While shooting outdoors in temperatures in the low 30's my light meter failed. There was no display at all. Then when I got into warmer temperatures the meter would light up for a fraction of a second, then nothing. After the camera fully warmed up, the meter worked fine. Besides changing the batteries and perhaps lifting up the prong in the base of the battery houseing a bit, what can I do to ensure this doesn't happen again? Thanks much in advance. You all are great!

-- Jim Ford (Fordhayes01@aol.com), March 28, 2001

Answers

Jim:

You didn't specify, so I'll assume you are referring to the meter in your Leica M6... One of the things I have noticed, is that my M6TTL is very sensitive to having clean contacts in its battery compartment. I assume that any moisture in there could cause some intermittent problems as well. I would recommend that you start with: A) fresh batteries; B) cleaning the contacts gently, by first rubbing them with a pencil eraser and then following up with alcohol on a q- tip; and C) keeping moisture or condensation out of the battery compartment by making sure the cap fits properly and keeping it snug. (Resist the temptation to over-tighten it though, as it can then be very difficult to remove, and may even require pliers to do so!)

Regards,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), March 28, 2001.

The same thing happens to my brain, Jim, that is precisely why I moved to South Florida ; ) Seriously, if you're using 2 MS76-type silver-oxide batteries in the M6, consider switching to the single 3v lithium cell in cold weather. Silver oxide button cells are notorious for going kaput at low temperatures.

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

I have used my TTL at -20 degrees Celcius (-5F or so) and the silver oxides held up for about an hour and a half. They were fresh though. If your batteries were old it would not take long before the voltage would drop too low to power a TTL. The classic has lower power requirements.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@home.com), March 29, 2001.

I do not know if this means much but when shooting with my Nikon F3HP in cold weather everything freezes up and the camera will not work, then after a couple hours inside, it warms up then back to normal. So it is a battery related problem. I use older Leica M's with no meter, but when shooting in cold weather the lubricant in the lenses gets stiff making it very difficult to focus.

-- Steve LeHuray (icommag@toad.net), March 29, 2001.

You can get a "cold pack" for your F3. It screws into the battery compartment and uses a cable to a couple of AA in your warm pocket. For M6 cameras, just strap on a handwarmer to the battery compartment and away you go.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@home.com), March 29, 2001.

I thought of modifying the remote battery cable for the Nikon FM2 or F3 to work on a Leica but never got around to it. The cable on the remote is too short for my use anyway. OEM length it lets you use the camera outside in cold climates, with the remote battery warm inside your pocket, but you also have to be outside in the cold. I want to be able to sit in the car with the heat on.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), March 29, 2001.