i'm in a litle dilemma.I'm on a trip in Iran, and somehow i've managed to burn my shuter curtain on my m6(pretty sure it's not caused from direct sun exposure)....I'm thinking i might have done this when i put the camera through xray at airport...The hole is more like the size of a pin. Anyway, i'm not sure how i can fix this on my own....Camera is under warranty, but since i'm in Iran can't really send it out to get fixed. I'll be in Iran for about 4 months, so I wanted to know if there's anyway of taking care of this myself. Like i said, the hole is very tiny. any info would be appreciated. eric

-- eric grigorian (grigoriane@yahoo.com), May 26, 2001

Answers

For absolutely emergency repairs, they used to use multiple applications of a teeny tiny amount of thick nail polish, front and back of the curtain. But I doubt that you can get that in fundamentalist Iran. It requires replacing the curtain ASAP when you get back to civilazation.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), May 26, 2001.

Nail polish, I'm sure is available in Iran! However, it sounds like it might be a bit brittle for this application. Rubber solution for vulcanising bicycle inner tubes would be what I'd try. Give it plenty of time to dry.

As for it being X-rays, sounds pretty unlikely to me. Most likely to be sunshine. It hasn't happened to me yet, and I never use the lens caps, so you must have had some really bad luck. Try keeping the lenses focused to the nearest focusing distance when you're not using the camera.

rob.

-- rob appleby (rob@robertappleby.com), May 26, 2001.

To prevent sun burn hole on cloth shutter, close down aperture to smallest stop when camera not in use

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), May 26, 2001.

Actually it is when the lens is stopped down to f/16 that you are at the greatest risk of getting a pinhole in the shutter curtain.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), May 26, 2001.

John I don't think so

The greatest danger is when lens is wide open at f1 or f1.4 and focused at infinity. As such setting, the sunlight is focused into a tiny hot spot with maximum energy

When stopdown to a f16, the energy on the focus point is only less then 1 % of that at f1.4, it will never burn

Any one who do not believe this can do a simple test, take a magnifier under bright sun, focus the sun light on a piece of paper it burn a hole pretty soon. Now cover up the lens with paper, only cut s small hole in the center, now, try to lit a fire , it is not possible.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), May 26, 2001.

So i processed the two rolls of film i'd shot with the camera....look slike this happened sometime while i was in new york....interesting thing about the hole on curtain is that it's in the center very top portion of the curtain....i thought if it was caused from the sun it would be dead center of curtain. Anywaym, the light leak is pretty evident on the negs even though it's just a small area on bottom of the frame.... wondering if leica would change the curtain under warranty even if i try the few ideas you guys had on how to fix it for now???

-- eric grigorian (grigoriane@yahoo.com), May 26, 2001.

Better still

Take out a Summilux 50 from your M6, set it wide open at F1.4, take it under bright sun, and focus the sunlight sharply on a piece of paper, you will be amazed at how fast it set the paper on fire, literally in seconds. It shows you how dangerous it is to keep a lens wide open and focus at infinity for Leica rangefinder camera.

When you holding your Leica rangefinder without lens cap, lens at wide open, and focus at infinity, even you accidentally tilt your camera toward the sun just a few seconds, it is enough to burn a pin hole in the cloth shutter,

Now close down the aperture to f16, and try again. You will not be able to lit a fire. Even you keep the lens for two minutes or longer, you still cannot burn a hole on paper at f16, because the spot moves, as the sun moves away

Why some shutter cloth burns are pin hole, and some a fine lines ?

Pin hole is cause by camera lens accidentally pointed to the sun momentarily by accident.

Thin line burn is caused by left Leica without lens cap, with lens wide open, focus at infinity, put on cafe table umder the sun, as the sun moves across the sky, the hot focus burns a line on your shutter cloth.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), May 26, 2001.

I guess wideangles lenses are more prone to burn holes than teles, am I rigth?

-- R Watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), May 26, 2001.

Roberto, Yes, fast wide angle lens is more prone to burn holes in shutter cloth.

As it covers a wider area, there is more chance for sun light to get in

Eric, actually dead center sun burn hole is a very rare occasion, unless some one delibrately points a Leica dead straigh on the sun, which is very unlikely, accidental sun light is much more likely to be at an angle to the lens, hence most sun burn pin holes are off center.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), May 26, 2001.

Passport warrenty should cover it.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), May 26, 2001.

So do you guys thing i should give the nail polish a chance???? I just hope after i try it leica would still replace the curtain under warranty.

-- eric grigorian (grigoriane@yahoo.com), May 26, 2001.

I had to say that the most dangerous distance on the lens must be nearer than infinity, because the shutter is some distance from the filmplane so if the lens is focused on infinity the shuttercurtain is OUT of focus, but if the lens is focused on a closer distance (dont really know wich) the sun can be focused right on the curtain - or are I'm wrong here? If this is the case the most dangerous distance is some what closer than infinity.

Anyway I'm sorry for your pinhole, hope you manage to get it fixe.

Cheers

Kaj

-- Kaj froling (saluki@mail.tele.dk), May 26, 2001.

Kaj, you are half right, the focal plane shutter indeed must be positioned somewhat in front of the film plane.

But if the lens is focused nearer than infinity, the focal point would be behind, and not infront of the film plane; and be able to focus infront of the film plane and exactly on the shutter curtain, the lens must be focused beyond infinity, which is many lenses, it is not possible.

Therefore when the lens is focused at infinity, even though the exact focal point is on the film plane and not on the curtain, however, this situation still forms the smallest hot spot on the screen; when the lens is focused nearer, the hot spot will be bigger and less hot.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), May 26, 2001.

Eric, why don't you put a tiny drop of mail polish on a piece of cloth, spread it out let it dry, then check out whether it peels off, crack etc, if not, you can use it as an emergency quick fix

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), May 26, 2001.

Eric,

Are you sure that you can't send your camera to Leica Germany via air courier from Teheran ? I know of a Managing Director of a small Dutch Company that does some minor business in Iran. Many documents such as letter of credits, product sample kits, etc., are routinely sent via courier back and forth from The Netherlands and Iran without a problem. You have to make sure that the Iranian courier agency files all proper paperwork so that when camera comes back to you from the nearest repair station(I guess it would be Solms, Germany) you do not face stiff Iranian customs duties. Obviously I would find out first if it is possible to send out the camera for repairs from a bona fide Iranian Courier Agency in Teheran. Then I would find out via facsimile to Leica Germany if this would be the best option, total insurance costs( I believe your camera is under Passport Warranty so that its curtain repair will be covered) repair turn around time, etc. May be it is not worth it and too long/risky process but you do not lose anything by inquiring about it. Regards and best luck. Claudio.

-- Claudio Nicolini (cnicolin@ix.netcom.com), May 26, 2001.

Sorry, for me Kaj is rigth, the separation of the lens when focused to close distance compensate for the shuteer courtines width.

-- R Watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), May 27, 2001.

Roberto Thank you for the correction, Kaj is right. The lens and the focal point parallel shifted forth, I was talking about something else.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), May 27, 2001.

I live in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil, a place with moisture that attacks optical instruments of all kinds - miscroscopes, my theodolites, levels and of course lenses of my large photographic equiupment. To avoid moisture and therefore fungus attack at least twice in each year I put all my optical instruments under strong - Rio de Janeiro 50 celsius sunlight - directly under it, for some 30 minutes at least. Yes, some 3 years ago whne doing this moisture fighting off procedure with 3 Leica 3 cameras (3f, 3, 3f w/self timer) I left them for more than 30 minutes under strong sunlight. The result: The curtain of my 3F (replaced - rubber vulcanized one, not original) was slightly burned - 3 holes - head pin to point pin size. I repaired these three holes by fixing with a thickless lay of araldite small parts of curtains taken from scrapped cameras. Later on I sold the camera but before I used it and although the shutter speeds were probably affected by that procedure, there was no entrance of light. I enjoyed a lot reading the e-maisl on that subject and in my opinion the best way to do a good quality repair would be vulcanized glu for bicycle tire repair perhaps with matt black paint - plastic modeller type. One repairman here in Brazil - more than 50 years in the biz also told me how to do just a lash up - small, low quality repair - just to sell the camera still in working condition to someone else: If the holes were the size of a pin pointer - just pass a black pilot pen - permanent marker. Ther would be a chemical reaction that would close the holes. regards, thanks for the hints.

-- Fernando GrangeLevy (guarawolf@altavista.com), January 28, 2002.