I broke my right hand on assignment in Africa and had to buy an M motor (14403) in order to keep working. The hand has since healed, but I still like using the motor in certain situations. Does anyone out there know about the ramifications of long-term motor use? Is there any history of these motors causing cameras to break down, either in specific ways, or shortening the cameras useful life in general? I'm using this motor on two M-6's, one a "classic," the other a black-paint. I've also heard that the new motor is a bit easier on the camera, in terms of amount of tourque, etc. Any comments?

-- John Layton (john.layton@valley.net), December 28, 2001

Answers

The M winders--all of them--are very easy on the camera. None of them winds the Leica that much faster than you can do yourself with a limber thumb. The only way a motor could hasten the demise of a Leica is if due to the convenience of the motor, you burn more film more quickly and thus put more "mileage" on the camera in a shorter period of time.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), December 28, 2001.