Re: [Leica] Intermediate shutter speeds on Leitz mechanical shutters

[John Collier <jbcollier@shaw.ca>]

The statements I "sometimes" have read are from Leitz. It is in my M2, 
SL2 and M4-2 manuals. Can you get discrete one tenth stop steps? No but 
reasonably close 1/3 and 1/2 stop steps are possible. This assumes that 
a good Leica tech has set up the shutter to specs and not that someone 
has "calibrated" the shutter by messing with the drum spring settings.

I have not tested it on a calibrated shutter tester but my chromes look 
good.

Leica started recommending not to use the intermediate speeds with the 
M6. The meter only works in whole stop steps.The Leicaflex, SL, SL2, M5 
and the various M meters will meter the intermediate speeds. I do not 
know if the CL can be used in the intermediate speeds.

The intermediate speeds cannot be used when the shutter is switching 
from one gear train to another. For the M camera this is between 1/8 and 
1/15, and between 1/30 and 1/60 (except for the marked 1/50) For the SL2 
this is between 1/4 and 1/8, and between 1/30 and 1/60 (why not between 
1/60 and 1/125 where the 1/90 flash sync is I do not know; perhaps a 
typo in the manual).

John Collier
On Thursday, April 11, 2002, at 10:49 PM, Tim Atherton wrote:

> According to Erwin - no.:
>
> "In manual mode (with batteries), the 1/60 and 1/125 are governed
> mechanically, all other speeds are governed electronically. All speeds 
> can
> be selected from 4 seconds to 1/1000. No halfsteps can be selected...."
>
> but then, according to Erwin, you couldn't do it with any accuracy with 
> the
> M3 - 6 anyway...:
>
> "Sometimes you can read the statement that in the mechanical M-models 
> (from
> M3 to M6TTL) the shutter can be set at intermediate postions and give
> accurate speed settings. This is not true. You can set intermediate
> positions between the official speeds, but the accuracy of the shutter 
> is
> not guaranteed. In fact it is quite unreliable and cannot be 
> recommended."

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