M 240 rangefinder vertical adjustment

[jaapv]

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No, not really. I didn't need it on my M 240, but my M9 has been to Will van Manen and there is a how-to thread on the forum. Wetzlar would not be my first choice.

[LaurentStevens]

Okay so this was super easy to do. Like people above said, it’s a 5-10 minutes job!

 

dropped my M240. Nothing broke but while taking pictures I noticed the vertical alignment and horizontal infinite point were off.

tried looking for youtube videos but they were not clear enough. So i thought why not just try it.

super easy!!

thank you!

[vbs]

I had the same issues. I followed the advice of this thread, and damaged the Leica logo, chipped off some of the paint while trying to twist it off. The sad part is, there's YouTube videos showing people doing exactly this. The sadder part is, this is TERRIBLE ADVICE. You don't need to remove the glued on Leica logo to adjust your vertical rangefinder. All you have to do is remove the base plate, unscrew the two screws that hold the body and top plate and the top place easily pops off. It's still attached by some wires to electronics on the body, but you can just move it aside and reveal the vertical alignment screw and here you can make your adjustments. When finished, you screw everything back together. No damage or removal of the Leica logo required. So sad I didn't figure this out sooner. Now I have an ugly chipped logo because of terrible advice online from people that clearly don't know what they are talking about. Of course, I'm no smarter, since I followed the advice -- only to think to myself while chipping away at the logo, "This can't be how Leica does it... it doesn't make any sense." Of course it doesn't. Here's a video of someone removing the screws on M 240 to remove the top plate:

 

[jaapv]

It is quite beyond me how you managed to damage the camera. Simply put your thumb on the dot and twist a few times and it comes off easily- use a wooden toothpick to aid you if you must. No possibility of damage. Hundreds if not thousands of owners have done so over decades. Taking off the top, even if easy is not to be advised. Damage one of the flex cables and you are faced with an expensive repair or even irreparable camera.And adjusting with the first lens of the viewfinder  removed??? You can find threads on the subject all over the forum. Reading this my advice would be to consult a qualified repairer next time. 

[jdlaing]

3 hours ago, jaapv said:

It is quite beyond me how you managed to damage the camera. Simply put your thumb on the dot and twist a few times and it comes off easily- use a wooden toothpick to aid you if you must. No possibility of damage. Hundreds if not thousands of owners have done so over decades. Taking off the top, even if easy, is not to be advised. Damage one of the flex cables and you are faced with an expensive repair or even irreparable camera.And adjusting with the first lens of the viewfinder  removed??? You can find threads on the subject all over the forum. Reading this my advice would be to consult a qualified repairer next time. 

Ditto.

[metalgrunt]

Hi.

I've opened a couple of Lumix LX5s and some other Panasonic cameras over the years to clean their sensors and get the buttons to work again.

At least those cameras have the horrible cables that look like they were printed on a camera film. With normal-sized fingers and limited amount of patience, it is very easy to break the small connectors. I have not had to open my Leicas (yet), but if there is anything like those Lumix "cables" and their connectors inside, I would stay as far away from them as possible.  Also, I think it is a good idea to keep the interface between the top and the mid frame as well sealed as possible. Removing the top always causes some stress to the interface while also exposing the inner parts to particles from the outside. 

If there is a hatch/hole for repair and maintenance, it is usually there for a good reason. (But at the same time, thanks for the video, it is also good to know that removing the top is that easy, should that day come...)

I have had to align the rangefinder of M (typ 246) once but in that case the whole patch was off, so it only required accessing the one screw that is located on the cam, behind the lens. This was an easy task as it only required (the camera,) one good lens, one tool (hex key or screwdriver, can't remember), and maybe ten minutes of time.

-Lauri