Flash sync socket cover for Leica M1, M2, M3 (2-pack)

• Protection for the open flash sync socket: keeps dust and moisture away from the contacts and prevents corrosion.
• Flush fit in the original socket: the cap sits flush with the chrome ring, making the back look closed again.
• Replacement for the lost original cover: two caps in the set, one for the camera, one as a spare.

Compatibility

• Leica M1
• Leica M2
• Leica M3
• Leica MP (1956 model)

These models have the larger Leitz flash sync socket from the factory. There are two cases where the cap still won't fit:

• A retrofitted PC sync adapter is plugged into the socket. Pull it out, and the cap will fit.
• The camera has been permanently converted to the standardized PC socket by a repair shop. Then this cap won't fit; instead, you need a cover cap for PC sync sockets.

Not suitable for Leica M4, M4-2, M4-P, M5, M6, M7 and the MP from 2003 onwards. These models have the standardized PC socket from the factory.

What's included

2x cover cap for the flash sync socket

Technical details

• Material: engineering plastic
• Color: black
• Diameter: 10.7 mm
• Fit: Leitz flash sync socket of the M1, M2, M3 and MP from 1956

Description

These cover caps close the Leitz flash sync sockets on the back of the Leica M1, M2, M3 and the 1956 MP. They do not fit the M4, M4-2, M4-P, M5, M6, M7 or the MP from 2003 onward, as these models have the standard PC socket from the factory.

On the back of your Leica M3, and the same on the M1 and M2, there are two flash sync sockets: the X contact for electronic flash, marked with the flash symbol, and the M contact for flash bulbs, marked with the bulb symbol. Without a cable connected, both are 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 taken off again at any time without tools.

Made in-house in Germany. Two caps are included so you have a spare on hand right away.

Is there a PC adapter in your socket?

The M1, M2 and M3 don't have a standard PC socket but the Leitz socket with a larger diameter, so a normal PC flash cable won't fit into it. Anyone who still wants to use flash plugs a small adapter into the socket and usually leaves it in permanently so it doesn't get lost. Many owners don't even know about it, because the adapter was already in place when they bought the camera.

Here's how to recognize it: a short metal cylinder, usually chrome-plated, that protrudes several millimeters beyond the back panel. At its base is a fine knurling, a seam is visible between the adapter and the camera's trim ring, and in the center at the top is a round hole for the flash plug. The free original socket, on the other hand, is a recess: a chrome ring on the outside, a brass-colored sleeve behind it, nothing protruding.

To remove it, pull the adapter straight out. If it's stuck after decades, gently turning it back and forth helps; some versions are screwed in. Don't pry it and don't apply pliers to the chrome.

If nothing can be pulled out and the socket sits flush in the housing, your camera has been permanently converted to the standard PC socket. This is a common workshop modification and not a fault with the camera. In that case, however, this cap won't fit.