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Protection for the open flash socket: keeps dust and moisture away from the contacts and helps prevent corrosion.
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Flush fit in the original socket: the cap ends level with the chrome ring, making the back look closed again.
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Replacement for the lost original cover: two caps in the set, one for the camera and one as a spare.
Compatibility
- Leica M1
- Leica M2
- Leica M3
- Leica MP (1956 model)
These models came from the factory with the larger Leitz flash socket. There are two cases in which the cap will still not fit:
- A retrofitted PC sync adapter is inserted in the socket. Pull it out, and the cap will fit.
- The camera was permanently converted to the standardized PC socket in a workshop. In that case, this cap will not fit; use a cover cap for PC sync sockets instead.
Not suitable for Leica M4, M4-2, M4-P, M5, M6, M7, or the MP from 2003 onward. These models came from the factory with the standardized PC socket.
Included in delivery
2x flash socket cover caps
Technical details
- Material: technical plastic
- Color: Black
- Diameter: 10.7 mm
- Fit: Leitz flash socket of the M1, M2, M3, and 1956 MP
Description
On the back of your Leica M3, and likewise on the M1 and M2, there are two flash sockets that this cover closes again: the X contact for electronic flash, marked with the flash symbol, and the M contact for flashbulbs, marked with the bulb symbol. Without a cable connected, both remain open, dust collects in the recess, and the contacts inside corrode over the years. The cap closes the socket flush, stays in place on its own, and can be removed again at any time without tools.
Made in Germany. Two caps are included, so you have a spare on hand right away.
Is there a PC adapter in your socket?
M1, M2, and M3 cameras do not have a standardized PC socket, but rather the larger-diameter Leitz socket, which cannot accept a standard PC flash cable. Anyone who still wants to use flash inserts a small adapter into the socket and usually leaves it there permanently so it does not get lost. Many owners are unaware of this because the adapter was already installed when they bought the camera.
Here is how to identify it: a short metal cylinder, usually chrome-plated, protrudes several millimeters beyond the back panel. There is fine knurling at the base, a gap is visible between the adapter and the camera’s trim ring, and a round hole for the flash plug is located in the center at the top. The empty original socket, by contrast, is recessed: there is a chrome ring on the outside, a brass-colored sleeve behind it, and nothing protrudes.
To remove it, pull the adapter straight out. If it is stuck after decades, gently twisting it back and forth can help; some versions are threaded. Do not pry it out or use pliers on the chrome.
If nothing can be pulled out and the socket sits flush with the camera body, your camera was permanently converted to the standardized PC socket. This is a common workshop modification and is not a fault with the camera. However, this cap will not fit.
