WWYD: M10-D sticky RF

[pgh]

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43 minutes ago, sinjun said:

The rangefinder cam on my M10-d was also a little sticky when I first got it (mint, 2nd hand). I worked it back and forth manually and have had no problems since then. I wonder if it could be due to lack of use?

I believe it was indeed likely due to lack of use due to the camera's condition and overall shutter count.

I tried for a solid week to get it going to no avail, in fact the more I used it the stickier it got.

So, I opted to hang on to it but send it back to Leica for a full CLA. 

Not the cheapest or quickest option but I've got the time - they told me 9 weeks - and given what I paid for it prefer to get it in ace condition back from the mothership. I only tend to shoot color in the early spring (which has past) and the fall and use my monochromes the rest of the year for the most part, so it's really no skin off my back as long as I have it back by about September, which I should. And in case not, still have my M10. 

[charlesphoto99]

On 5/21/2025 at 2:13 PM, Crem said:

 

• Dust is the biggest time waster of all. Unfortunately dust and static are best friends so you need to solve both problems. On some frames it felt like cloning out 100 pieces of dust. I then started using a rocket blower + Milty Zerostat 3 + an anti static brush and that solved a lot of it, but it's a slow process. Currently I'm waiting for a Kinetronics film cleaning device to ship and I expect that to get my speed back up to "fast enough". Not as fast as a commercial lab scanner, but plenty fast for me. Cloning dust out of hundreds of frames is really a soul sucking experience and can mess up the results like when it's on a persons face.

 

 

Dust is on you or the lab. I am constantly scanning my archives, and much of my negs from 35 years ago are almost entirely dust free, rolls that I processed myself at the time, largely in closets and kitchens and bathrooms, as well as purpose built darkrooms, and then cut and sleeved (and neg and proof inside another sleeve). The only times I've had issues with dust is having had my film processed at labs I wasn't familiar with. That's not to say I don't still have to do a LOT of spotting on film versus digital (though my recent work of skies with a 135mm and M10-R not the case), but if you want to get on top of dust, you need to look at what's happening with your negs BEFORE the scanning even begins. 

The M10-D in question? If it was mine I would DIY it. If not comfortable with that then DAG. If $$ and months away is not problem, then I guess Leica. 

Edited May 23 by charlesphoto99

[pgh]

I had spoken w a few other folks (off forum) about DAG and varying experiences about time away, communication issues, attitude of the shop and a few odd frankenrepairs was enough to make me just go with the devil I know. 
 

I wouldn’t hesitate to send film stuff back to Youxin Ye as I have in the past. 

I appreciate DAG has a good rep in the forum but it’s definitely not universal and since I’ve got time to spare I don’t mind the mothership. In a pinch I may give him a try at some point.  

[ph33lix]

I too ran into a sticky RF issue on a mint-ish M10 with maybe 1300+ shutter actuations. Found a couple of videos on taking the top plate off for further servicing and did the cleaning and relubing myself.

I think the factory grease is prone to drying out and gumming up the works, given enough time without CLA.

It’s been about a month since my DIY service attempt and the RF focusing has been behaving swimmingly! It worked great for my trip to visit friends in Frankfurt, checked out the old town of Wetzlar, and cycling around the Netherlands about 2 weeks ago.

Since I decided to use a heavy-duty axle grease, it’ll be interesting to see if it’ll still work well during the Alaskan fall/winter months.

Besides managing the ribbon cables, removing the top plate for servicing is incredibly easy on the M10. Just got to mind the weather/dust seal that runs just above the leatherette during reassembly, and that it goes back under the top plate instead of getting pinched.
Side note; I’ve been noticing that my RF patch is very slightly misaligned vertically and I’m thinking I’d rather take the top plate off than work the Leica badge off to access the RF vertical alignment hex screw (which itself is another solid step in the repairability direction).

[erniethemilk]

My sticking rangefinder experience is quite sobering. 

My M10-P developed issues with rangefinder arm sticking. I approached Leica UK and they sent it back to Germany. 

Leica changed all sorts in the camera along with curing the sticking RF! The prognosis was 9 months & almost £1500 less well off. 

 

[pgh]

^ sheesh! I’d hope that’s not the case.

I don’t think they’d have any reason to change anything else from what I could tell.

Ah well, it’s already in the post. I’m over trying to think of my Leica ownership as practical or budget minded, I guess. I’ve already been beaten into submission with nearly two decades plus of digital ownership and subsequently nearly two decades of problems with them! 

[84bravo]

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14 hours ago, ph33lix said:

I too ran into a sticky RF issue on a mint-ish M10 with maybe 1300+ shutter actuations. Found a couple of videos on taking the top plate off for further servicing and did the cleaning and relubing myself.

I think the factory grease is prone to drying out and gumming up the works, given enough time without CLA.

It’s been about a month since my DIY service attempt and the RF focusing has been behaving swimmingly! It worked great for my trip to visit friends in Frankfurt, checked out the old town of Wetzlar, and cycling around the Netherlands about 2 weeks ago.

Since I decided to use a heavy-duty axle grease, it’ll be interesting to see if it’ll still work well during the Alaskan fall/winter months.

Besides managing the ribbon cables, removing the top plate for servicing is incredibly easy on the M10. Just got to mind the weather/dust seal that runs just above the leatherette during reassembly, and that it goes back under the top plate instead of getting pinched.
Side note; I’ve been noticing that my RF patch is very slightly misaligned vertically and I’m thinking I’d rather take the top plate off than work the Leica badge off to access the RF vertical alignment hex screw (which itself is another solid step in the repairability direction).

I did this same repair of a sticky cam on my M10 by removing the top plate and lubricating the cam surface. However, I used graphite from a #2 pencil rather than grease or oil. That might be a better choice for your cold Alaskan winters? Just a guess on my part, I have no experience with that kind of extreme cold.

[ph33lix]

2 hours ago, 84bravo said:

I did this same repair of a sticky cam on my M10 by removing the top plate and lubricating the cam surface. However, I used graphite from a #2 pencil rather than grease or oil. That might be a better choice for your cold Alaskan winters? Just a guess on my part, I have no experience with that kind of extreme cold.

Hmm! I had thought about getting dry lubricant like graphite or even molybdenum disulfide powder that MicroLubol sells, but I didn’t want the particles frying off and settling on optical surfaces I can’t get to.

I am interested in learning more about your experience with lubricating it with graphite though!

For now, the lubricant I used is rated down to -41 degrees, and it will never get anywhere that low at sea-level in southern southeast Alaska where I live.

I do fly to mountain top radio sites for work, so doing those site visits in the colder months would be the extent of the stress test. 🤔

[pgh]

Camera is on its way back to me. About 6 weeks turnaround door to door, which I have to say is not as bad as in the past. Still not great.

What is nice is the thing gets a full cla in addition to the sticky rangefinder fix and they did it no charge, even though I bought it used from a non-dealer and had no warranty paperwork (it would have been expired anyways).

I’m not sure why but I’m not complaining. Also can confirm their shutter count (under 1000) pretty much matches what I got from the transienteye shutter count software mentioned elsewhere in this forum. And I am quite pleased I got an m10d with such low mileage just by chance.  

as long as everything is as they say it is when it shows up I will notch this as a generally quite positive service experience from Leica. 

Edited July 8 by pgh