M9 Frame Lines

[MaxJ1961]

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The picture in the Leica maual shows solid lines on all four sides with 50mm lens. When I attach my 50 summicron, there is no solid line along the bottom of the frame - just short lines in the corners. Is this normal?

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[ho_co]

I don't have a camera at hand, but remember that the 50mm and 75mm framelines both appear when either a 50 mm and a 75 mm lens is mounted.

 

My guess is that you're looking at the 75mm framelines; the lines for the 50 are just outside the 75mm lines.

 

Check the finder frame preview lever. In the center position it should show the framelines as shown in the diagram below. That's the same set of framelines that should appear when you mount a 50 mm lens.

 

 

Here's the diagram from the M8.2 manual:

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[jchabalk]

Hi there Fritz, i think MaxJ is on to something. I don't have the M9, but with any of the leica rangefinder cameras you can see all of the available frame lines by:

- removing the lens

- pointing the camera towards some relatively bright and consistent surface

- move the lever (immediately to the right of the lens when looking at the camera) and look through the viewfinder. you can use your left hand to move the lever while looking through the camera

 

As you swing the lever from side to side you'll see all of the available framelines.

 

You'll be able to see if the same lines show up as the ones you're seeing in the manual. If they're not there at all it's likely just a typo of some sort in the manual, or as MaxJ says it's displaying both.

 

The other option is that the specific lens you have is showing both and/or is out of whack slightly showing the wrong framelines...

[ho_co]

You don't have to remove the lens to use the frame preview lever. It overrides the lens setting. That's what it's there for, letting you see whether you'd prefer to switch to a different focal length.

[adan]

M9 lines are different than M8.2 lines (crop factor). Your (or rather Leica's) diagram is correct for the M8.2. MaxJ's description is correct for the M9 - and it is how the lines appear in my M9 also.

 

A visual misprint - whoever edited the M9 manual obviously worked from an M8 or 8.2 manual (InDesign or Quark file) and did not change the images correctly (there are at least three similar images showing the 50/75 lines that are all equally wrong).

 

Below is an image from the M7 manual - which is how the 50/75 M9 lines look in reality (but not in the M9 manual). The 75 lines in the M9 (and film Ms) have more pieces to them than in the M8/8.2, as well.

 

The bottom gap is there, BTW, because the line would be blocked anyway by the circuit board holding the meter LEDs. Same for 35 and 28 framelines. It's been there ever since Leica put in the meter in 1986.

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[Norwin]

Good information...for us all to recognise. And, which I had not previously understood.

 

Thank you!

 

Norwin

[adli]

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The bottom gap is there, BTW, because the line would be blocked anyway by the circuit board holding the meter LEDs. Same for 35 and 28 framelines. It's been there ever since Leica put in the meter in 1986.

 

On my M6, which is an 1988 model, the bottom line for the 50mm frame is continuous, it does not have the gap which is in shown you picture. It is however there for the 35 and 28mm framelines.