Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/03/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On 3 Mar 1996, Fred N. Ward wrote: > This is about the sticky slow shutter speed problem: > > I have owned Leicas for more than 4 decades. There is one incredible > oversight with Leica that I have noticed in all M bodies (and, strangely, > never in the golden-oldie 1930s models). Leicas seem to come with truly > lousy lubricants. Mine have never been serviced by anyone but Leitz in > Germany and Leica USA. I have Rolleis and very old Nikons and Canons that > work at all shutter speeds even if they are not used for a year or more at a > time. > > But shutter speeds on my Leicas become sticky at slow shutter speeds unless > they are fired regularly at slow speeds. I was told this once I noticed the > problem in the 1960s and also told how to partially resolve it. I had and > have several Leicas, some of which I use occasionally, and some never. If > left to rest on shelves, they all develop this unique problem. Other cameras > do not. The "fix" is relatively easy. All you do is once a month take each > camera down and fire it about a dozen times at speeds slower than 1/30th, and > the problem disappears. > > The stickiness gets much worse in: cold weather; in dirty environments; when > the lubricant is more than 6 or years old; if the camera rests and is never > used. > > Fred Ward > SNIP Perhaps this is a suggestion that we should pass long to Leica if they are looking for ways to modify the M-6, although I suspect that if Leica has stuck with the present lubricant for so long, there is a reason. Gary Toop gtoop@uoguelph.ca