M9 Focus/Rangefinder Calibration

[Alnitak]

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So, I am ecstatic that my M9 came today! However, in doing some intial testing tonight, I have discovered that it tends to be front-focusing at the MFD. At more normal distances, it seems fine, but I tend to like to shoot wide open, and often at the MFD, so this will require an adjustment in my shooting style. I suspect I could get it calibrated for closer shooting, but I'm not sure I want to go through that process.

 

For what its worth, I tested my 90 and 75 Summicrons, and 50 Nocti and Summilux and all front focus by almost precisely 12-13mm at the minimum focus distance. I used the 1.4x magnifier and repeated the test many times.

 

I am used to shooting an M8.2 and it is dead on at the MFD with the same lenses. I'm curious if the M9 RF is adjusted/calibrated differently and if others have observed the same thing.

 

Thoughts?

 

Jeff

[luigi bertolotti]

In theory, the RF has not been calibrated for a certain focus range (minimum - medium - long...) : it simply must focus CORRECTLY in the whole focus range: there is some tolerancing involved, of course, and some lenses like 90 at f2 (for very small DOF at near distances) or the Noctilux (for its delicate design regarding focus planarity) can have critical behavior. First of all I'd make some serious test at infinity AND minimal distance...and in case send the M9 for a factory adjustement, given that you say all of your lenses are perfect onto M8.

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[tashley]

Send it back, and quickly: it will only annoy you and if you try to adjust it yourself, there will always be a nagging voice at the back of your head!

 

I sent mine back (admittedly Leica in the UK has a facility to make this adjustment without the need for the camera to go to Solms) and it is now brilliant!

[hatam]

When I received my M9 (in the first batch to enter the US in September), I had this same issue. Consisten front-focus with all my lenses, and quite noticable on the 75 APO and 90 APO.

 

I sent mine into DAG for focus adjustment, and now it is spot-on.

 

Do yourself a favor, and get it calibrated quickly. It's a joy to use when it has been correctly adjusted.

[Alnitak]

When I received my M9 (in the first batch to enter the US in September), I had this same issue. Consisten front-focus with all my lenses, and quite noticable on the 75 APO and 90 APO.

 

I sent mine into DAG for focus adjustment, and now it is spot-on.

 

Do yourself a favor, and get it calibrated quickly. It's a joy to use when it has been correctly adjusted.

 

Mike,

 

I presume you sent it to DAG rather than wait for Leica USA to deal with it? It's quite frustrating to get the camera after all this waiting and then discover this problem, and I don't want to have the camera out of pocket for too long.

 

Jeff

[rsh]

I had the same problem. Sent it to Leica last Thursday, 2 Day Air and I will have it back today. They called on Tuesday to say that it was indeed front focusing and they made the adjustments.

 

I will admit a great deal of frustration with my first M8, but that was after 35 plus years of film Ms with very few issues. I learned that Digital is a whole different Ballgame as the tolerances are far tighter with regard to focus.

 

For what it is worth, the service department is really working hard to get things right.

[viramati]

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Am hoping to get M9 soon and I must say it really is amazing that a camera straight out of the factory has to be sent straight back to be adjusted. I mean do these people test them before they leave or not!!!!. I had to do this with my 8.2 but I had bought it 2nd hand (only 2 months old) and Caplan's sent it back to Milton Keynes and now it is fine bit I was really p****d off about it. IMHO it's not good enough.

Anyway am now a bit worried about it and hope in some way to be able to test it before leaving the shop when and if it ever arrives!!!

[jaapv]

These cameras are sent all over the world and there is no way to know what happened to the package on the way. Even if it left the factory in perfect state it may have been dropped or subjected to strong vibrations. By all means do a check before leaving the shop! Mine was spot-on when it arrived, but in the course of 20.000 km of traveling if walked out of calibration. I sent it off to Solms last week and probably will have it returned soon.

[smoody]

Sent it to Leica last Thursday, 2 Day Air and I will have it back today.

 

Just curious -- did you send it to Leica USA or did your camera make a trip across the pond?

 

 

Thanks,

 

Scott

[ho_co]

Scott--

I'm just butting in. My procedure in the US is to send equipment to Allendale and let them decide whether it needs to be returned to Solms. They can do most repairs on the spot.

 

If you call Customer Service and establish contact ahead of time, the camera can often be shepherded through the procedures quite quickly, at least for a problem as simple as adjusting the rangefinder.

[jaques]

considering how few cameras seem to be out there- and how many contributors seems to have this problem- it is a little concerning to say the least. In that Leica factory video of the M9 production they show the calibration of the focus at the factory on the line- and it seems rather thorough. It is concerning that the focus can seemingly move out of alignment so easily? I hope standards on the line haven't dropped with with the increasing output?

[3rdtrick]

I had a focus problem with mine too. I especially noticed it with the 50 1.4 as it could not focus on infinity. Fortunately I live close to NJ and was able to drive up to Allendale and they adjusted it while I waited. I am glad I did as it seems right on now.

 

 

Pete

[Alnitak]

Well, well. There seems to be a trend here. Either there was a problem with the alignment process in the factory, or there is something about the rangefinder that is causing a relatively large percentage of the M9's sent to the US to need adjustment. I am going to call tomorrow and try to get a rapid turnaround. More testing today has confirmed that my rangefinder is clearly out of alignment. The front focus is very repeatable and very consistent across nearly a dozen different Leica and Voigtlander lenses.

 

Jeff

[jaapv]

I do not think it is M9 specific. This has happened to me a number of times over the decades.

[Alnitak]

I do not think it is M9 specific. This has happened to me a number of times over the decades.

 

My point is that based on replies to this thread, quite a few brand-new M9's are coming with this issue. I could see it happening over time, but we are talking cameras that are new.

[luigi bertolotti]

I remember to have red, here, that in Solms a new RF calibration bench was set up not much time ago... just before summer, I seem... a complex computer-assisted QC system of which maybe also some pics have been posted by someone who visited the factory in recent times; integrating the usage of such new gear into a factory workflow, that can be stressed by delivery demand, is a task that can prove a delicate one: I wouldn't be surprised if this is to be blamed for the problem evidenced here... and I continue to think that the (splendid and venerable) M RF mechanism is probably a component that is mature for a general rethink/overhaul...

[jaapv]

My point is that based on replies to this thread, quite a few brand-new M9's are coming with this issue. I could see it happening over time, but we are talking cameras that are new.

 

Well, to be fair, I posted this RUMOUR! elsewhere:

 

There are two small steel balls that fit to the brass connecting arm on the RF on one side and the lightmetal housing on the other. That can give raise to electrolytic corrosion. So there is an application of isolating grease to prevent that. It seems there is a problem with this grease.

That explains to me why the infinity went off and was partly corrigable by pulling the roller arm back with (some careful) force (don't try this at home!!). It squashed the obstruction. So no vibration damage as I surmised earlier.

[rsh]

In response to SMOODY, Leica, USA.

[Guest mc_k]

I do not think that error is worth sending it back. First of all that is not a large error, and it's an error to the front, so it will be cancelled out by reframing and the attendant error.

 

In case you used the usual chart; this is great for giving you some idea that you're off from the standard, but you certainly can't tell the error to the millimeter as suggested. I think you would be lucky if the accuracy of this kind of test is to the centimeter; there is variation from your eye position, from play in the rangefinder mechanism, reading of the chart, etc. I bet a very large percentage of cameras and lenses get sent back to Leica that are perfectly in spec.

 

On the other hand, it is important to test your lenses or have it done, and it sounds like you did a good job with it.

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[Guest mc_k]

I remember to have red, here, that in Solms a new RF calibration bench was set up not much time ago...

 

...would be interested to know if they have this in NJ as well. I heard second-hand (from this forum) they used to test lenses with a wall chart, hand-held, and I always wondered if that was really true.