electronic biscuit is over 20 years old now.

Maybe there is a dried out capacitor somewhere that causes the problem.  

[Herr Barnack]

7 minutes ago, Fotoklaus said:

But the electronic biscuit is over 20 years old now.

Hell hath no fury like an electronic biscuit scorned.

[aesop]

7 hours ago, Anbaric said:

It would be reasonable to expect an expensive camera to last longer in storage than a packet of biscuits. This isn't something that can be blamed on the user.

         ...I'm just loving the idea that the basic laws of science should be determined by or subject to price points.

[Anbaric]

14 hours ago, aesop said:

         ...I'm just loving the idea that the basic laws of science should be determined by or subject to price points.

Who says my biscuits are cheap? I get them from Fortnum & Mason!

[wattsy]

On 3/21/2024 at 11:44 AM, kivis said:

But we have been told a million times; exercise your camera. I pull out all my film cameras, once a month and run thru the shutter exposure at different speeds Better yet go out and shoot real subjects. In otherworld's, if you don't use it, you'll lose it.

Nonetheless, most reasonable people would expect a camera to still work after being put away for a year (assuming stored at normal room temperature and humidity, etc.).

(I don't visit the forum very often nowadays but I see it hasn't changed.)

[Matlock]

41 minutes ago, wattsy said:

(I don't visit the forum very often nowadays but I see it hasn't changed.)

Well, not for the better 🤣

[rpsawin]

52 minutes ago, wattsy said:

Nonetheless, most reasonable people would expect a camera to still work after being put away for a year (assuming stored at normal room temperature and humidity, etc.).

(I don't visit the forum very often nowadays but I see it hasn't changed.)

Perhaps have a face to face conversation with the camera, stressing what is reasonable, might help..

[Danner]

On 3/21/2024 at 9:03 AM, Anbaric said:

It would be reasonable to expect an expensive camera to last longer in storage than a packet of biscuits. This isn't something that can be blamed on the user.

Storage conditions, such as humidity, ocean air, vibration, and household chemical, could lead to degraded or damaged electronics circuits.

[colint544]

FWIW, I found my old Olympus MJU2 in the bottom of a cardboard box at my mum's house, back in 2018 in a cold cupboard on the ground floor. It had been there close to 20 years. Replaced the battery, and to my surprise, it was good as new. Still using it today.

[Anbaric]

4 hours ago, Danner said:

Storage conditions, such as humidity, ocean air, vibration, and household chemical, could lead to degraded or damaged electronics circuits.

This is why I try to avoid storing my Leica in the cleaning supplies cupboard in the engine room of my luxury superyacht.

[Kl@usW.]

My suggestion :  Check if 

--battery is OK ? 

-- contacts are clean? 

--if yes: leave the camera switched on for a while--may be one of the capacitors needs forming 

--if anything fails: call the CS.... 

( had several M7 s over the years. Never had that problem )  You might check if the M7 has a back-up battery. I don't remember. If so, that might need some time to reload or even needs to be  replaced) 

-- let us know what happened. 

K. 

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Hallo,

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[TomB_tx]

I received a 2008 M7 yesterday that looks new - obviously little used, and (as the frame line masks were stuck) likely unused for quite a while. The masks freed up with exercise, the IR DX reader worked with several cassettes 100-3200 ISO, Shot and processed a test roll last evening and all looked fine - even 1/1000 looked fine. Tried to turn it on this morning and it also seemed dead. Batteries checked fine. Then discovered that I needed to wind-on the shutter before turning it on, otherwise it acted dead. Not sure if this is normal.

Masks were sticking again today, so I'll keep checking it closely for problems. I have a couple weeks to return it to KEH if it doesn't seem sound. As nice as it is I may send it to DAG to fix the frame mask issue, if nothing else crops up. It handles low-light/High ISO much better than my M6.

[trisberg]

1 hour ago, TomB_tx said:

Then discovered that I needed to wind-on the shutter before turning it on, otherwise it acted dead. Not sure if this is normal.

I can turn mine on without the shutter cocked but I don't see any LEDs light up in the finder until I cock the shutter, so it seems "dead" befor I cock the shutter.

-Thomas