Possibly damaged curtain on Leica MP?

Hello,

Recently while loading new film I noticed something that appears like a wrinkle on the shutter curtain of my Leica MP. I don’t know how this happened and I tried to check if this wrinkle is leaking any light. I tried to shine strong light through it and nothing passed. Later, several rolls of developed film also showed no light leaks (much to my relief).

However, I’m curious what caused this and how serious this is. Has anyone ever seen something like this?

Thanks

I saw this post Wrinkled Shutter Curtain - Rangefinderforum.com which might be helpful. I've had a Contax rangefinder with a wrinkled shutter and that was apparently a critical fault. I've also had a Canon 7 and that was wrinkled the whole time I had it and there was never a problem. I suspect it will work fine but lucky for you that lots of people cut new shutter curtains for Leicas (screwmount and Ms) and it is supposedly not a complex or expensive operation (unlike Contax rangefinders which takes a specialist). But I suspect you won't need to worry about it.

I have no experience with the MP, but with other leica cloth curtains. It looks like, from the photos, that the rubberised coating has degraded and cracked. I've experienced it with LTM's before, and of course, with the russian copies, not yet with my M2 & 3 - but it will come. If it is, live with it till you see light leaks, then have it replaced. As carbon_dragon said, it's not too expensive (depending on which side of poverty you sit), but be careful about who does it. Others on this site have suggested good repairers. Regards, Arthur (apiarist1)

If it's not leaking light, I wouldn't worry about it.

If it's not leaking light, I wouldn't worry about it.

+1

carbon_dragon +1

 

As an aside, the reason Contax shutters are difficult to repair is that Contax pioneered the modern, vertical "venetian blind" metal shutter.

However, one of the other complexities of Contax II or III collecting is the possibilities of "curs" repaired with spare parts from the early Kiev cameras....

All the Canon VI and P shutters I have seen have at least a slight wrinkle to them, which doesn't affect them.

 

As above, if it leaks, replace it.