M9 - coincidence at infinity

[thrice]

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It is an incredibly frustrating process. Remember, as you tighten the screw of the focus throw adjustment, it will likely shift slightly, so only test with it properly tightened.

 

Also, I find it best to test the focus with my left eye as well as my right, since fatigue seems to set in quite quickly when concentrating so hard. I wish they had a marking on the top of the camera (similar to what Fuji do on the X100) that marks where the sensor plane is. Much easier to measure the distance than to refocus repeatedly.

Edited July 28, 2011 by thrice

[kea_arty]

It is really important. If the infinity is off then you can't truly evaluate focus elsewhere because the infinity is the 'reference' point. From this point the length of the roller cam arm itself determines how much the rangefinder patch moves as the lens rotates.

 

In my experience of 5 digital M's (2 x M8.2 and 2 x M8 and 1 x M9) I have never had a camera with a spot on infinity/roller arm length combination from the factory, and have learned how to adjust them myself rather than send them back.

 

If you don't want to touch it yourself then you'll have to bite the bullet and send it back to Leica for adjustment. Sorry its not better news!

 

Totally agree with you. I will try to do it.

[bbbonthemoon]

Well, I have now the same very problem. At infinity, the double images are slightly off on all my lenses It's really a hair size, but it's clearly there.

After reading all this long thread, I still do not understand clearly, should I try to align the infinity myself? Seems to be pretty easy task.

Or the whole rangefinder mechanism requires full check and alignment, what means I need to send the camera to Solms in the middle of vacancies period(probably excessive waiting time)?

Edited August 14, 2011 by bbbonthemoon

[Lindolfi]

I wish they had a marking on the top of the camera (similar to what Fuji do on the X100) that marks where the sensor plane is. Much easier to measure the distance than to refocus repeatedly.

 

You can make the mark yourself: the flange-focal distance of the Leica M is 27.8 mm. Measure from the flange (the mount ring on the body for the lens) backward: Place a straight piece of steel over the flange pointing up and measure a distance of 27.8 mm with callipers to over the top plate. Put a small piece of white tape on the top plate to mark the position.

Edited August 14, 2011 by Lindolfi

[jaapv]

Well, I have now the same very problem. At infinity, the double images are slightly off on all my lenses It's really a hair size, but it's clearly there.

After reading all this long thread, I still do not understand clearly, should I try to align the infinity myself? Seems to be pretty easy task.

Or the whole rangefinder mechanism requires full check and alignment, what means I need to send the camera to Solms in the middle of vacancies period(probably excessive waiting time)?

 

Only do something if you notice a focussing problem in your photographs. If not, just forget about this.

[asmith]

I think Jaap's last post is the best in this thread!

Alwyn

[bocaburger]

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Only do something if you notice a focussing problem in your photographs. If not, just forget about this.

 

+1! I would check nearest-distance accuracy, and if it's ok, leave well enough alone. If near-distance is spot-on, it means the entire rangefinder is set up based on an infinity misadjustment, and adjusting just the infinity (2mm allen key) to get the images to coincide will throw the close setting (and everything in between) off.

[bbbonthemoon]

+1! I would check nearest-distance accuracy, and if it's ok, leave well enough alone. If near-distance is spot-on, it means the entire rangefinder is set up based on an infinity misadjustment, and adjusting just the infinity (2mm allen key) to get the images to coincide will throw the close setting (and everything in between) off.

 

hmm,

Accoring to Julian Thompson posts at the beginning of the thread, close distance focus is usually OK when the infinity is off. Mid-range and the infinity itself is affected.

[bocaburger]

hmm,

Accoring to Julian Thompson posts at the beginning of the thread, close distance focus is usually OK when the infinity is off. Mid-range and the infinity itself is affected.

 

That can't be the case. It is true that a minor discrepancy at infinity will produce less of a noticeable inaccuracy at close focus than the converse, but being that the rangefinder arm is a fixed unit once the gain adjustment is locked tight, if the infinity setting drifts, so does the rest.

[hologon]

Julian,

 

You have truly saved the day. My new-from-B&H M9 was front-focussing -- at close range, about 2" in front of the correct target, and infinity was off by a hair.

 

It had gone back to Leica NJ twice, both times on my dime.

 

Neither times was it fixed.

 

Half an hour with a hex key, and voila -- not perfect, but at least reasonably good now.

 

Thank you so much!!!!

 

-Jon

[ChrNil49]

Thank you Julien!! Just sat down with my M9-P that was of at infinity and the lenses where front-focusing. Took me about 1 hour, but now it's 99%. Have a 50 summilux on order so will wait and see how that looks ;o) If that one is off I might send in the kit anyway. But great to know how to make the rough adjustment yourself. Again thank you!

[SoarFM]

Thank you Julien!! Just sat down with my M9-P that was of at infinity and the lenses where front-focusing. Took me about 1 hour, but now it's 99%. Have a 50 summilux on order so will wait and see how that looks ;o) If that one is off I might send in the kit anyway. But great to know how to make the rough adjustment yourself. Again thank you!

 

+1 to Julian

 

Focusing with my 50 Summicron was giving me fits with its backfocus. Never felt there was a problem with my M6, but then again, lots easier to get the immediate feedback when working digital.

 

The 35 and 28 were less of a problem due to their shorter focal lengths. But I cycled them through my testing just to make sure it wasn't a faulty lens.

 

I was dreading packing everything up and sending them off for service. I read through this thread multiple times, decided I could do this and promised myself I would stop if it didn't go as advertised, this is a skill well worth having. All went well, and I'm making adjustments that have gotten me almost to perfect. One more session it should be spot on.

 

As an additional note, the slot on the screw was placed differently than shown on Julian's, a more favorable placement obviating the need to grind down the screwdriver.

[Reds]

Great thread! quick question - I noticed my 50 lux is off at infinity yesterday - can't quite get co-incidence at max focus rotation on the lens. My nocti is fine at infinity. Should I adjust the cam, or get the lux looked at? Not sure which would be out. i.e. What to do if only one lens is showing this. thanks.

[jaapv]

I would not do anything unless the images turn out misfocussed

[PhilipThomas]

Julian- Thank you for your post. This solved my M9 back focusing very quickly and your instructions were very well detailed.

 

Just another helpful tip though it may sound obvious. Do not use the camera display to check image tests, download them to your PC and check. The camera LCD is just not up to snuff to zoom in and calibrate.

 

Brett - - you have to place that manually and stop up and down in your testing but knowing how good your eye is you'd have no trouble making sure you were setting it in the right place. Then again I should imagine you have your own personal team of gnomes from Solms following you around with a shiny Leica support van, re-setting your bodies like a tennis pro has rackets tensioned ? No?

 

 

 

I know this is not for everyone and that's not what I'm saying - my aim in posting is to share the work I have done and the successes I have had with my own adjustments.

 

It is very nice to know how to tweak one's own camera very quickly if necessary. It is nice to remove the 'aura' from the rangefinder mechanism in one's own mind and kind of feel at one with it. That's all.

 

 

So

 

Jamie - this is the explanation I posted a little while back along with a couple of pics for you to look at. As adil says you need to take a sample of shots from every lens (and body if possible) you have to make sure you're calibrating it right.

 

You will need a 2.5mm allen key and a small screwdriver which you should grind a very slight angle on so that as you fit the screwdriver into the head on the focus throw pivot (A) on the diagram it allows a nice flat drive.

 

A) is the focus throw adjustment. If you look at the pic you can see that the screw retains an eccentric cam. If you loosen the screw you can rotate the cam (as denoted by the pink and blue arrows) freely. As you do so, the length of the arm itself changes.

 

By moving the cam counter-clockwise (as in pink arrow) you INCREASE the total available focus throw.

 

By moving the cam clockwise (as in blue arrow) you DECREASE the total available focus throw.

 

is the infinity adjustment as we know.

 

If you rotate the 2.5mm hex key counter clockwise (as in green arrow) you move the point at which the rangefinder 'sees' infinity further away - and this 'references everything forward of that.

 

If you rotate the 2.5mm hex key clockwise (as in yellow arrow) you move the point at which the rangefinder 'sees' infinity closer to you - and this 'references everything forward of that.

 

Right - so they are the two adjustments you have available to you. From my playing about the best way to set it up is this.

 

1) Infinity is very important. Step 1 is to look at something with lots of contrast a long way off (a star does seem to work very well but today I've been using a clock tower in the far distance and that's fine too) and then adjust the roller ( so that this perfectly coincides. Don't accept the nonesense I was spouting before about it not mattering. It really matters that you can 100% converge the object at infinity.

 

2) Now, take a photo at a big aperture of something close to you - like 0.8 meters or similar. I found text to be excellent. Note whether you now have front focus or back focus. If you have front focus (like I did - big time!) then your focus throw is too short; ie your arm is too long, so when the lens rotates you're not pushing the rangefinder enough. So you need to shorten the arm by loosening (A) and twisting the cam slightly anti-clockwise. (If you have backfocus then it's obviously the inverse and you need to go clockwise to lengthen the arm and reduce your focus throw).

 

3) Now, recheck infinity. It will now be wrong, because you have now moved the arm and so the roller wheel has also moved. But this is not a problem - just recorrect infinity as in 1) above to compensate for the altered focus throw.

 

4) Repeat step 2. You will see that the focus point has altered. Whether it has moved too little or too much will calibrate your hand/eye as to how much you need to make the adjustments but in general I made positive, but not excessive tweaks each time.

 

5) When you are happy with the infinity and close settings you want to shoot some images off that are at various distances just to make sure that everything is right. On my setup which consists of all current model lenses (not sure if this is relevent) I did not have to compensate with any kind of compromise here. When my infinity setting is right and the focus throw is perfect the transgression from near to far is linear and my lenses are sharp right the way through the range. I suppose that if this were not the case or if your lenses varied then you'd need to get them recalibrated, or maybe accept a compromise setting.

 

Hope that's helpful.

 

Have fun

[maddogdogdog]

Thanks for the information, everyone. I decided to get many hands on adjusting it myself (to correct my M9's front focusing at close distances (around 7cm in front of the intended focus spot!)). However, when I try to get the screwdriver onto the screw that holds the cam, I find myself unable to loosen it.

 

The problem is, as I try to turn the screw (anti clockwise), I can see that the screw is not moving while the things underneath it (I can see that there is a tiny piece of metal strip touching the "joint") moves as I try to loosen it. So in the end, I can see something turned but it is just not the screw.

 

Am I doing it correctly? Should anything besides the screw move?

 

Thanks!!!

[jaapv]

This appears to me to be the point to ask a qualified technician to adjust the camera.

[SoarFM]

This appears to me to be the point to ask a qualified technician to adjust the camera.

 

I have used the instructions put forth in this thread to make my M9 (and me) sing.

 

However, given the difficulty the previous poster is having, it is definitely time to put away the screwdrivers and pick up the phone.

[torre]

I tried it with my heart beating a bit faster than ordinary but, yes, it works. It was a very frustrating process. Making the infinity focus correct was easy but then my lenses front focused badly, just like Julian said. After three hours of loosening and fastening the little screw (and rechecking infinity) everything actually worked. Infinity spot on and close focus perfect. I did the job with a 90 elmarit and 50 summicron. Figured the rangefinder was to blame since both lenses showed the same behaviour. Next time I guess it will be a pretty straightforward process.

Thanks for all the inputs that gave me confidence to try it.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[bab]

I tried it with my heart beating a bit faster than ordinary but, yes, it works. It was a very frustrating process. Making the infinity focus correct was easy but then my lenses front focused badly, just like Julian said. After three hours of loosening and fastening the little screw (and rechecking infinity) everything actually worked. Infinity spot on and close focus perfect. I did the job with a 90 elmarit and 50 summicron. Figured the rangefinder was to blame since both lenses showed the same behaviour. Next time I guess it will be a pretty straightforward process.

Thanks for all the inputs that gave me confidence to try it.

 

I'm glad you figured it out mines at the fix it shop in NJ and been there two weeks looks like the little screw you turned for three hours is taking them two weeks. As it is scheduled for a return flight back to me next week and of course it a brand new lens 50 lux that did not focus to infinity i"m thinking of putting it on my M9 to check it. My was off at a 10ft range by atleast 6"-8" front focus. I tried you method on my M8 and the same three hours got it to work. FRUSTRATING!