M2 shutter is quieter than m4?

[fbf]

Am I having illusion? My user M2 (60%) is quieter than my EX+ (85%) m4. Is this normal? Both have been CLA'ed. I also feel the body shake while pressing the shutter for the m4. Should I send back my m4 for another check or is this just normal for m4?

L.

[aniMal]

I remember buying my first M-2 in Stockholm, choosing between 4-5 of them. I was quite surprised at how different they felt - and sounded! I ended up with an M-2 button rewind that still is the quietest and smoothest M I have ever seen...

So, wear definitely is part of the picture! Seems to me that they actually gets better with use - I suppose the different parts get worn together and somehow fit in a different way... Maybe someone actually working on M´s could verify this - but I have heard others say the same thing.

Which all reminds me that I should get the old parts of that M-2 collected, add an new RF and shutter curtain - and rebuild it...

[drewbarb]

This sort of thing comes up all the time. It's probably much more related to individual cameras than to models, as aniMal suggests. Don't give it any more thought.

[Tom A]

Shutter sound and "feel" can vary from camera to camera. If it is a well used and serviced camera, over the decades they tend to get quieter and smoother. It also depends on the preferences of the technician. Some tend to set the springs hard (to ensure consistent speeds mainly), others can get them to move more "softly". I used to have a M3 that was overhauled by Rudy Ling in LA. This camera was the smoothest of them all - whisper quiet shutter and "hot knife through butter" advance.
My stash of M2's varies - one of the black ones is now leading the pack, almost as good as Rudy's M3. One of the chome ones, fairly recently serviced has a distinct "sprooing" to the shutter. probably needs a couple of 100 rolls to settle in.
The absolute champion for smooth and quiet operation, at the moment, are not M's! It is a black paint Nikon S3 Millenium - just a soft click, soft enough that you suspect that you did not take the shot - and a buttery smooth advance. The other two S3's are not nearly as smooth.
A good technician can adjust and lube them for this kind of performance - or you can keep shooting with it until it settles in.

[like2fiddle]

But...they are both pretty darn quiet aren't they?

[fbf]

Originally Posted by drewbarb

This sort of thing comes up all the time. It's probably much more related to individual cameras than to models, as aniMal suggests. Don't give it any more thought.

I had high expectation on the m4 since I paid premium for it but the m2 only costs me 400$ (including a CLA). Right now, the m2 seems out-perform the m4 in almost every way besides the VF (m2 has slight separation). I guess I need to give it more time.

Originally Posted by Tom A

Shutter sound and "feel" can vary from camera to camera. If it is a well used and serviced camera, over the decades they tend to get quieter and smoother. It also depends on the preferences of the technician. Some tend to set the springs hard (to ensure consistent speeds mainly), others can get them to move more "softly". I used to have a M3 that was overhauled by Rudy Ling in LA. This camera was the smoothest of them all - whisper quiet shutter and "hot knife through butter" advance.
My stash of M2's varies - one of the black ones is now leading the pack, almost as good as Rudy's M3. One of the chome ones, fairly recently serviced has a distinct "sprooing" to the shutter. probably needs a couple of 100 rolls to settle in.
The absolute champion for smooth and quiet operation, at the moment, are not M's! It is a black paint Nikon S3 Millenium - just a soft click, soft enough that you suspect that you did not take the shot - and a buttery smooth advance. The other two S3's are not nearly as smooth.
A good technician can adjust and lube them for this kind of performance - or you can keep shooting with it until it settles in.

Thank you for the thorough explanation, Tom. The two bodies I have were CLA'ed by the same technician, but I guess there is no exact "rule" to follow. I will give it some time to settle in then .So far, I haven't really felt the "hot knife through butter".

Originally Posted by like2fiddle

But...they are both pretty darn quiet aren't they?

Yeah, that's the key here. Compared with my Nikon SLR and DSLR, the shutter sound of leica is really nothing.