[Leica] Fine tuning an M6

["geebeespaw" <geebeespaw@btopenworld.com>]

        Reading Teds' account of a days shoot in an operating room I was
amused by the way that in the middle of a very serious, moving and intensely
interesting piece he used the term 'crapped out' to describe battery
failure.
        Whilst out today I was taking a few shots and the lights in the
viewer just went right off. No fade, no funny readings, no flashing, no
nothing. I thought to myself 'see what you mean Ted, crapped out indeed'.
        No problem, I'm LUG trained so I replace the batteries with the
spare set I carry. Still 'crapped out'. At this point I entertained some
negative thoughts about Leica in general and the M6 in particular. I
considered suicide for a brief moment but decided it was an over re-action
and that I would have to resign myself to shipping the camera off for repair
with the hope that it would be returned to me before I die.
        Then a thought occurs, didn't I read on the LUG that this fault can
be remedied by a sharp blow on the baseplate? If it is a remedy dare I do
it? I should say at this point that I am towards 'the lint free gloves' end
of the Leica owners spectrum and the very thought of striking a Leica was
putting me in danger of, pardon the indelicacy, crapping out in a much more
spectacular fashion than any battery of Ted's could achieve.
        I decided to go for it. Holding the M6 firmly in my left hand I
struck it with the heel of my right hand but it was a very tentative strike
and had there been a fly on the baseplate it would probably have escaped
with superficial bruising. I checked the meter. No lights. I hit it again,
harder, too hard? Apparently not because (roll on the drums) it worked!
        To double check I switched back to the original batteries. Still
working. It's a measure of how much I love this camera that I am prepared to
put up with this sort of thing, hitting a precision instrument, in the
manner of Pa Kettle hitting a old Bakelite radio, to make it work. I pity
any Leica owner who does not have access to this wonderful forum and the
nuggets of information contained therein. Viva LUG!


Graham
http://geebeephoto.com


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