My new M6 TTL makes a sort of murmuring/buzzing (hard to describe) noise at slow shutter speeds (noticeably at 1/8 of sec or slower). Is this normal? All other shutter speeds are a quiet "click" but these slower shutter speeds make additional noise.

-- Stan (snowchasse@yahoo.com), July 19, 2001

Answers

I think Stephen Gandy wrote in his M buying guide that you should hear the sound of two speed gears from 1/15 and below. I have had a few older M through my hands during the last month, and they all have a different sound as described. I believe it is normal.

-- Niels H. S. Nielsen (nhsn@ruc.dk), July 19, 2001.

This is perfectly normal. In fact most cameras with mechanical shutters do the same thing.

-- Xavier Colmant (xcolmant@powerir.com), July 19, 2001.

There is reassurance in numbers! This is perfectly normal.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), July 19, 2001.

In the "Hove Pocket Book", under the section on buying a used camera... what you should check for... this sound differential at the 1/15th of a second (and longer) setting is a requirement for the determination of a properly working shutter. There is a long narrative explaining each of the tiny sounds you are hearing, but the short answer is that this speed is the one where you enter the "slow speed train" of the shutter.

The book lists five distinct actions that should produce sounds that correspond to the proper operation, but it takes about a thousand times longer to read all of the descriptions than the actual shutter firing. There are clicks, buzzes and winding sounds caused by the springs, breaks and spinning gears... all happening in a fraction of a second.

The basic point is that yes, you should hear these sounds.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), July 19, 2001.

Is this sound the same for all Mīs, I guess it should be, winding fell may be diferent, and also the shutter courtine sound/feel in my M3 and M4P are diferent, more silky in my M3 and diferent in my M4P, I canīt descrive it, one is like creamy the other more solid.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), July 19, 2001.

Roberto,

The Hove book says that all Leicas since the red dial 111f up to the M6 should be inspected for these sounds. I agree with you, my M2 is smoother and quieter than my M6. There is nothing wrong with my M6, the M2 is just so much smoother, but the M6 makes my Nikon FM2 sound like a box of nuts and bolts hitting the floor.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), July 19, 2001.

Stan:

This is quite normal for the M cameras' shutter.

-- Muhammad Chishty (applemac97@aol.com), July 19, 2001.

Whew! That's a relief. With all the hype about Leica's whisper quiet shutter, I was at first taken aback ;)

-- Stan (snowchasse@yahoo.com), July 19, 2001.

My M4-P occasionally DOESN'T make this noise, and on the next exposure (at least at 1s and 1/2s) it fires at 1/50th instead of the marked speed - poor thing probably needs a CLA soon.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), July 20, 2001.