M3 90mm framelines visible with 50mm lens attached

[OGWphoto]

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I just got a Leica M3, and while I am very impressed with the VF, it is a bit annoying that I can see the left vertical frameline appearing with a Zeiss 50mm planar attached. Is this normal, can it be adjusted?

 

Thanks.

[UliWer]

Did you try moving the lever for framelines? Do you still see the left vertical line for 90mm when you use a 50mm lens when you move the lever? Can you try what happens with another 50mm lens?

 

If the left vertical line sticks even if you move the lever and/or use another 50mm lens, someting is wrong with the rangefinder. If not, your Planar may not activate the frames exactly due to some mechanical inaccuracy.

[OGWphoto]

Did you try moving the lever for framelines? Do you still see the left vertical line for 90mm when you use a 50mm lens when you move the lever? Can you try what happens with another 50mm lens?

 

If the left vertical line sticks even if you move the lever and/or use another 50mm lens, someting is wrong with the rangefinder. If not, your Planar may not activate the frames exactly due to some mechanical inaccuracy.

 

If I move the lever just a hint, the framelines go away. I dont have another 50, but tried with a 75mm lens and the 90mm lines disappear. Seems like my Zeiss Planar does not push the knob far enough. Can I adjust it? Use a piece of paper or something?  Glad the RF is ok

 

Edit: It actually only appears when I have focus set at 0.7-1 meter. Should be fine then, as the RF closer than this is not accurate

Edited August 24, 2018 by OGWphoto

[105012]

The height of the actuating lever (inside the bayonet mount) can be easily adjusted if the camera is dissembled.

[jmahto]

Do you have any other 50mm lens to try? The framelines are selected by a level pushed by a notch in the lens flange. If the incorrect framelines is only for this 50mm lens then camera is ok and I won’t worry too much. Else get the camera adjusted. Personally, I won’t care too much as long as 50mm framelines are clearly visible.

[plaidshirts]

I had an m4 that had partial lines appear when they weren’t supposed to. This happens when the camera hasn’t been exercised for a long time and may go away as the camera gets used more with different lenses. I had mine cla’d by Youxin Ye for peace of mind before I sold it. I would keep moving the frameline lever and see if it improves.

[mwktar]

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On 8/24/2018 at 8:58 PM, OGWphoto said:

 

If I move the lever just a hint, the framelines go away. I dont have another 50, but tried with a 75mm lens and the 90mm lines disappear. Seems like my Zeiss Planar does not push the knob far enough. Can I adjust it? Use a piece of paper or something?  Glad the RF is ok

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Edit: It actually only appears when I have focus set at 0.7-1 meter. Should be fine then, as the RF closer than this is not accurate

JUST FOUND THIS YEARS LATER, TRYING TO WORK OUT IF MY M3 THAT WAS JUST DELIVERED WAS JANKY AS IT HAS TEH SAME ISSUE, BUT IT IS ALSO THE ZEISS 50 LENS

[250swb]

On 1/14/2025 at 1:33 PM, mwktar said:

JUST FOUND THIS YEARS LATER, TRYING TO WORK OUT IF MY M3 THAT WAS JUST DELIVERED WAS JANKY AS IT HAS TEH SAME ISSUE, BUT IT IS ALSO THE ZEISS 50 LENS

Give the lens a wiggle after you've fitted it, it may just be the catch hasn't engaged fully.

[Deeetona]

On 1/18/2025 at 8:47 AM, 250swb said:

Give the lens a wiggle after you've fitted it, it may just be the catch hasn't engaged fully.

Are you talking about the frameline catch or his capslock key?

[250swb]

1 hour ago, Deeetona said:

Are you talking about the frameline catch or his capslock key?

He may be a long way away and needs to shout, or battling to send his question on his phone while being pursued by a bear. But the framelines not showing properly can often be attributed to the lens not being engaged on the camera, for example new users are often super careful and keep the lens release button pressed in when mounting a lens and this can cause the lens to over-rotate past the lock and bring up phantom framelines. The answer is to just let the lens snap into place, but some lenses need a bit more encouragement than others to lock on if they are very new and haven't worn in yet.

[davidmknoble]

Another way to test is to put a leica 50 on the body and see if the same occurs (or just other 50’s). You don’t need to own one, just try to mount them and see what happens.  Alternatively, mount the Zeis on another M3 and see if it also shows the partial frame line.  That will help you see if it is camera or lens tolerance that is out.