[Leica] shutter light leaks

[jessen@gearbox.esd.sgi.com (Jesse Newcomb)]

Greetings -

I've looked into this streaking on my M6 a little more, and want to share this
for possible further feedback:

On a recent roll of 400 speed film, I noticed foggy horizontal stripes through
certain frames. The only effected frames were ones that had been sitting behind
the shutter for more than just a few seconds (in other words - maybe for days).
It's not a back leak, because the stripes are cut off by the 24x36 frame
boundaries.

So, I poked the bare bulb of a Mini-Mag light up against the shutter's white
metering spot. Then, from the film side of the shutter, I could certainly see
that light can enter via the lens, tunnel under / over the shutter curtain
edges, and then re-appear around the upper and lower frame edges on the film
plane. - Very bright light I might add.

It seems to me that the channels for the shutter curtain travel are just too
wide. There's a velvet pad inside each channel, which doesn't touch the shutter
curtain but should help as a light baffle. But, it's clearly not enough. Light
comes through - and now that I think about it, this roll of 400 is probably the
fastest film I've ever used in this body. The shutter, and the whole camera,
are in really good shape - probably condition 9+. It really seems like a design
defect to me, but then, I've never heared anybody talk about THIS aspect of the
M bodies...

Any ideas out there?

thanks -
- - Jesse

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  Jesse Newcomb                       Mountain View, CA
  jessen@sgi.com                     tel 650 933-2026
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