Ilott Vintage Ilott Vintage
  • Cameras
    • Argus C3
    • Canonet
    • Canonet QL17
    • Canonet QL17 G-III
    • Canon Demi EE17
    • Fujica 35SE
    • Fujica V2
    • Konica Auto S
    • Konica Auto S2
    • Konica SII
    • Minolta AL
    • Minolta Hi-Matic 7/7s
    • Minolta Hi-Matic 9
    • Minolta V2
    • Minoltina AL-s
    • Minolta Repo-S
    • Zorki 10
  • Gallery
  • Glossary
  • Publications
  • Portfolio
  • Cameras
  • Gallery
  • Glossary
  • Publications
  • Portfolio

Leaf shutters

A clockwork mechanism consisting of identical overlapping metal blades

Most fixed lens rangefinder cameras use what is called a leaf shutter; a shutter consisting of very fine overlapping metal blades (leaves) which open and close in order to expose the film for a specified period of time to capture an image. The shutter is a clockwork mechanism and is powered by a strong spring tensioned by setting the shutter speed and charged by advancing the film before each exposure.

The manufacture of these shutters is highly specialised and camera manufacturers do not make their own. Shutters most commonly found in these rangefinders were made by Japanese companies Citizen, Copal and Seiko.

  • Rangefinder Cameras
  • Focal Plane
  • Focal Length & Aperture
  • f-stop
  • Numbers on a lens
  • Prime lens
  • Fast lens
  • Angle-of-view (AOV)
  • Elements & Groups
  • Coatings
  • Leaf shutters
  • Shutter speed
  • Film speed ASA/ISO
  • EV / Exposure Value
  • LV / Light Value
  • LV Tables
  • Priority
  • Depth-of-field
  • Bokeh
  • Apparent Subject Motion
  • Light meters
  • Be meter free
  • The Sunny 16 Rule
  • Double & half
  • Parallax
  • Rangefinder Vs. SLR
  • Filters
  • Filters: UV
  • Filters: Skylight
  • Filters: Polarizing
  • Filters: ND
  • Filters: Black & White
  • Diffraction
  • Multiple Exposures
  • Sharpest Aperture
  • C-41 B&W
  • Zone focusing
  • Half-frame
  • Vignetting
  • Guide Number
  • X & M
About Ilott Vintage

A valuable reference for anyone wanting to learn more about rangefinder cameras, manual film photography, or both, this website is intended to serve not only as a resource to discover some amazing objects but also as a place to learn more about them, to understand exactly what they are capable of, and why. Read More

See Also
  • Canonet QL17 Clean, elegant design, a fantastic lens and near silent operation
  • Minoltina AL-s Nobody loves a fat camera
  • Minolta Hi-Matic 7s
    Minolta Hi-Matic 7/7s A feature rich classic, manual and semi-automatic shooting down to f22
Contact

info@ilottvintage.com

Follow us on Instagram
    © 2017 Ilott Vintage. Website by Bellamy Studio
    Friday 2nd June 2023