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Help!! Using Leica's for 50 Years and Never Seen This Problem


ktmrider2

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I have been using Leica's for 50 years and have never seen this problem nor does this problem make sense.

 

I own both an MP240 and an M5.  I have 8 M mount lenses from Leitz, Zeiss and Voightlander.  I dropped my 35f1.2 a few months ago and sent it to Cameraquest for repair.  Now, it does not focus correctly on the M5.  The distance scale shows .7 meters when focused at approximately 6 feet.  However, focus is accurate both by rangefinder and live view on the MP240 with this lens showing approximately 6 feet on the distance scale as it should.

 

All seven of my other lenses work fine on both the M5 and MP240.  The rangefinder focusing works great and they all show approximately the same distance on the focusing scale for both cameras which tells me the rangefinder is working correctly on  M5.  And all the lenses work as advertised using both live view and rangefinder focusing on the MP240.  In other words, when focused correctly with the rangefinder on MP240, live view concurs.

 

Now, if all the lenses worked except the 35f1.2 on the M5, I would say the repair was not done correctly.  However, the 35f1.2 works fine on the MP240.  If everything worked ok on the MP240 but not on the M5 then I would say it is the M5 which is at fault.

 

Ideas?  What am I not seeing?

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I have experience wth neither M5 nor CV 35/1.2 but sounds like the roller cam of the M5 is stuck at 6 feet for some reason. I would check how the roller cam of the camera follows the focus cam of the lens around the minimum focus distance (pic).

 

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Also, is it possible that the cam on the lens that touches the roller is tapered (not flat). The old Minolta Rokkor-M 40 was like that and could cause the RF coupling to be incorrect if the roller cam (as shown in the previous post) was laterally out of position. It would still be ok on lenses with flat-surface cams.

 

A bit of a long shot but worth a look.

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Can you just confirm that what is happening is that the 35/1.2 no longer focusses closer than 6 feet on the M5? And between 6 feet and infinity is focusses ok? If so, then as suggested above, it does sound as though the camera's roller cam is no longer engaging correctly with the lens's focus ramp and is sticking at 6 feet. As the lens focusses closer it extends requiring the cam to move away from the film plane. It might just be 'binding' on the inside surface of the lens 'tube' (seen behind the 'focus cam' in lct's photo) as it does so, at an extension equivalent to 6 feet - a dropped lens may have marginal distortion in this tube which might be another possible cause. You should be able to check this by looking through the camera with it set on 'B' and noting whether the roller cam stops moving forwards.

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I am seeing the roller cam moving freely on other lenses.  However, it seems to be rubbing or hanging up with the 35f1.2.  It is definitely not moving freely or even rotating on the 35f1.2 as it does on my other lenses.  But why does it seem to work ok on the MP240?  Are the tolerances that much different?

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Since I assume that it worked ok before the drop it had, my guess is marginal distortion of the lens barrel adjacent to the roller cam - probably from this drop you said it had. I'd return it to the repairer explaining what the problem is and have the it sorted out. I doubt its a problem to do this. The repairer may well have tried it on a camera like you M240 and it worked fine but your M5 may be at the other end of the tolerance scale.

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Stephan Gandy at Cameraquest called me yesterday.  After examining the M5 and 35f1.2, he stated the lens is fine but the focusing cam on the M5 is 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch lower then it should be.  As to why my other lenses work ok on the M5, it might have something to do with the size of the rear element of the 35f1.2.

 

Anyway, camera and lens on the way to Sherry Krauter.

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