The Wizard Posted March 27, 2018 Share #1 Posted March 27, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am new to this group. I love my leica M2 but have not been able to get a sharp photo out of it with any lens. I was thinking I needed a diopter or new glasses but I contacted Leica and they said the rangefinder may need adjustment. So I am sending it in for CLA and hope for the best. The camera was made in 1963 still looks almost like new but I guess at 55 years old some work should be done..lol Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 27, 2018 Posted March 27, 2018 Hi The Wizard, Take a look here M2 focusing issue. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
earleygallery Posted March 27, 2018 Share #2 Posted March 27, 2018 I am new to this group. I love my leica M2 but have not been able to get a sharp photo out of it with any lens. I was thinking I needed a diopter or new glasses but I contacted Leica and they said the rangefinder may need adjustment. So I am sending it in for CLA and hope for the best. The camera was made in 1963 still looks almost like new but I guess at 55 years old some work should be done..lol Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk STOP! Firstly it should be easy to check the alignment of the rangefinder v's the distance scale on the lens and an object at a measured distance from the camera (on a tripod). You could also get someone else to shoot some photos to see if it is user error on your part. As you've tried more than one lens I think we can rule out a lens fault, but out of interest which ones have you tried? If the camera does need a CLA I wouldn't send mine to Leica. They will charge you a fortune for a start, and it's been said on this forum that there is only 1 person who services mechanical Leica's there now. There are plenty of independent camera repair technicians who can do as good or better for a fraction of what Leica will charge you. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted March 27, 2018 Share #3 Posted March 27, 2018 It is easy to test whether your RF or lens is out of alignment, or it is your eyesight. These are the steps I'd follow. Put camera on a tripod with a lens on the camera, and focus on an object at least 300 ft away (for a 50mm lens) 2-3x further with a longer focal length. Once the images coincide, check the focus scale on the lens....it should read infinity (more or less), now try the same experiment with an object about 5 ft. away from the film plane (measure it with a tape measure). If the viewfinder images perfectly align at both of these distances there are 2 further things to ask yourself. Was anything at either distance blurry to your eyes...if so, you need eyeglasses, a new prescription, or a correction diopter. The other thing is at the close distance focus, as above, to put a cable release on the camera set on bulb, open the diaphragm fully, and with a piece of ground glass at the film plane and a magnifier (any kind) examine the reversed image...if it is in perfect focus, great, if not there is a possibility your rangefinder, camera body, or your lens needs adjustment. I do these tests with any vintage camera I buy. Over the years I've often found that my eyesight is often what needs adjustment, or if the RF images don't coincide (a common occurence especially with lesser cameras), a tweak with a screwdriver gets everything perfectly aligned in a flash. Like Earlygallery said above, choose a known Leica technician...if in the USA, Don Goldberg, Sherry Krauter, Youxin Ye or Gus Lazzari - would be my choices. If elsewhere, check the repairpersons list in the Leica Collectors and Historica Forum on this site. Your viewfinder images should pop into focus and it should be reflected in your negatives...always. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wizard Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share #4 Posted March 28, 2018 STOP! Firstly it should be easy to check the alignment of the rangefinder v's the distance scale on the lens and an object at a measured distance from the camera (on a tripod). You could also get someone else to shoot some photos to see if it is user error on your part. As you've tried more than one lens I think we can rule out a lens fault, but out of interest which ones have you tried? If the camera does need a CLA I wouldn't send mine to Leica. They will charge you a fortune for a start, and it's been said on this forum that there is only 1 person who services mechanical Leica's there now. There are plenty of independent camera repair technicians who can do as good or better for a fraction of what Leica will charge you. Thank you Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wizard Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share #5 Posted March 28, 2018 It is easy to test whether your RF or lens is out of alignment, or it is your eyesight. These are the steps I'd follow. Put camera on a tripod with a lens on the camera, and focus on an object at least 300 ft away (for a 50mm lens) 2-3x further with a longer focal length. Once the images coincide, check the focus scale on the lens....it should read infinity (more or less), now try the same experiment with an object about 5 ft. away from the film plane (measure it with a tape measure). If the viewfinder images perfectly align at both of these distances there are 2 further things to ask yourself. Was anything at either distance blurry to your eyes...if so, you need eyeglasses, a new prescription, or a correction diopter. The other thing is at the close distance focus, as above, to put a cable release on the camera set on bulb, open the diaphragm fully, and with a piece of ground glass at the film plane and a magnifier (any kind) examine the reversed image...if it is in perfect focus, great, if not there is a possibility your rangefinder, camera body, or your lens needs adjustment. I do these tests with any vintage camera I buy. Over the years I've often found that my eyesight is often what needs adjustment, or if the RF images don't coincide (a common occurence especially with lesser cameras), a tweak with a screwdriver gets everything perfectly aligned in a flash. Like Earlygallery said above, choose a known Leica technician...if in the USA, Don Goldberg, Sherry Krauter, Youxin Ye or Gus Lazzari - would be my choices. If elsewhere, check the repairpersons list in the Leica Collectors and Historica Forum on this site. Your viewfinder images should pop into focus and it should be reflected in your negatives...always.Thank you Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wizard Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share #6 Posted March 28, 2018 It is easy to test whether your RF or lens is out of alignment, or it is your eyesight. These are the steps I'd follow. Put camera on a tripod with a lens on the camera, and focus on an object at least 300 ft away (for a 50mm lens) 2-3x further with a longer focal length. Once the images coincide, check the focus scale on the lens....it should read infinity (more or less), now try the same experiment with an object about 5 ft. away from the film plane (measure it with a tape measure). If the viewfinder images perfectly align at both of these distances there are 2 further things to ask yourself. Was anything at either distance blurry to your eyes...if so, you need eyeglasses, a new prescription, or a correction diopter. The other thing is at the close distance focus, as above, to put a cable release on the camera set on bulb, open the diaphragm fully, and with a piece of ground glass at the film plane and a magnifier (any kind) examine the reversed image...if it is in perfect focus, great, if not there is a possibility your rangefinder, camera body, or your lens needs adjustment. I do these tests with any vintage camera I buy. Over the years I've often found that my eyesight is often what needs adjustment, or if the RF images don't coincide (a common occurence especially with lesser cameras), a tweak with a screwdriver gets everything perfectly aligned in a flash. Like Earlygallery said above, choose a known Leica technician...if in the USA, Don Goldberg, Sherry Krauter, Youxin Ye or Gus Lazzari - would be my choices. If elsewhere, check the repairpersons list in the Leica Collectors and Historica Forum on this site. Your viewfinder images should pop into focus and it should be reflected in your negatives...always.I have my M5 with Sherry Krauter and she is not responding to emails or phone calls I am hoping she is ok. Have you dealt with her before? Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted March 28, 2018 Share #7 Posted March 28, 2018 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I have used Sherry for a camera and a few lenses. She does good work, but responsiveness can vary. She had one lens for well over a year, "waiting on parts". I generally find DAG and Youxin the most responsive and communicative, but when there is a lot of backlog any tech can be overwhelmed. DAG once took over a year for my M5, but recently he has been very fast. Youxin is generally fast, but is very busy. I usually tell him I'm in no hurry, and it can take some months in that case. Gus Lazzari has done some wonderful work, but again always has a backlog, and has taken well over a year on a camera or two for me. But I would trust all of them with my equipment. Good camera techs are worth waiting for. I'm on a waiting list for the Contax specialist in the US, who had estimated 4 years before I should send my camera. It's been one year, and the backlog list looks like it may be 4 more... Edited March 28, 2018 by TomB_tx 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wizard Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share #8 Posted March 28, 2018 I have used Sherry for a camera and a few lenses. She does good work, but responsiveness can vary. She had one lens for well over a year, "waiting on parts". I generally find DAG and Youxin the most responsive and communicative, but when there is a lot of backlog any tech can be overwhelmed. DAG once took over a year for my M5, but recently he has been very fast. Youxin is generally fast, but is very busy. I usually tell him I'm in no hurry, and it can take some months in that case. Gus Lazzari has done some wonderful work, but again always has a backlog, and has taken well over a year on a camera or two for me. But I would trust all of them with my equipment. Good camera techs are worth waiting for. I'm on a waiting list for the Contax specialist in the US, who had estimated 4 years before I should send my camera. It's been one year, and the backlog list looks like it may be 4 more... Thank you. I didn't know this. Sherry originally told me 4 to 6 weeks maybe she meant months..lol Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plaidshirts Posted April 5, 2018 Share #9 Posted April 5, 2018 (edited) Youxin will have your camera back within a week at no extra charge if you wirte "EXPEDITE" on the box. He's probably has the fastest response time to inquiries also. Don is not as quick to respond but returns all emails, mostly later at night. Sherry, I got maybe 1 out of 3 emails back so I stopped trying... Edited April 5, 2018 by plaidshirts Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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