For both M or R cameras: Is it beneficial/harmful to cock the shutter when storing them?

Thanks.

Logos

-- Maestro Logos (maestro_logos@mac.com), April 14, 2002

Answers

As far as I'm aware it doesn't harm to leave the shutter cocked in the medium term at least. Though it probably isn't the best idea if you store your camera in a bag in case of the dreaded battery drain!

-- Tim Franklin (tim_franklin@mac.com), April 14, 2002.

According to Leica (and Leitz before them) the story is that it doesn't make any difference. Supposedly the shutter springs are under tension whether the shutter is cocked or not.

Best,

Jerry

-- Jerome R. Pfile, Jr. (JerryPfile@msn.com), April 14, 2002.

Leica (and Leitz before them) say that the shutters in M cameras are at half of full tension uncocked and 3/4's full tension cocked, so in practice it makes little difference to leave it either way.

About the R cameras I can't say, but I would assume that like most SLR's, it's a bad idea to store them with shutters cocked.

-- drew (swordfisher@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

For mechanical camera, it makes no difference. As the mechanical shutter spring well within the limit of Hooke's law even when tensioned.

Some mechanical camera, such as Rollei 35, the requires the shutter to be tensioned before the lens can be collapsed into the body.

However, with electronic shutter camera, more often then not, when the camera shutter is cocked, the electronic circuit is also switched on; I don't think it is good idea to store camera with battery in camera and cock the shutter to electric circuit switch on for extended period of time. The miniscule current drain on battery for extended period may eveutually cause battery leak and damage electric contacts

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), April 14, 2002.

From my M7 Instruction Book, Page 116: "Please rember this wnen the camera is not i n use for a longer period of time: To prevent the lubrication points from becoming tacky, the camera should be cocked with no film loaded every three months and released at all shutter speeds. Repeated adjustment and use of all other operating elements, such as the frame selector, is also recommended. The focusing and apeture setting rings for the lenses should also be moved from time to time."

Yes. I've posted *exactly* what the manual contains - - and I'm not responsible for the possible mistranslations between the original German and the English section of the manual. IMHO, the instructions still leave us in the dark, viz., do we leave the camera uncocked during that three month period, then cock it and run through the shutter speeds - - - or, do we leave it cocked, and then run through the shutter speeds every three months? Yikes!

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), April 14, 2002.

This is a debate that rages among Hasselblad owners frequently. Evidence given in favor of leaving shutters cocked is often the modern integral-motor cameras with which it is impossible to leave the shutters uncocked; and also the fact that Hasselblad lenses are shipped from the factory cocked and expected to remain that way indefinitely, until they are sold. I have never stopped to check if Leica cameras are shipped from the factory cocked or un-cocked. That might be an interesting bit of research.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), April 14, 2002.

About the «shutter cocked or un-cocked» discussion, here is what I heard: when the (cloth) shutter is un-cocked, it is wrapped around a small cylinder. When it is cocked it is wrapped around a bigger cylinder. So, in order to prevent too much of a slight round kink to set in the cloth, the shutter should be left wrapped around the less damageable bigger cylinder, and that means cocked. Can anyone confirm this?

Olivier

-- Olivier Reichenbach (olreiche@videotron.ca), April 16, 2002.