My M6 will be 10 this summer. Until now I had no problems whatsoever until a few months ago, I noticed the shutter stayed open after releasing in B or 1/2 or 1 second. A firm but kind "tap on the shoulders" worked out fine and the shutter was ready for use...as if nothing happened. I have to admit I don't have much time for photography anymore, so after a month or two of inactivity I always fire the camera several times without film and at all shutter speeds.Which by all accounts is the next best thing to a real photo, shoot for a mechanical workhorse like the M. Still ...seemingly the shutter is about to let me down. What' s happening ?

-- eric ubben (eric.ubben@hogent.be), May 03, 2002

Answers

Ten years, Eric. It's time for a CLA.

-- Dave Jenkins (djphoto@vol.com), May 03, 2002.

Eric, the M cameras are indeed workhorses - which means they will work best if you put a couple of hundred rolls through them a month. If you don't use them, the lubricant will get sticky and you'll have the problem's you're experiencing.

Probably if you just shoot a few rolls of film it'll right itself. If not, it may need to be serviced.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), May 03, 2002.

if you don't use it anyway, is proper functioning important??

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), May 03, 2002.

My older M6 is 13 yrs. Works like a charm, in fact the shutter is a bit more "on the money" than my newer M6 which is 6 yrs old.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 03, 2002.

Dear Eric,

It may be any number of problems. It could be on the grease needing a "tap on the shoulders" or it could be something more. Do yourself a favor and get it serviced. Better now than when something serious happens.

Best,

Alex

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@pp.iij4-u.or.jp), May 03, 2002.

Had the same problem after(!) I had my M6 (10 years this summer also) CLA'd. Faster speeds worked fine, on slower speeds the shutter didn't fully close. Sent it back with a complaint that I didn't expect this to happen right after a CLA. It was repaired free of charge and they even touched up the red paint in the lens release button and two marks that were the result of opening the camera for the CLA.

Send it in for a CLA, after 10 years it can use a CLA. The beauty of a mechanical camera is that it can almost always be repaired. It's certainly still worth it.

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), May 03, 2002.