What aperture setting do you put your film body on when storing ur cameras?


rosewood1969

New Member
I had a short chat with Andrew from Leica.
He suggested that we set the shutter speed setting at B if we are not going to use the camera regularly
He told me that if one were to set it at the other shutter speeds, over time the mechanisms in there will cause shutter speeds to go off

Just thought of hearing from the gurus here about this practice?
Especially if one is more of a collector than a shooter (or both)

cheers!:D
 

Last edited:
Aperture value cannot be B. It is not a shutter.

My sarcasm asides, it is good practice to do so.
 

sorry my bad, it should be shutter speed,not aperture.
sometimes thoughts and keystroke dont gel!

thanks for pointing it out, lol!
 

that is actually stated on the manual if anyone actually bothers finding / reading them :)

my m4 is in B when it goes into the bag...
 

I set all of my cameras to the smallest aperture and B mode, shutter released.
 

i understand the shutter released and B mode, but why smallest aperture?

wouldnt wide open have less tension? or am i understanding the mechanics of it wrongly?
 

i understand the shutter released and B mode, but why smallest aperture?

wouldnt wide open have less tension? or am i understanding the mechanics of it wrongly?

No idea.....habit I guess. Heard that it will prevent the blades from sticking up due to oil and stuff (??)
 

the main ideal is to release the tension of the spring, so you see which aperture setting has lesser tension.
 

Isn't there a Leica technician who has once already mentioned something on an online forums that the difference between shutter cocked and uncocked is just 75% and 50% spring tension? Which means the difference is so minimal that it doesn't matter.

B sounds like a good idea nonetheless.


Aperture wise... actually if you're the kind that stores your cameras with the lens attached without the caps on in an open area it's better to set the aperture smaller and defocus the lens lest you burn the shutter curtain... again, this was just something I read somewhere.
 

For other mechanical cameras, I always set to "B" mode and aperture not important. But for Leica M's, you "don't" need to, get yourself a copy of Leica M: Advance Photo School by Gunter Osterloh, see page 57 :

The two curtains are propelled by tensioned springs but only a very small part of this spring is utilized for operating the shutter. That is why thre is virtually no metal fatigue, and it makes no difference whether a Leica is stored with its shutter cocked or uncocked.

Hope you find it useful.
 

For other mechanical cameras, I always set to "B" mode and aperture not important. But for Leica M's, you "don't" need to, get yourself a copy of Leica M: Advance Photo School by Gunter Osterloh, see page 57 :

The two curtains are propelled by tensioned springs but only a very small part of this spring is utilized for operating the shutter. That is why thre is virtually no metal fatigue, and it makes no difference whether a Leica is stored with its shutter cocked or uncocked.

Hope you find it useful.

I was going to quote that too! :)
 

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