tyler Posted February 2, 2015 Share #1 Posted February 2, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) I must be the only one in world with this problem--I am VERY surprised this has not been an issue for others, and for Leica. I just purchased a brand new M-P 240 Leica from Leica dealer. Right out of the box, the camera back focuses with my 35mm cron, and front focuses with my 50mm cron. I was able to read some pretty interesting rants on one of Steve Huff's posts about how the digital Leica needs to be calibrated with EACH lens by the factory....Usually takes about 8 weeks, and then they need this ONCE A YEAR! Are you kidding me? I used an M-6 for years with no focus problem. I was hoping for a great experience as I remember--this is a nightmare. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 2, 2015 Posted February 2, 2015 Hi tyler, Take a look here Leica digital focusing issues. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Joshua Lowe Posted February 2, 2015 Share #2 Posted February 2, 2015 I have used my 240 with the Summilux 50 1.4 ASPH, Zeiss Biogon ZM 25 2.8, and Summicron-APO 75 2.0. In all cases the focusing has been very accurate when using the rangefinder. The 50 is dead on. At first I thought the 75 was back focusing, but the problem was me. It's not an easy lens to focus with on the fly. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted February 2, 2015 Share #3 Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) Several issues to consider. First, yes, digital tolerances need to be closer than film as sensor surfaces lack the more forgiving thickness of film. This is a digital fact of life, not specific to Leica. It's also not unheard of to have issues with lenses on film Ms, but less common than digital. Whether film or digital, however, one needs to isolate camera calibration versus lens calibration. Leica calibrates each independently to a standard, not to each other. (People mistakenly think the process is to calibrate lens and camera as a unit, but that's because Leica likes to have both in hand to avoid any issues with either.) The M240 offers the capability, with LV compared to the RF, to more closely check for focus issues. Don't know the process you followed to determine front/back focus, but be sure to carefully check using a tripod and LV before drawing conclusions. Be aware also of focus shift (when the lens is stopped down) for some lenses. The 35 Summicron ASPH, for instance, has been known to shift focus. Mine does this at f4-f5.6, the same as reported by Sean Reid with his sample tests. There is nothing Leica can do about inherent lens design. In prints, however, I find no real problem; and once understood, the issue is easily accommodated by shooting technique. Finally, some M lenses are more prone to front/back focus than others. A search will bring up discussion, for instance regarding lenses like the 75 APO Summicron and the 50 Summilux ASPH….not so much, I don't recall, on the two lenses you cite. If you're sure you have focus calibration issues, then you should call Leica service in advance to arrange for expeditious service of camera and all lenses at once. After that, while it's possible to have calibration change, it's not something I'd worry about. I've had no problems after some minor adjustments to my lenses 5-6 years ago, and no issues with 3 digital bodies. Leica got my camera/lenses back to me within 2 weeks. Good luck. Jeff Edited February 2, 2015 by Jeff S 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 2, 2015 Share #4 Posted February 2, 2015 If one lens front focuses and one back focuses chances are that both lenses are off and the camera spot on. This is not uncommon for lenses that still have the wide tolerances used for film. Just have them calibrated. The story that this needs to be done once a year is blathering nonsense. How could Steve know? He never keeps any camera for more than a few months. If a system is calibrated properly it will stay that way for many years, barring accidents. From my original M 8 from 2006 to my current M240 and MM I never had one that went off focus spontaneously. 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted February 2, 2015 Share #5 Posted February 2, 2015 I was hoping for a great experience as I remember--this is a nightmare. Read pulp fiction about your Leica and I can well imagine anybody having nightmares. Jaap has pointed out the obvious, that your lenses are possibly out of adjustment. But the reason Leica may want both your camera and your lenses is to eliminate the situation of the owner diagnosing the wrong technical problem which ultimately causes an even longer delay. The bit about needing everything calibrated once a year is absurd. Owning various Leica bodies I think I've had two bodies and one lens adjusted back to spec in forty years. Needing two lenses adjusted is bad luck and a blip in statistic's, not a trend. Steve 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted February 2, 2015 Share #6 Posted February 2, 2015 [...] Just have them calibrated. The story that this needs to be done once a year is blathering nonsense. [...] +1. Never heard such a stupidity. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Lowe Posted February 3, 2015 Share #7 Posted February 3, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Did Steve Huff really write that the RF needs to be calibrated annually? I know he has some... interesting... opinions, but that seems a bit far out even for him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
profus Posted February 6, 2015 Share #8 Posted February 6, 2015 Did Steve Huff really write that the RF needs to be calibrated annually? I know he has some... interesting... opinions, but that seems a bit far out even for him. I do not remember I read something like this on his blog... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecaton Posted March 11, 2015 Share #9 Posted March 11, 2015 Did Steve Huff really write that the RF needs to be calibrated annually? I know he has some... interesting... opinions, but that seems a bit far out even for him. Huff? Isn`t he the one who filmed the making of the world`s first camera? The Chuck Norris of Camera Testers. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted March 11, 2015 Share #10 Posted March 11, 2015 I have/had several M lenses: Leica, Zeiss, Voigtlander; some bought new and some second hand. All of them worked perfectly on my M9 and M240, and I have never sent anything back to Leica for calibration. Sometimes my 75/2 shots are incorrectly focused, but this is not because the RF needs to be calibrated. It is just because it is very hard to focus teles with the RF. So much that I often use the EVF for critical focus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tookaphotoof Posted March 11, 2015 Share #11 Posted March 11, 2015 Even my second hand I don't know how many years old goggled 135mm Elmarit focusses perfectly. Never had anything calibrated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted March 11, 2015 Share #12 Posted March 11, 2015 Sometimes my 75/2 shots are incorrectly focused, but this is not because the RF needs to be calibrated. Are you sure? I have no problem with mine, on the M240 at least. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torgian Posted March 11, 2015 Share #13 Posted March 11, 2015 Your lens probably needs to be adjusted. I use my 240 with a 35 zeiss and a 50 1.5. I only have focus issues with the zeiss, but that is because out of the box, it has a focus shift at wide open aperture. I've tried other lenses in the stores here in Japan and the only issue I've had with focus issues was a 135mm lens, an old one, that had a maaaajor focus problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
epand56 Posted March 11, 2015 Share #14 Posted March 11, 2015 (edited) Tyler, it is not true you have to calibrate with each lens. I had the same problem when bought my M 240. More or less, all my lenses were off. I think it is mostly due to mishandling by courriers delivering cameras to the shops. The 90mm was the lens much off. I took my camera and the 90 to the Leica shop and when I got them back in three weeks, the camera was spot on at any aperture with all my lenses and also the infinite was perfectly aligned in the RF. I had to do the same with my M8 at the time I bought it and since 2006 it is still perfectly aligned. Edited March 11, 2015 by epand56 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted March 11, 2015 Share #15 Posted March 11, 2015 Are you sure? I have no problem with mine, on the M240 at least. I am sure. Pixel-level sharpness with the 75 at f/2 is a matter of millimiters at MFD, and centimeters at 10 meters. Neither the RF nor the lens, with its short focus throw, are made for that. Let alone the fact that at infinity the lens stops just a bit beyond infinity (I assume this is for thermal compensation) and using the EVF to get the "right infinity" makes a difference between sharp and pixel-level sharp at f/2. This is why we need state of the art EVF. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted March 11, 2015 Share #16 Posted March 11, 2015 Not sure what focussing devices are accurate enough at pixel-level distance but at usual viewing distances, my 75/2 is not more difficult to focus than 90/2 apo let alone 135mm lenses with the M240's rangefinder and i have no problem to focus my 280/4 with the current EVF on static subject matters. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 11, 2015 Share #17 Posted March 11, 2015 Moving too. The 280 4.0 has a wonderful focusing mechanism. One can focus positively using ones left little finger. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
satureyes Posted March 13, 2015 Share #18 Posted March 13, 2015 This is a similar thread to one I started - perhaps they should be merged? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 13, 2015 Share #19 Posted March 13, 2015 In general yes, but in this case I think the merged thread would become incomprehensible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott99 Posted July 3, 2019 Share #20 Posted July 3, 2019 I've been having this problem with my Type 262 when I use my 35mm Summicron ASPH (circa 2001, uncoded) and 50mm (circa 1957, uncoded): I look through the viewfinder and I see what I want to photograph, but when I focus, the rectangle (forgive me) in the viewfinder does not show the out-of-alignment (unfocused) image. Turning the camera off and back on always fixes this, but it happens again. Any ideas? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now