On Aug 6, 2005, at 3:45 PM, frank theriault wrote:
The meter arm and shutter [on the Leica CL] are known points of
fragility, as is the
meter readout in the viewfinder.<snip>
Agreed. As I said in my last post, I've read two lines of thought WRT
those problems. First is that the samples with those problems tended
to experience those problems rather early, and were either repaired at
that time when (sturdier) parts may have been available, or they were
"put out to pasture" at that time, or their use continued without
metering capability.
Can't answer as to your theories, but I have talked to Don Goldberg
about the CL when I was buying one. He's one of the foremost Leica
repair people around. He is the one who told me to be careful with it
as the meter arm is fragile and can completely disable the camera, as
if it jams or otherwise breaks it can completely jam the shutter.
We even talked about what it would take to make a completely
meterless CL, but he felt the work involved would be more than the
camera is worth.
Leica discontinued them as they were costing too much in warranty and
rework ... to their dismay, because it was quite a popular model.
Godfrey
