dd786
Established
Leica film MP shutter not firing
A strange thing has started to happen. Out of the blue the shutter button just doesn’t fire and very occasionally fires randomly after pressing it 20 30 times. It just feels soft the same way it feels when the film hasn’t been advanced to the next frame and you’ve already taken a photo.
When I take the film out and the lens off so I can see the shutter curtain, the camera seems to wind fine and shoot. Once I put the film in and wind on as normal the problem starts. Film loading normal. Nothing looks amiss there.
The camera hasn’t suffered any knocks or anything unusual. I use it almost daily and until yesterday, this never happened. Any ideas?
A strange thing has started to happen. Out of the blue the shutter button just doesn’t fire and very occasionally fires randomly after pressing it 20 30 times. It just feels soft the same way it feels when the film hasn’t been advanced to the next frame and you’ve already taken a photo.
When I take the film out and the lens off so I can see the shutter curtain, the camera seems to wind fine and shoot. Once I put the film in and wind on as normal the problem starts. Film loading normal. Nothing looks amiss there.
The camera hasn’t suffered any knocks or anything unusual. I use it almost daily and until yesterday, this never happened. Any ideas?
Richard G
Mentor
You inspect with the camera back to the floor, and usually wind on and release the shutter with the lens to the floor. Sounds like gravity plays some part in this with the camera upright. Does the meter wake up when you look through the viewfinder and depress the button? Compared to an M2 there are a lot of concentric actions of that button in a metered M. Something has disengaged or broken.
Richard G
Mentor
The only chance I see for not having the top cover taken off by an expert is if a small film fragment has got into the advance mechanism stalling the final cocking of the shutter and actuating the shutter release mechanism. Have a good look into the camera in daylight. Then, with the camera baseplate off give the camera a bit of thump down onto you thigh and see if anything comes out. Provia if I remember right is slippery skinny stuff. Might fragment more easily.
x-ray
Mentor
Not sure I have a a solution to your problem but it obviously relating to the interface between the film advance sprocket and shutter/ release.
Question, can you screw a shutter release in the release button and trip the shutter with the cable release?
Will the sprocket advance if you try to turn it with your finger, both wound and before winding?
Open the camera back and put a little resistance on the film ad since / counter sprocket and advance ant then try to release it. Then take your finger off the advance sprocket and see if it will trip the shutter. Wiggle the sprocket with your finger and see if it will fire when pressing the shutter.
Try turning the film take up spool or tulip with your finger both before advancing and after. Then try to fire the shutter.
Try advancing with sim resistance on the take up spool using your finger then try to fire it.
Doing these things might help isolate if the problem involves just the take up spool or the film advance sprocket. I’m not a repair tech but I’ve seen several cameras fail to fire when pushing the release but fire with a cable release.
The film sprocket interacts with the take up spool and the counter.
Because it works without film but not with makes me think any stress from film on either the take up spool or advance sprocket is key to why it’s not working.
Give this things a try. Good luck!
Edit: again I’m not a repair tech but I’ve been inside the top and bottom of several M bodies. There are several YouTube videos that are good. The most difficult thing which isn’t reall difficult is the hot shoe and not breaking any wires.
You do need some special wrenches to get the top off and a really good set of appropriate precision screw drivers. I ebbeen in several and cleaned the RF prisms and windows and never had an issue. Likewise the bottom plate is easy to remove allowing some limited access to the lower shutter mechanism.
If you’re not comfortable doing it don’t do it.if you should do it do the disassembly in a tray with a white paper towel or cloth to see tiny screws and such snd be very organized and make photos with your phone as you go so you can see what was where C and how it was setup.
Question, can you screw a shutter release in the release button and trip the shutter with the cable release?
Will the sprocket advance if you try to turn it with your finger, both wound and before winding?
Open the camera back and put a little resistance on the film ad since / counter sprocket and advance ant then try to release it. Then take your finger off the advance sprocket and see if it will trip the shutter. Wiggle the sprocket with your finger and see if it will fire when pressing the shutter.
Try turning the film take up spool or tulip with your finger both before advancing and after. Then try to fire the shutter.
Try advancing with sim resistance on the take up spool using your finger then try to fire it.
Doing these things might help isolate if the problem involves just the take up spool or the film advance sprocket. I’m not a repair tech but I’ve seen several cameras fail to fire when pushing the release but fire with a cable release.
The film sprocket interacts with the take up spool and the counter.
Because it works without film but not with makes me think any stress from film on either the take up spool or advance sprocket is key to why it’s not working.
Give this things a try. Good luck!
Edit: again I’m not a repair tech but I’ve been inside the top and bottom of several M bodies. There are several YouTube videos that are good. The most difficult thing which isn’t reall difficult is the hot shoe and not breaking any wires.
You do need some special wrenches to get the top off and a really good set of appropriate precision screw drivers. I ebbeen in several and cleaned the RF prisms and windows and never had an issue. Likewise the bottom plate is easy to remove allowing some limited access to the lower shutter mechanism.
If you’re not comfortable doing it don’t do it.if you should do it do the disassembly in a tray with a white paper towel or cloth to see tiny screws and such snd be very organized and make photos with your phone as you go so you can see what was where C and how it was setup.
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Richard G
Mentor
X-Ray’s suggestions are very clever. We both wonder about a final actuation of the shutter release mechanism by the advance mechanics. Try putting the rewind lever into rewind. Fiddle with the camera. Then push it firmly back to where it should be for advance.
Richard G
Mentor
M6 shutter release problem
I just received an M6 TTL from a fellow photo.net user. Overall, the camera is in superb condition. Unfortunately, the shutter release has been acting up since it arrived. After winding on, I have to firmly hold the release anywhere between 2 and 5 times to get the shutter to fire. The number var...
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Been seen before.