IIIc vs IIIf rangefinder clarity

[clat]

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I recently acquired a IIIc and a IIIf with both in excellent condition. The IIIc is to be a shooter and the IIIf has some historical provenance associated with it and it will be mostly to admire. I would like to shoot it occasionally. However, the rangefinder and associated dot on the IIIf are not nearly as bright as the IIIc and, consequently, the IIIf is much harder to focus. The brightness of the IIIc is nearly as good as my M6's and M8. Is this a common condition? Can anyone help me understand the phenomenon and can it be remedied?

 

Thank you.

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[doubice]

Both rangefinders should be identical in clarity as they are of identical design. There could be a few reasons why the IIIf’s finder is not as clear.

 

Simplest to fix would be if the rear rangefinder ocular has some dirt in it - this can be cleaned with a Q-tip - just push it in and twirl it around. Another issue could be that the front oculars are dirty or fogged up - again a Q-tip to the rescue.

 

Things get complicated if the problem is inside. Again - fogging or haze can be the culprit. Sometimes a back yard mechanic cleans the wrong side of the semi-silvered mirror, thus almost removing the silvering and drastically reducing the visibility of the secondary image.

 

Without actually seeing the camera, it is difficult to diagnose - those would be good starting points.

 

Best,

 

Jan

[luigi bertolotti]

Jan is right: no reason for they look different if in same conditions. I add that hopefully the problem is as said above... dirt somewhere: if the problem is not only "hazing" but also a general "blurriness in focusing" it could even be something out of registry in the mechanics of the RF in itself... delicate to fix, but, in the right hands, the VF/RF assembly of any LTM can be finely restored... remember, they were manually assembled components made and engineered with capability to be maintained well in the mind of designers... by definition, they can be fixed.

[doubice]

Luigi's mention of "blurriness in focusing" reminded me of another variable - both cameras have diopter adjustment lever at the bottom of the rewind knob. Make sure that it is adjusted identically on both cameras.

 

Best,

 

Jan

[el fotografo]

The half-silvered beamsplitter mirror in the viewfinder may need to be replaced.

The beamsplitter in my IIC was replaced during a CLA and now the viewfinder and rangefinder patch are very bright and like new.

Depending on your location, any good Leica technician can do the job.

[clat]

Thank you for your responses.

 

In following up to my original post failed to mention that the IIIc has a yellow rangefinder spot or patch. The IIIf has no visible patch. Is the yellow patch in the IIIc something that has been added or should the IIIf have it as well? Should all Barnack cameras have the colored rangefinder patch? This really helps the IIIc focus quickly.

 

Thanks.

[nooky hesum]

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As far as I know, neither the IIIc nor the IIIf has a rangefinder patch, unless they are fitted with an orange filter that slips over the rangefinder window (Leica part OKARO). Have you checked the front windows? The camera might also have an improvised yellow-orange filter that would have been fitted under the rim of the rangefinder window.