Leica M-A Vertical RF Focal Alignment

[californiadouble]

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Hi folks,

I'm new to Leica and rangefinders in general, and I have a question for those of you with more experience: What level of accuracy should I expect for the vertical alignment of the RF focal patch for a new M-A?

 All of my prior experience is using film or digital SLR systems only.

After a long period of research & consideration, I purchased a new M-A as an everyday film camera.  Immediately out of the box, I noticed I could not reach infinity focus.  I returned to the Leica store and they agreed the camera needed to be sent in for horizontal RF adjustment.

When I received the camera after this initial service, the RF focal patch was now very noticeably out of vertical alignment.  I was told this could have happened in transit back from the service center, and the staff at my nearby Leica store again suggested it should be serviced.

I have now received the camera back from this second service, and I still notice the vertical alignment remains slightly off.  This is subtle, but noticeable.  Rather than a crisp image, a subject in focus appears somewhat hazy.  Only when looking at sharp, high-contrast horizontal edges can I tell for sure that vertical alignment is still not dead on.

Is this simply the reality of shooting with a rangefinder, or is it reasonable to expect perfection out of a new Leica?

Thanks for your input.

[ShivaYash]

Expect perfection. Send it back or ask it be swapped out for a new unit.

[wattsy]

Yes, no reason for the RF not to be aligned properly.

[jaapv]

It shouldn't be out of alignment at all. I'm surprised - it is a childishly simple adjustment. Unless, of course, the prism alignment itself is the culprit.  In your place I would demand perfection - or that the camera be replaced.

[TomB_tx]

It should align closely enough that you can't tell it's off, but each camera tech may have their own "good enough" criteria. A few years ago my M4 had two trips to a noted Leica tech in the US (after a full CLA) who insisted that it met "factory specs." So after that I sent it to DAG (who was not the Tech who did it originally) who reset it perfectly, though he had to strip it enough to align the prism to do so. So DAG now gets all my work, even if I could send work to Leica for warranty.  He also aligned my M9 perfectly after my clumsy attempt to mount a D-R Summicron messed up the RF.

[spydrxx]

Absolutely demand it meets perfection, as it was designed to do so. I've had lots of different RF cameras over the years, and those which couldn't be perfectly aligned (parts not available or too expensive to repair) were sold....as they presented eyestrain and frustration. With Leicas you can rest assured that RF alignment can and should be perfect! If you are rough on your cameras, though, you may need periodic touch-ups. I generally check all my RF bodies once/year.

[M9reno]

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One thing you can check is whether your eye is centered as it looks through the viewfinder, in other words whether the framelines are centered in your eye's field of view as you look through.  Off-center viewing through viewfinders from the M2 onwards can give the impression of less than perfect rangefinder alignment.

If you are already doing this, then I agree you should not settle for a less than perfectly adjusted rangefinder. 

[californiadouble]

Thanks to all of you who replied with feedback.  When I reached out to the folks at Leica Store Bellevue, they were very much in agreement that it was time for a new camera.  By the time I came in that afternoon, they had one ready for me that works perfectly right out of the box.  Appreciate the excellent customer service from Brandon, Ilya, and the rest of the staff who assisted me through this process.

[a.noctilux]

Replacement is the best solution for this M-A.

I applaude your Leica Store Bellevue for the quick replacement as M-As are scarse.

[Edgar1920]

Hello folks.

I would like to share my experiences on this issue with you. The Leica that I own for the longest time now is a M2 that had been CLA’d in Wetzlar in 1997. Regularly used since then but in the 2000’s stayed in the drawer for some years it works still perfectly (which proves that a CLA may not be necessary over two decades).

The camera traveled inside my bag pack, on my motor bike (old shaking BMW) and surely suffered some shocks and hounded a of hours of vibrations inside the tank bag of my motorbike.

The RF patch is still perfectly aligned (my preferred test situation: focus for infinity on a star in a clear night).

Then some years ago I bought a brand new Leica M-E and had to send it three times to Leica for RF adjustment. At the third time I replied to their statement that the RF is a high precision instrument and may be sensible to vibrations etc. that my old M2 is not as sensible as the M-E at all and that maybe a thread lock or whatever may not be as strong as it should be in my M-E’s RF assembly. And finally I got it back and now it didn’t move for two years or so.

In my opinion the RF assembly is quite of solid design if assembled as it should be. But if there is some locking agent missing at the right spot it will be much more work for the technician to fix it. And of course at the first time a camera returns the technician will fix only the problem and not disassemble the camera in order to check if everything has been assembled as intended in the factory.

As far as I know the vertical RF alignment after M2 or M4 models is locked by a drop of bonding paint between two sheet metal surfaces. It  is dissolved by a drop of ethercetone prior to adjustment. If there is not enough of this paint (or it is not at the right spot) the whole mechanism is very sensible to shocks and vibrations.

So, an insisting word to the technician at the second issue and a reference to earlier experiences may encourage them to remove the top plate and check the RF assembly in detail.

[Rob L]

In recent years I have purchased a barely used late model film MP - vertical alignment was off and could not be adjusted without removing the top, so I sold it.   A new M240P - perfect,  A new M-D240 - vertical off, was replaced and second one was perfect, 2 M10s - both off in the vertical so I adjusted them myself and they now have black dots! Seems the techs might rely too much on jigs and instruments rather than skill and experience.

[davidmknoble]

On 1/6/2019 at 11:22 PM, californiadouble said:

Thanks to all of you who replied with feedback.  When I reached out to the folks at Leica Store Bellevue, they were very much in agreement that it was time for a new camera.  By the time I came in that afternoon, they had one ready for me that works perfectly right out of the box.  Appreciate the excellent customer service from Brandon, Ilya, and the rest of the staff who assisted me through this process.

I've heard nothing but good things about Leica Bellevue, I'm glad they swapped it out.  I had an M-A for awhile and had to have the focus adjusted as the RF mechanism was off.  I got it back from Leica quickly and all was great, but I had no vertical or horizontal shift. Anyway, glad it worked out.

I sold the M-A and I have two MP a-la-carte - 1 silver 0.85 and 1 black paint 0.58, both with matching Leicavit... those are my fav film bodies!