What is Reddit's opinion of Shutter-Speed?

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If you're testing it, I would try to buy one of the weincell batteries that are the correct voltage. The meter only works if the shutter is cocked and the advance lever is pulled out from the body, which can be a bit odd to get used to. I would also test the rangefinder calibration if I were you, though it isn't too hard to adjust yourself (from memory). If you have an android phone, theres An app that you can use to test your slow shutter speeds (1 second to 1/60 or maybe even 1/125 are fairly easy to check with the app). If your shutter times are incorrect it's quite difficult to adjust them from what I know, so you would have to send the camera for a CLA, which could add a couple of hundred dollars to what you spend

For landscapes, Ektar is a very solid choice. Bold contrasty saturated colours, which will make the autumn colours and the sky pop.

Otherwise Delta 100/TMAX 100/FP4/Acros 100 will give nice sharp black and white results, if you like BW landscape shooting

As for testing the camera, you should check the rangefinder accuracy. Turn the lens to the infinity stop and look at something at least half a mile away, and see if the rangefinder patch is lined up. Then put the camera on a tripod, and put it 1m away from something (measure the 1m with a tape measure, you need to be accurate to within like 1 or 2 cm) and turn the lens to the 1m mark and check whether the rangefinder is lined up on the object 1m away. You can check the slow shutter speeds on your camera using an app, I've used this app, I assume there are similar iOS apps. I found I could measure up to about 1/125 on my M3 I think. If your rangefinder is off, you can fix it yourself, it's not too hard, provided you have the right tools, or buy them off of eBay. The shutter speeds would need to be fixed by a professional though.

I'm pretty sure the SQ-A relies on leaf shutters, electronically fired but mechanically activated. That means you need a working batter.

The Shutter-Speed app (for android and iOS) seems popular, though I haven't used it.

You can also do it by loading the audio into any editor and measuring the time between the two clicks (shutter open and close).

You might want to check both your lenses as well. I'm no expert, but I've heard that sometimes flushing the shutter with lighter fluid or naphtha can fix slow timing. But not sure how easy that is to access on your lenses.

Changing the seals is almost certainly a good idea in the long run. But black electrical tape will do you in the short term and can help you figure out where the problem is. For example, if you get a cheap bw roll, you can take a shot, add a strip, make a note, and repeat. Then check to see which pieces of tape fixed the problem, and now you know where the leak comes from. Remember that your image is projected onto the film upside down...

I think you can solve most of your problems if you're a little more scientific in your approach - test each variable to isolate where the problem comes from.

Best of luck.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plug.photo.shutter_speed

If you have iPhone just Google for something like that. Not as accurate as a professional tool, but can satisfy this curiosity...

To further the comment on shutter speeds, there are apps to help test (low) shutter speeds for accuracy. They use the microphone to record the shutter sound, and you then pick the opening and closing on a timeline of the waveform, and it calculates the shutter speed. It's useful up to about 1/50 or maybe 1/125th if you're in a quiet place and have the back and bottom plate open. This is the one I've used on Android Link

1/250, iso 100, f8? 1/250, iso 200, f4?

I'm curious because it seems overexposed. Still have detail in the highlights, so it's not clipped...but it's pretty hot.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plug.photo.shutter_speed

People are overly keen on CLAs in the Leica Community, as far as I'm concerned. Buy from somewhere like KEH if you're in the US, with a decent returns policy. Check whether the camera operates smoothly. Then test the slow shutter speeds using an app like this, and if they're ok, then you probably won't need to CLA. If they're off, or the camera operates poorly, then just return the camera and find another.

Then check your rangefinder calibration at ~1-2m and a long distance (at least 1/2 a mile away). If it's correct, then you're in luck. If not, buy a right angled screwdriver on ebay, then adjust the rangefinder cam in the lens mount of the camera. You want to turn it a tiny amount, check if the calibration has improved, then turn it a tiny bit more in the correct direction until the rangefinder lines up perfectly in the horizontal direction. If you get an M4/2/3 you can take out the screw on the middle of the front panel and turn a smaller screw behind that to change the vertical calibration, but that's less likely to be necessary. If you buy a Leica using the advice above, there should be very little need to have your camera CLA'd

You can check the slower shutter speeds easily using an app on your phone, or audacity on a PC or Mac. I have used this app on android and there are similar ones on iOS. I can measure up to about 1/125 on the app, but if you use audacity on a PC you can measure to slightly higher speeds.

Rangefinder calibration is also very easy on the M3. There's a screw on the rangefinder roller cam, which you turn to move the rangefinder alignment left and right. There's another under the screw on the front of the camera, which you remove, and behind that is the vertical adjustment. It's not too hard to align, just check the focus is correct at ~1m and infinity.

Get a right angle screw driver for the horizontal adjustment, and a very narrow screwdriver tip (like for smartphone repair) for the vertical adjustment

Here's a link for more info http://leica.nemeng.com/034b.shtml

I would really recommend doing all this before you consider sending it for a CLA, because theres a very good chance the CLA would effectively be a waste of money

Edit: People on here and other Leica forums are really over keen on CLAs. Some people suggest getting one like every three years, which is really dumb. If the camera is optically clean, runs smooth and exposes correctly a CLA is basically just a vanity project and a waste of money

I guess he means „Shutter-Speed“ by Lukas Fritz https://appsto.re/de/eA0yH.i . Works by recording the shutter sounds, does not work well at very high shutter speeds since its hard to distinguish opening /closing of the shutter.

There is an android version as well https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plug.photo.shutter_speed

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plug.photo.shutter_speed

What I've used to check shutter speeds.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plug.photo.shutter_speed

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plug.photo.shutter_speed

I like this app for testing shutter speed

Also, when I was done I used this just to see if all was good:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plug.photo.shutter_speed