Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/05/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Dan, Paul, Yes I do have first hand experience of burning a hole in my leica shutter! I had set up a 400mm lens on a reflex housing and was looking at a cloudy rooftop skyscape, the sun kept bouncing in and out of the clouds and I waited for the right moment of seeing something, but not too much of the sun. I had framed the shot on a tripod so locked it off and raised the mirror ready to click at the best moment, then I was called away (while there was still cloud cover), and returned later to take some average pics. I was still a student at the time. Upon developing the film I saw some unrecognisable dark smudges on the negatives, worse, they seemed to smear across the frame lines, "What could that be?" I thought to myself... Answer: a 4mm (or so) hole in the shutter curtain when I examined the camera! The sun had obviously come out while I was away and burnt the hole then. I couldn't afford a proper replacement repair at the time so I patched it up with aluminium foil and masking tape, worked fine for the rest of the years I owned the camera. I don't think that normal useage will burn a hole in your shutter, you need to be pretty stupid to do this trick! Jem ====================== Dan Post wrote: > Paul- > I would say that taking reasonable precautions-not pointing the camera > directly at the sun- you should be able to avoid trouble. Anyone with first > hand experience? Dan