The myth of smoothness of leicas

[250swb]

I can’t believe you people actually talk about this ? Wind,?smoothness. Sounds like a lot of b.s. . Either the image is awesome or not? Anything on 35mm is poor! Unless it’s a pinhole.

You aren't alone thinking it's b.s., and coming from a long time Leica user. The earlier gearing was in brass, so given a few years of use the gears lap together and become very smooth through wear, yet from the M4-P onwards they were made in steel (to be stronger for taking a motor drive), but it's the robust late cameras that get the criticism. It doesn't make any sense at all, especially as a Nikon F3 beats them all.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Well, I am just saying there are small differences, I am not saying that this or that camera is "better" than another. My R4 and R6 are wonderfully robust and I throw them in my Chapman or Billingham bags without worries, whereas my M6 gets a much more tender treatment due to its fine-boned nature. But I love all of them.

 

[chuckroast]

You're saying you have 11 Leicas that need service??

Exactly. I have "only" 4 Leica bodies, 1 Barnack and 3 Ms. Every single one of them has been serviced/CLAed within the last few years and they are all butter smooth in use and quiet when fired. A rough wind or loud shutter on an Lecia is a cry for help.

It's funny, too, because I am a very long time Nikon manual F mount user. (I have too many of those too I always admired the mechanical strength and durability of the Nikkormat/F/F2 family of machines. But after shooting a Leica, every time I go back to my beloved Nikons, they seem crude and inelegant by comparions. But they are the only game in town when I need something to abuse in bad weather or use with a long lens.

 

[chriscrawfordphoto]

I wouldn't describe it as "flushing". It's a very light application to the affected area. I actually learned about doing this from talking to Frank Marshman.

You're right, it's not a real or permanent fix in some cases, but it others, it works really well.

I'm surprised that Frank recommended that. He's a member of the Learn Camera Repair group on Facebook, and he discourages that in the group. The problem is that you're just moving the gunk elsewhere in the camera, and leaving parts with no lubricant, which causes increased wear.

 

[chuckroast]

I'm surprised that Frank recommended that. He's a member of the Learn Camera Repair group on Facebook, and he discourages that in the group. The problem is that you're just moving the gunk elsewhere in the camera, and leaving parts with no lubricant, which causes increased wear.

I think it's a question of volume. If you flood a mechanism that way, you're right. But a surgical application in the right spot has saved many a mechanism for me. It does require self-control and knowing when enough is enough.

 

[GregY]

Exactly. I have "only" 4 Leica bodies, 1 Barnack and 3 Ms. Every single one of them has been serviced/CLAed within the last few years and they are all butter smooth in use and quiet when fired. A rough wind or loud shutter on an Lecia is a cry for help.

It's funny, too, because I am a very long time Nikon manual F mount user. (I have too many of those too I always admired the mechanical strength and durability of the Nikkormat/F/F2 family of machines. But after shooting a Leica, every time I go back to my beloved Nikons, they seem crude and inelegant by comparions. But they are the only game in town when I need something to abuse in bad weather or use with a long lens.

....Radost....
"Hi, I got a great deal on an M2. Cleaned and lubricated the slow speeds. Tried to do the same for the winder “which winds hard” but without success. Unless I don’t know exactly where to do it."

 

[chuckroast]

....Radost....
"Hi, I got a great deal on an M2. Cleaned and lubricated the slow speeds. Tried to do the same for the winder “which winds hard” but without success. Unless I don’t know exactly where to do it."

As it happens, I got a chance to inspect a just-CLAed absolutely beautiful black M4-P today. Guess what? It is absolutely not as silky smooth to advance the film winder on my M2, M4, or M5. I guess there is something to the theory that the older brass mechanisms "worked in" better and gave a better tactile experience that the newer post-M5 bodies.

Color me surprised.

P.S. I would love to repeat this test with a modern M6, M-A, or MP. If anyone would like to gift me any of these - for science, of course - I would be happy to report back here. I am a generous fellow that way ..

 

[GregY]

As it happens, I got a chance to inspect a just-CLAed absolutely beautiful black M4-P today. Guess what? It is absolutely not as silky smooth to advance the film winder on my M2, M4, or M5. I guess there is something to the theory that the older brass mechanisms "worked in" better and gave a better tactile experience that the newer post-M5 bodies.

Color me surprised.

P.S. I would love to repeat this test with a modern M6, M-A, or MP. If anyone would like to gift me any of these - for science, of course - I would be happy to report back here. I am generous fellow that way ..

Yes I agree..... I've a few M4-2, M4-P...... the steel gears may help the motor-drive.... but I'll take a an M2/ M4 ( not much of a 50 guy so i'll pass on the M-3)....but they're all smoother than the post 1978 cameras......
& my '57 lllg is smoother too!