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HowI often do you get your rangefinder adjusted?


bpalme

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After receiving a new one out of alignment it makes me wonder. I had an M8 for most of this year and never had a problem. I carried it around in a bag with very little protection so it got banged around a little but always seemed spot on. I was reading on Steve Huff that he seems to have issues occasionally.

 

I read somewhere people get them adjusted every few years. So for the folks that have been around Leica a while any comments?

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I had an M6 for many years, never had to readjust always spot on. Same with MP

M8's both needed adjustment when new, after that spot on until I got M9.

M9 needed adjustment out of the box (both of them) since then have not varied.

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Once on my M3 after a year then never again in 40 years, once on my M6ttl after 2 years, but in both cases because of knocks.

Should be no reason to need adjustment in normal use, nothing is wearing significantly

 

Gerry

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I'm very surprised reading these. I have an m7 since 4 years more or less and the RF needed to be adjusted 5 or 6 times. Did not work longer when adjusted in Solms. A few friends I know have similar need, let say more or less once a year. I use the camera in a normal way, not babying her (it?) but not in a rough way.

robert

PS: not sure if m7 RF is different than others, or if the 0.58 is. The technicien says 0.58 only differs because of lens inside. Sorry to have a different opinion.

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For the record my experience is based on my lllf and M2. Neither have needed any adjustment, and both have been used and even knocked about to a degree.

 

I can't see why a rangefinder would need adjustment unless it wasn't right to begin with, or the camera took a serious knock.

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I've had my M4 since new in 1968. Rangefinder was perfect until a year ago when it was messed up during a CLA. After the original tech couldn't get it right I sent it to DAG and it's been fine since.

My M6 has been perfect since new in about 1985. My M9 hasn't changed in the year+ that I've had it. (It seems slightly different than the others, but not enough to mess with.)

The more things are adjusted the greater the chance things loosen-up.

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My 90 Elmarit-M is at Leica NJ right now getting 6-bit coded, and I sent my M9-P along as well for a rangefinder adjustment. After testing the camera with 2 different 90 Elmarit-M lenses (nice to have friends with similar kit), using a tripod, and photographing targets at different distances and different apertures I felt the rangefinder was not spot on, and Leica NJ offered to check it while performing the upgrade to the lens.

 

Stephen

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Only after serious knocks.

 

I took a hard fall once that sent my MP flying thru the air and tumbling ass over teakettle when it landed on the concrete (fortunately it was in a buttoned up Domke camera bag). I was pretty beat up and expected the same of my MP but when I retrieved it I could see no external damage.

 

My next thought was that the rangefinder had to be way out of spec. I did some test shots and they were tack sharp, just as they were before the mishap. I was truly impressed.

 

This incident renewed my faith in my MP - and doubly so in my Domke bag! :D

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How often do you get your rangefinder adjusted?

 

When needed. No sooner, no later.

 

When is it needed? Do a simple test yourself

 

When you feel the things you focus on are out of focus, then you should check if this is just your gut feeling or if your lens/camera combo does not focus correctly. It is not difficult to check rangefinder focusing accuracy yourself, but you need to be careful when carrying out the test. With a digital M it should be really easy.

 

Remember that if you photograph a yard stick at 45°, then the front/back focus distance is not the number of inches/cm shown on the yard stick but the number divided by 1.4 (roughly). To do this test you need to put the camera on a tripod and use large apertures.

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My 90 Elmarit-M is at Leica NJ right now getting 6-bit coded, and I sent my M9-P along as well for a rangefinder adjustment. After testing the camera with 2 different 90 Elmarit-M lenses (nice to have friends with similar kit), using a tripod, and photographing targets at different distances and different apertures I felt the rangefinder was not spot on, and Leica NJ offered to check it while performing the upgrade to the lens.

 

Ahh, nice - I'm thinking about having my own 90 Elmarit-M done. And it doesn't get much closer than Jersey.

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