new backfocus thread-solution

[ho_co]

Originally Posted by robsteve

I wouldn't play with it as it may not be easy to set up. Leica uses a jig for these settings.

Robert--I agree. Infinity setting is easy; vertical adjustment is easy (assuming one has a spare red dot, since the current one may require replacement after removal).

But I was floored when I saw the complexity of the rangefinder alignment equipment at NJ. As your earlier post indicates, the job is exacting and time-consuming, and the arrangement of the jig and reference elements is no small matter. As I recall, they were floor-mounted when I saw them.

And when I say infinity and vertical are easy, I mean only that they are easy to do a quick-and-dirty 'ballpark' job on. If I have to have any rangefinder adjustment made by anyone who isn't Leica-trained, I always return the camera to Leica for proper adjustment at first opportunity.

--HC

[rondeb]

Originally Posted by ho_co

Robert--I agree. Infinity setting is easy; vertical adjustment is easy (assuming one has a spare red dot, since the current one may require replacement after removal).

But I was floored when I saw the complexity of the rangefinder alignment equipment at NJ. As your earlier post indicates, the job is exacting and time-consuming, and the arrangement of the jig and reference elements is no small matter. As I recall, they were floor-mounted when I saw them.

And when I say infinity and vertical are easy, I mean only that they are easy to do a quick-and-dirty 'ballpark' job on. If I have to have any rangefinder adjustment made by anyone who isn't Leica-trained, I always return the camera to Leica for proper adjustment at first opportunity.

--HC

I have to agree here. Also, it may be easy to do a quick adjustment yourself, but a mistake could cost you your warranty.

Mine was picked up by Leica(via UPS) this afternoon. They're going to do the adjuting and give it(at least the sensor) a good scrub as well. I'll post my progress.
Best,
Ron

[rondeb]

Originally Posted by ho_co

Robert--I agree. Infinity setting is easy; vertical adjustment is easy (assuming one has a spare red dot, since the current one may require replacement after removal).

But I was floored when I saw the complexity of the rangefinder alignment equipment at NJ. As your earlier post indicates, the job is exacting and time-consuming, and the arrangement of the jig and reference elements is no small matter. As I recall, they were floor-mounted when I saw them.

And when I say infinity and vertical are easy, I mean only that they are easy to do a quick-and-dirty 'ballpark' job on. If I have to have any rangefinder adjustment made by anyone who isn't Leica-trained, I always return the camera to Leica for proper adjustment at first opportunity.

--HC

I have to agree here. Also, it may be easy to do a quick adjustment yourself, but a mistake could cost you your warranty.

Mine was picked up by Leica(via UPS) this afternoon. They're going to do the adjusting and give it(at least the sensor) a good scrub as well. I'll post my progress.
Best,
Ron

[pascal_meheut]

Nice solution but mine got back to Solms for the hardware fix and they forgot to adjust it. So, I wanted to avoid another trip back.

[marknorton]

The book on 50 years of the Leica M includes some interesting pictures of technicians aligning rangefinders with the camera mounted on a jig with projected test frames to work to. As least in those days, tiring work as well, spending your days squinting through a (mostly) mis-aligned viewfinder.

It's clearly a big deal even now though you would think that tighter production tolerances would lead to a simplified alignment process. What worries me about making isolated adjustments - even to the infinity setting - is that the settings appear to interact so that setting the finder up is an iterative process. Even for this born meddler, it's one to leave well alone.

[jlm]

i would guess that the instant feedback of the digital image has reduced the need for the focusing fixture.

[ho_co]

The trouble with the M camera is that you notice a mis-adjusted rangefinder with every shot. It's an obvious problem that won't go away, so it screams for adjustment, even if only a quickie.

It used to be that just getting the rangefinder into alignment vertically and at infinity was enough to give us confidence that the camera was working fine; but now that we've got instant feedback, the actual focusing error becomes immediately apparent.

--HC

[Tony C.]

Bradley,

I just wanted to add my thanks for your valuable, albeit simple do-it-yourself fix.

I noticed (at infinity) that all three of the lenses used on my new M8 (one Leica, one Zeiss, and one CV!) were back-focusing a bit. So I adjusted the cam as per your instructions, and, three adjustments later, all three lenses are now in tune with the M8.

Thanks again!

Best regards,

Tony C.

[bradreiman]

my pleasure tony-i'll add here that the jig people talk about leica using to adjust rangefinders was largely due to the fact that you cannot see the shots in digital. the jig is to give feedback to the adjuster. this is a safe and easy procedure that has brought the joy back to me and my m8. its safer than cleaning a sensor. good luck and happy shooting....b

[fotografr]

I've been running tests since getting my M8 back a couple of days ago and discovered that I had the dread backfocus problem. Back to Solms? Hell no. I knew this had been discussed, so did a search and found this thread. Then it was off to the hardware store to buy a 2mm hex wrench. Finally, a deep sigh and then I started making some slight adjustments back and forth. Thanks to the information here, all of my lenses are now right on the mark! My M8 and I are ready to go to work.

Cheers,

[wstotler]

When my M6 TTL came in I discovered that the infinity setting on the lenses worked OK when compared to the M8, which required NOT focusing all the way to the lenses' infinity stops to get a clean lineup in the rangefinder patch. (If the lenses were dialed in to their infinity stops, infinity focus was off--because I'd dialed past the infinity focus point.)

I followed the directions in this thread and with about ten minutes of gentle, cautious tinkering my infinity focusing is now spot-on. (And my other focus points seem to be OK.) Inifinity stop hit on lens = infinity in focus.

Thanks for posting about the hex wrench needed, photos of how to do the procedure, and details on what to expect. (And, probably more important, describing the problem that could be fixed in detail.)

Happy happy.

Thanks!
Will

[billh]

Originally Posted by fotografr

I've been running tests since getting my M8 back a couple of days ago and discovered that I had the dread backfocus problem. Back to Solms? Hell no. I knew this had been discussed, so did a search and found this thread. Then it was off to the hardware store to buy a 2mm hex wrench. Finally, a deep sigh and then I started making some slight adjustments back and forth. Thanks to the information here, all of my lenses are now right on the mark! My M8 and I are ready to go to work.

Cheers,

Brent, did you make an adjustment using one lens, and then they were all focusing correctly?

[wstotler]

Originally Posted by billh

Brent, did you make an adjustment using one lens, and then they were all focusing correctly?

You were asking Brent, but I can say that my lenses (Summicron-M 35mm and 50mm) both worked A-OK after the adjustment even though I did the adjustment tinkering using the 35mm. Thanks. -Will

[innerimager]

really helpful thread and thanks a lot for the pics Pascal. Is there anyone experienced in this in the NYC area that might want to teach a mechanically challenged fellow like myself? best...Peter

[pascal_meheut]

BTW, I said yesterday to a Leica repairman what I did and he was surprised. He took my M8 to check the rangefinder and came back saying "spot on".

[mirage]

Thank You Bradley. Worked for me too! M8 has beaten my EOS 5D (APO Summicron 90mm vs. EF 70-200 L) after the adjustment.

[wlaidlaw]

It might be easier to check the focus using Leica Digital capture and a laptop as you get a larger image to look at. I think my M8 is pretty good but I am going to check today with the Elmarit 90. I will also make sure there is a 2mm hex key at the bottom of my Billingham.

Wilson

[macusque]

Thank you Bradley, very easy indeed.

Sadly now my 90 Apo frontfocusses so badly that it's almost unusable...

All the lenses I used on my M8 backfocussed slightly and now, out of the 4 I kept, the 28 Summicron and 50 Summilux-asph are spot on at any distance and the 15/4.5 works as always
But the 90 Apo always frontfocussed a bit, so now it's clearly even worse.

I will bring it to a local photo repair next week.
The technician once said that focus adjustment could be made on the body or on the lens, the former if the behaviour is common with all the lenses, the latter if the misfocus occurs only with one or few lenses.
Adjusting the lens is a bit more difficult, but it's feasible without sending the lens to Solms.

Anyway I'm happy to have spot-on focus on the other lenses, thanks !

[Philippe D.]

Originally Posted by pascal_meheut

Here are the pictures. You just put your 2mm Allen wrench where the red arrow is

Thanks a lot for the recipe Pascal, now it's perfectly sharp with the APO Cron 90.

[guidomo]

I have come across this thread because I am also having backfocus problems with my M8 and I am growing increasingly convinced that it is the camera's fault as I see this with different lenses I have tried (though to different degrees), mainly at close distances.

What I found difficult to understand from the many interesting (and inspiring) comments here was how the infinity setting is related to the focus problems. More specifically, people suggest that they have had to adjust infinity to cure the focus problems, but it is not clear to me whether they had checked infinity before and whether it was off or not.

I understand infinity is checked by turning the lens to infinity and checking in the finder whether the images align when looking at a distant object. (In fact, is this identical to checking whether an actual picture taken of the distant object is in focus?).

In my case, I have perfect alignment. Is there still a point in trying infinity adjustment?

(Most people seem to say near-range adjustment is hardly ever off and in any case seems much harder to do at home).