Greetings to all;

Has anyone else experienced this problem? I recently purchased a Leica M-Grip and have found it to be very handy (pun intended). Last Saturday, during my youngest Goddaughter's H.S. graduation I noticed the exposure counter wasn't working. I checked the rewind lever to make sure the film was advancing, no problem there. The only thing new is the M-Grip. Could tightening the M-Grip firmly be causing this? I've backed-off the torque on the M-Grip, and the counter is now advancing. However, I don't know if this is a coincidence.

Regards,

Jim

-- (james.kuhn-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov), May 21, 2001

Answers

The counter is reset when removing the baseplate takes the pressure off a tiny spring-loaded finger which projects from the botton of the camera body at the side of the film take-up chamber. If you stretch the baseplate (without actually removing it) as if it is coming off, by the pressure of a tripod or your handgrip, the pressure it keeps on this finger is lightened, and the counter zips back to zero. I suspect your camera has this function adjusted to just barely work, and holding the handgrip resets the counter. Sounds like adjustment is called for. I've got the idea that one might cure this by sticking on a pad of labelmaker tape (one thickness) in the baseplate where the finger hits, but I'm not going to be the one to see if this works (or if it pushes the adjustment too far the other way and damages something :-)

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), May 21, 2001.

I will second the above diagnosis and treatment. In the days of the M3/M2 there was a stud on the left side of the body which the flash braket hooked onto, and transferred some of the torque stress away from the baseplate and its moorings/latch. Sadly that stud is missing from the M4 on. It would not only help this problem, but the more serious one of leverage force on the baseplate/tripod socket when the central tripod socket of the M grip or an RRS/Kirk plate is used.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 21, 2001.

Jay,

Leica will fit the post to the newer cameras that do not have it. It was also used to register the camera in the Repovit and other such devices. It will not help with the hangrip problem though.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), May 21, 2001.