Re: [Leica] Light leak in M6?

["Roger L. Bunting" <rlbunting@ameritech.net>]

I have a very similar problem (including the bleeding across the
interframe spacing) with my M3. The suggestion that it might correlate
to changing lenses seems to hold for my prints. I have the problem
across rolls but it seemed intermittant. I thought it might have to do
with flare from a screw that was backing out (eventually lost) inside
the shutter/lens cavity. However, I don't think that explains the light
fogging between frames. I reviewed my negatives and it does seem to
happen during lens changes (and possibly with very intensely lighted
pictures). I noticed the problem on my last travels and I was constantly
going from dark to daylight subjects nearly from frame to frame - so
there were times I wondered into broad daylight after some dark
wide-open pub shooting.

I can't examine the problem any more. I had to send my camera in for
repair after losing a screw (shutter release went inoperative) on the
58th frame after a Leitz shutter repair and CLA on the body. I'll let
you know what Leitz has to say about my problem. I sent them prints and
negatives that illustrate the flare. BTW - in my case the flare is
across the long dimension of my negatives, at the "top" of a horizontal
picture (bottom of shutter?).

Regards,

Roger

D Khong wrote:
> 
> Did the affacted frames occur around the time you made a lens change?  If
> so then you have might a light leak somewhere.
> 
> Dan K.
> 
> >My M6 is making one of its rare appearances away from the Leica repair
> >department, so I took it to the Paris Air Show as my working camera.
> >
> >Looking through the resulting photos, I'm puzzled to see that one just
> >three of the 73, there is a blue haze and general washed-out look on
> >the right-hand side of the frame.
> >
> >Two of these were taken with a Russian 9cm f2 Jupiter, so I was
> >tempted to blame the lens, but the third was taken with my normal 5cm
> >Summicron.
> >
> >All three of the pics in question were taken with a shade in place and
> >either in the shade or with the sun behind me, so I don't think it's
> >flare. The only other possibility I can think of is a light leak - but
> >if that was the case I'd expect to see many more affected frames given
> >that I had the camera around my neck and with the lens cap off for
> >several hours outdoors, and had about half a dozen lens changes
> >outdoors.
> >
> >Can anyone suggest an alternative reason for the problem?
> >
> >Regards,
> >
> >Doug Richardson
> >
> >