Leica M6 eyepiece fell off

[bananafish05]

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Hi all, 

So was walking around the woods today and went to take a photo of some cows only to discover my eyepiece had fallen off somewhere. Retraced my steps but of course, no luck. I've been frantically searching the web for help and it seems like this has happened to a few people and the consensus is to either contact Leica or DAG. But before I do that, I just wanted to make 100% sure that this is what's happened.

I've attached a photo below. Could someone with more technical knowhow please confirm that it is simply a case of the eyepiece having unscrewed and fallen off and that it's a simple job to replace it when I source the part? If anyone knows of a good place to source this, I'd also be especially grateful. I'm based in London but in Italy at the moment. Naturally, I'm super bummed out and desperate to get this fixed and back shooting again!

Thanks!

 

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[madNbad]

Here's the bad news, Leica stopped making them several years ago. Leica NJ parts department no longer has any of them in stock. Don Goldberg (DAG Camera) doesn't have them either. You can check with YE Cameras and see if he has one. The best you can find is the older metal eyepiece and get a plastic cover from DAG. The newer style eyepieces for the digital M cameras are a different design and won't work with the older film cameras. 

Sorry, I missed you are in London, check with Aperture Camera Repairs or Cameraworks, good luck with your search.

Edited September 30, 2020 by madNbad

[Frase]

One on ebay at the moment but its £95.

[250swb]

Well it doesn't actually stop you shooting, if you wear specs put some protective tape around the eyepiece as a temporary solution. Then ask yourself why you were walking in the woods looking for cows? But there are always people parting out cameras or discovering spares to sell so just bide your time and something will crop up.

[bananafish05]

3 hours ago, madNbad said:

Here's the bad news, Leica stopped making them several years ago. Leica NJ parts department no longer has any of them in stock. Don Goldberg (DAG Camera) doesn't have them either. You can check with YE Cameras and see if he has one. The best you can find is the older metal eyepiece and get a plastic cover from DAG. The newer style eyepieces for the digital M cameras are a different design and won't work with the older film cameras. 

Sorry, I missed you are in London, check with Aperture Camera Repairs or Cameraworks, good luck with your search.

Thanks madNbad - I've reached out to them. Fingers crossed. Probably a dumb question but the eyepiece is more than just a rubber ring right? Looking through the viewfinder now and everything is really blurry and impossible to make out. Does the eyepiece have some form of magnification that clears up what I see? Or has something worse happened to the viewfinder?

[madNbad]

2 hours ago, bananafish05 said:

Thanks madNbad - I've reached out to them. Fingers crossed. Probably a dumb question but the eyepiece is more than just a rubber ring right? Looking through the viewfinder now and everything is really blurry and impossible to make out. Does the eyepiece have some form of magnification that clears up what I see? Or has something worse happened to the viewfinder?

I don't believe the glass insert in the eyepiece adds any magnification. The older style, all metal eyepieces are availible and will work but don't offer the rubber cusion of the M6 varariety. A few years ago I sent a M2 out for some work and adding the M6 style eyepiece was one of the changes. I learned about the supply problem last year when I sent my M4 out for a CLA and wanted to make the same change. It's a shame when a small piece can cause such an inconvienence.

Edited September 30, 2020 by madNbad

[madNbad]

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I wanted to add, welcome to the forum! Stick around and explore. You'll find answers to question you haven't thought about yet. Good luck with your M6, they're a great camera.

[bananafish05]

10 hours ago, madNbad said:

I wanted to add, welcome to the forum! Stick around and explore. You'll find answers to question you haven't thought about yet. Good luck with your M6, they're a great camera.

Thanks again madNbad for all your help! Yeah I've had the M6 for just under 12 months and been loving it so keen to get back to shooting asap. And yes will certainly explore the forum more now!!

[Zhe]

That eyepiece has a magnification but I don't know the ratio, >1 for sure as I'm holding a spare one when typing. Those tiny eyepieces are always on demanding... There're some 3rd party viewfinder magnifiers with adjustable ratio( probably 1.1~1.5) which could be a alternative choice if you couldn't source a original one.

[bananafish05]

Just closing the loop in case it's helpful for anyone else. I managed to get a replacement eyepiece from Alan at Camerworks UK for £45 not including shipping. Funnily enough I also contacted Leica Italy who said they could order one from Italy too for just €10! Unfortunately Leica had to order theirs from Germany which would have taken too long for my needs but might be something to consider in case this happens to anyone in the future.