On the classic camera I'm told the shutter speed dial should be set to B to prevent the battery from draining. I keep putting it on B even when walking around, and may not use it for an hour or two....well, I don't think that is necessary....I'm thinking that it is only to prevent the battery from draining if the shutter is pressed in the bag or something...QUESTION: if the shutter dial is on any setting other than B is there a low current drain anyway through the electronics even if the shutter isn't pressed half way to activate the meter? I want to cause undue wear on the shutter speed dial from constantly putting to B for nothing....

thanks for any info you may have!

-- Ed Hoey (ehoey@charter.net), January 09, 2002

Answers

The reason for setting the shutter speed dial to B when not using the M6 Classic is to prevent unintentional pressure on the shutter release from causing battery drain, such as can easily happen in a camera bag. AFAIK there is no residual current drain unless the shutter release is pressed, so there is no reason to keep setting it to B between shots while carrying it around.

The above is true with the OFF position on the M6 TTL. FWIW, I have sometimes forgotten to set my M6 TTLs to OFF when putting the camera in the bag and have not yet had a problem with battery drain.

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), January 09, 2002.

When I had my M6 classic I left the shutter dial at 1/125 all the time and experienced no battery drainage problems. With the M6TTL I switch off the camera only when I am about to put it away for the evening. I experienced abnormal (fast) battery drainage with my first M6TTL but I returned it for a replacement. I understand early batches either had a defective battery contact or circuit.

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), January 09, 2002.

My batteries just failed; got more than three years out of them, and they weren't lithium, which last longer. The classic won't meter if it's too dark; try it, the LEDs go out. So, when not in use either, keep a lens cap on the lens, use a body cap, use a more sensible case, or keep the shutter uncocked (no white dot). Works for me.

-- Chris Chen (chrischen@msn.com), January 10, 2002.

Chris: although the LED's "go out" as you say when the light is too low for the meter to read (including when there's a lenscap on or if the camera is in the bag), the meter is still being supplied with current as long as the shutter release is depressed. You can verify this by holding the button down with the lenscap on and take the cap off. The diodes will immediately light up.

Also, the behavior you indicate is present only on early M6 classics. At a certain point (somewhere in the 1,7xx,xxx range--Don Goldberg once gave me the exact number but I forgot it)Leica switched to where the diodes blink when the meter is out of range.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), January 10, 2002.

Jay,

Tell me more.

I have 1658XXX, it's from the first 1000 batch; and no, no bugs yet.

I'll try to simulate the lens cap experiment, as I don't use them. But, in normal light the meter activates immediately after pressure on the shutter release. What is the difference?

When electricity drains it must consumed producing work, in your case heat. I'm not talking about normal, on the shelf, type chemical deterioration. Is this what you mean?

Forgive me, I'm a Chemical Engineer and don't understand electrical things well. In my travels to plant worldwide, I've never met some one who is thoroughly qualified in both chemistry AND electricity. Perhaps T. Edison, but I haven't met him...yet.

I got more than 3.5 years from my last non-lithium set bought (read possibly dodgy) in Slovakia. And replaced them, again non-Li, set bought in Russia (see above) for 33 CENTS for two.

-- Chris Chen (chrischen@msn.com), January 14, 2002.