Topic: leica m2 when to change shutter speed ?

[damiand]

I just bought leica m2 and wandering when i supose change shutter speed before ar after cooking shutter ?

[SLVR]

it doesnt matter. Only the screwmount leicas need to be cocked before you can adjust the shutter speed.

[Francois]

Or Russian rangefinders (with the exception of the Zorki 6).

[damiand]

Tintin and Francois : thank you

[02Pilot]

Or Russian rangefinders (with the exception of the Zorki 6).

My understanding is that any of the Soviet RFs with the two-piece shutter speed selector knob can be set without cocking first. But I'm not 100% sure of that and haven't dug deep enough into one to understand the mechanics of the system fully.

[gsgary]

Or Russian rangefinders (with the exception of the Zorki 6).

My understanding is that any of the Soviet RFs with the two-piece shutter speed selector knob can be set without cocking first. But I'm not 100% sure of that and haven't dug deep enough into one to understand the mechanics of the system fully.

You have to cock the shutter first with the Zorki 4 or you damage the shutter

[Francois]

The way the old pre-m Leicas and the russian rangefinders work is very different from the way modern cameras work.
On these old cameras, the shutter is made from two black fabric shutters that are shaped like a U. What sets the speed is the distance between the first shutter and the second. This is done by dropping a pin in the top of the roller which contains many holes. Change the selected hole, change the distance between the shutters and thus the shutter speed.

The thing is that since you're directly manipulating the rollers (hence the rotating speed dial when you trigger the camera), there is only so many positions in which the pin can be inserted. If you change the speed when it isn't wound, what happens is that the pin will shear when you wind the camera simply because it is attached to the second curtain and designed to be selected when the shutter curtain is to the right.