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Hi,

 

I've been using my M over few years now and loving it.  Everything is good except the 90mm I purchased recently.  I'm having focusing difficulty with the lens using OVF, and I'm thinking if I should get the EVF to improve my accuracy.  Does anyone know if there will be a new EVF or I should just get the EVF 2?

 

Much appreciated,

 

SillyBun

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No there won't be another EVF on the M240. A used Olympus one won't break the bank. In general, though, focusing an 90 should not be a problem. Have your lens calibration checked and have a look at your focusing technique/eyesight.

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Yeah, definitely need some adjustment with the eyepiece.  However, I notice the lens and camera combination is back-focusing a bit.  I find remembering to make focusing adjustment every time with the lens is troublesome. 

 

Can Leica store do lens calibration on the spot or this has to be done oversea?  Do I have to give them all my lenses for calibration?

Edited by SillyBun
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Lens calibration can be done by Leica, and can be combined with coding, however, that route is not cheap and slow. Quite a few of the well-known independents offer the same service, often faster, often better value.

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I picked up a used EVF-2 when I purchased my 21 SEM. It is very useful, and I'm finding it also works well with my old 90 Elmar-M.  Fair prices are out there on the EVF-2, mine was only slightly more expensive than a used Olympus VF-2 in similar condition. 

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I resisted getting the EVF for a long time, but gave in and bought a used EVF-2 when I got my 90mm lens.  I don't use it all the time, but I'm glad to have it available.  I've also found I use it with my 24mm and with my 50mm (when shooting wide open) from time to time.

The lag takes a bit of getting used to, though.

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I had exactly the same issue with the same combo until last night. I had always blamed either the lens or my technique for the problem. My next longest lens from the 90 f/2 is the 50 f/1.4 and I was happy with the results from that. I gave a really critical look at the focusing on that and realized it was back focusing as well, but with the added depth of field it's not as bad so I had overlooked it all the time.

 

Next was looking at where in the focus range it was affecting. It turns out that even far objects (30m+) had the same issue. This ruled out the focus throw adjustment. I found the article on adjustments here: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/118043-m9-coincidence-at-infinity/

 

I took a deep breath and reached for my 2mm hex wrench. I tweaked the screw on the roller mechanism a touch counterclockwise. Maybe 5 degrees at most.

 

A few small adjustments later I have a lens that's dead on every time. I cross-checked my other lenses and everything is better now - even the lenses I thought were "good enough" are now better. I was thinking of selling the lens out of frustration before this.

 

TL;DR: The 90 exaggerates all the problems of the rangefinder. Before blaming the lens, look at the whole system. The lens has fewer ways of going out of adjustment than the camera.

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I have the EVF-2 but find that I rarely use it, even with my 21/3.4 SEM.  I have found the EVF-2 to be useful for macro work with my Novoflex Castel Cross Q focusing rack and extension tube set.

 

I will give the EVF a try with my 90/2 APO though; when focusing by OVF with the 90/2, I have to stop down to f/4 to nail the focus with the M-P 240.  With the M4-P, I can nail the focus at f/2 when shooting from a tripod, though.  As others have also noted, it seems that the current digital M cameras are not as forgiving as are film based M cameras when it comes to critical focus.

Edited by Carlos Danger
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I had exactly the same issue with the same combo until last night. I had always blamed either the lens or my technique for the problem. My next longest lens from the 90 f/2 is the 50 f/1.4 and I was happy with the results from that. I gave a really critical look at the focusing on that and realized it was back focusing as well, but with the added depth of field it's not as bad so I had overlooked it all the time.

 

Next was looking at where in the focus range it was affecting. It turns out that even far objects (30m+) had the same issue. This ruled out the focus throw adjustment. I found the article on adjustments here: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/118043-m9-coincidence-at-infinity/

 

I took a deep breath and reached for my 2mm hex wrench. I tweaked the screw on the roller mechanism a touch counterclockwise. Maybe 5 degrees at most.

 

A few small adjustments later I have a lens that's dead on every time. I cross-checked my other lenses and everything is better now - even the lenses I thought were "good enough" are now better. I was thinking of selling the lens out of frustration before this.

 

TL;DR: The 90 exaggerates all the problems of the rangefinder. Before blaming the lens, look at the whole system. The lens has fewer ways of going out of adjustment than the camera.

I had the same issue with my 90 M Rokkor on my M240

Fixed it using the same method (a tweak with a 2mm hex wrench)

My 50 appears much sharper now too

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I have fiddled with my M9 in the past with some success using the 2mm hex key. However, I should add that it affects the infinity alignment as well. For best effect you need both the adjustments, gradient (by hex key) and offset (by the screw). Unfortunately one changes the other too and you need to go back and forth for complete adjustment. Having said that, if the alignment is not too off the mark, then simple 2mm key trick works. A quick search on this topic should bring up an excellent post from few years ago.

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I had my Elmarit 90/2.8 that couldn't be focused at all via the OVF, while it was spot on using the EVF 2. But when the object was in focus in the EVF, checking on the OVF it was out of focus. So I took both the lens and the camera at the Leica Store in Milan, along with my 50 lux that was perfect, and after a week the Elmarit 90 was perfect as well, even on the OVF. I think they performed the calibration in store.

Edited by epand56
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I seriously thought my 50 lux was perfect as well. Only after I had some pretty well controlled tests that I ran did I realized that it was back-focusing as well, just not nearly as much. (What I had thought of as perfect was off by perhaps 3cm at a distance of 2m. I'd have to check my test shots for the details. It was close enough that the shots I was getting out in the field were in focus enough that I wasn't noticing.

 

Interestingly I noticed that the arm-length adjustment was lacquered tight while the roller infinity adjustment wasn't. Thankfully I didn't have to change the arm length so I'm thinking that Leica might have been a bit more stringent on the quality control of that adjustment. Of course I also had to tweak the vertical alignment as well so I might have gotten a Friday camera where everyone was already thinking about the weekend instead of the job at hand.

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I have an EVF question. Seems like this thread if kinda done so I hope it's ok to hijack it a bit - my question is pretty closely related.  I'm interested in the EVF for one purpose only - off center focusing. It can be really really hard trying to focus and recompose on a 3 year old. Even sitting down she's not still, leaning forward and backwards enough to ruin focus. 

 

Is the EVF good enough to quickly get accurate focus a 90mm f4 without zooming in? I can do it in LV, but only by sawing backwards and forwards, which is not fast enough for what I'm trying to do.  Maybe it's too slow even if it is high res enough. jaapv said on another thread that it's hard to use with moving subjects, but I'm not sure if he had football or just ants in pants kids in mind

Edited by ralphh
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.  Maybe it's too slow even if it is high res enough. jaapv said on another thread that it's hard to use with moving subjects, but I'm not sure if he had football or just ants in pants kids in mind

 

I find that the lag in shooting with the EVF pretty much restricts it to static subjects. First there is the lag in the display and then additional lag while the shutter closes in preparation for taking the shot.  Unless your three year old is posing for the picture I suspect you will be disappointed with the result.

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I shoot sport and events with the EVF without any problem but I use 5x magnification only, with 10x magnification I find difficult to know where is the subject

on static subjects I use 10x

 

but an external EVF is always a weak point and one cannot use a flash

Edited by erick
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but an external EVF is always a weak point and one cannot use a flash

I wonder how hard it would be to groove the bottom of the EVF and add some contacts for a flash (manual only, just a PC or similar connection)

 

Kinda wish i still worked at an Olympus warranty agent, i might have been able to get a broken one to cut up

Edited by Echo63
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