arcimboldo Posted October 1, 2012 Share #1 Posted October 1, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) what would you do with this m3 finder? works perfectly and is bright. the second picture shows a m2 finder. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 1, 2012 Posted October 1, 2012 Hi arcimboldo, Take a look here separation?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
CalArts 99 Posted October 1, 2012 Share #2 Posted October 1, 2012 If you are buying these then be sure to get a really good price and use them until they fully separate. They may not ever fully separate (although sometimes setting the camera down a bit hard can do it.) If they are your own cameras, then I'd just use them (repair is pricey.) Or don't buy them and keep looking. The fix is to replace the finder from a donor camera. It's not cheap. Although there is a place in the UK: M2/3/4 Rangefinder Restoration here's an earlier thread: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/film-forum/237649-whats-wrong-m4-rangefinder.html 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
!Nomad64 Posted October 1, 2012 Share #3 Posted October 1, 2012 The pics are quite foggy and I can't tell much from any of them. In both cases it *could* be the silver coating that is deteriorated and/or some internal halo. But in any case I'd suggest you to first have the camera examined by a reliable repairer and then continue using the camera until it's possible, namely until the viewfinder works properly and is bright. As far as I know there are no spares left at Leitz therefore in case of need they'd replace the M3 viewfinder with a modern MP's. However there are also some repairers who can recondition the silver coating. Cheers, Bruno Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalArts 99 Posted October 1, 2012 Share #4 Posted October 1, 2012 The bottom image shows the balsam glue bubbling. I've seen many of these and I'd be willing to bet that it's the glue and not desilvering. But I agree, it's best to have a repair person confirm it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
normclarke Posted October 2, 2012 Share #5 Posted October 2, 2012 Though this is a problem we all dread it is not the bogey that it at first seems. I had an M4 early model that indicated this fault and cured it for an outlay of about £50. I fortunately found a small enterprise that aluminised the prism for me and aquired the necessary optical cement to complete the job. I am fortunate in that I spent most of my working life overcoming problems such as this so its not for the uninitiated but too prove that it is possible at not too high a cost. I don't know how much a new assembly would cost but would estimate the best part of £1000, though I don't think M3 r/f's are available any more. Best, normclarke. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted October 2, 2012 Share #6 Posted October 2, 2012 A direct replacement isn't available, but Leica will fit the rangefinder/viewfinder from - I think - the M6J instead. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted October 3, 2012 Share #7 Posted October 3, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Although there is a place in the UK: M2/3/4 Rangefinder Restoration I'd caution against using this link. When I clicked on it yesterday it popped up a window about some crap called Mackeeper. Since then (and for no obvious reason) the same window has popped up periodically in my Safari browser. Probably just a cookie or something like that but it is an obnoxious form of marketing nonetheless. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
!Nomad64 Posted October 3, 2012 Share #8 Posted October 3, 2012 I clicked on the same link but got no popups whatsoever. It regularly opens on the page of a repairer with specific regards to rangefinders restoration. Afraid that the problem might be rather a matter of browser type and settings. Cheers, Bruno 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalArts 99 Posted October 3, 2012 Share #9 Posted October 3, 2012 As Bruno says, there's nothing wrong with the link. This is the company (in Luton in the UK) that provides finder restore services, it's pretty well known in the Leica community. CAMERA REPAIRS & RESTORATION - LUTON , ENGLAND - +44 (0) 7790 627778 SMS or tel. MacKeeper is well known in the Mac community. It's JavaScript that browses the web and is harmless but certainly annoying, it's not malware. It's a company that is overly aggressive with its marketing: Is MacKeeper Really A Scam? | Cult of Mac It's going to pop up anytime it feels like it. If you have actually installed the software you can get rid of it by doing this (see the second post): https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2786697?start=0&tstart=0 Otherwise it's just an annoying JavaScript pop up ad. In the meantime install this: AdBlock Set it to block anything coming from zerobit.com (where MacKeeper originates.) btw, back on topic: down towards the bottom of the page on the original link there is a good photo of what balsam glue separation can look like. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted October 4, 2012 Share #10 Posted October 4, 2012 I know who CRR are. I just rather assumed that the crappy angelfire hosting that CRR use were (at least indirectly) responsible for the popup. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalArts 99 Posted October 4, 2012 Share #11 Posted October 4, 2012 I know who CRR are. I just rather assumed that the crappy angelfire hosting that CRR use were (at least indirectly) responsible for the popup. That may well be the case. Angelfire (as a free web hosting service) included ad free hosting for sites that were under a certain size. But they apparently have now been including popups on all customer websites, despite the size. (Although free web host users can add a script to their website to kill those popups on the free web host sites: How to kill popup ads on free web hosts... die evil popups! ) Sorry you got the popup, I apologize for that. AdBlock Plus (available for Firefox and Chrome Adblock Plus — for annoyance-free web surfing) is supposed to be available for Safari at the end of this year. In the meantime, AdBlock works fine on Safari. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyoung Posted October 5, 2012 Share #12 Posted October 5, 2012 In the uk, Malcolm Taylor is your man for such things Gerry Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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