Finally got the M11, a small question about changing the lenses frequently..

[MyLeicaWorld]

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Finally I’ve traded my M10 to a black paint M11 at Leica Store Firenze Italy two days ago.. as some of you would know I had some issues on rangefinder alignment.. Finally friends at Leica Store Montreal fixed it but as a five years old camera it was not like the first day..

My question is; some say changing lenses frequently on a rangefinder camera  can have a negative effect on rangefinder alignment.. it causes a rangefinder misalignment.. is it true? I had 21 Superelmar which I use on street photography and 35 summicron on portraits and still objects.. and I change my lenses in the morning to 21mm and at evening to 35mm  on the days when I go out shooting..

Any ideas on this? thank you..

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[evikne]

I've never heard of it. I think the biggest problem you may experience is some dust on the sensor. To minimize the problem, change quickly and avoid doing it in dusty environments.

[MyLeicaWorld]

36 minutes ago, evikne said:

I've never heard of it. I think the biggest problem you may experience is some dust on the sensor. To minimize the problem, change quickly and avoid doing it in dusty environments.

I always change the lenses in a black dust free film bag.. I try to be really careful about it..👍

[frame-it]

32 minutes ago, Artin said:

a good practice is to turn the camera off

 do some people actually change lenses with the camera on?

[jaapv]

4 hours ago, MyLeicaWorld said:

My question is; some say changing lenses frequently on a rangefinder camera  can have a negative effect on rangefinder alignment.

I don't know who "some" are but this is bollocks. However, if your change your lenses sloppily and regularly hit the  actuator arm at the top of the camera mouth you may manage to bend it - that might indeed cause misalignement  but in my book it is pilot error.

[jdlaing]

I vote on banging the actuator arm as well. Line up the red dots before mounting the lens. The parts are pretty robust but not made of cast iron.

[Herr Barnack]

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7 hours ago, MyLeicaWorld said:

...some say changing lenses frequently on a rangefinder camera  can have a negative effect on rangefinder alignment.. it causes a rangefinder misalignment..

I have been using M cameras and lenses for 20 years and have been a member of this forum for nine years now and this is the first time I've heard/read this claim. 

As @jaapv rightly observes, the term bollocks (and other less courtly terms) apply to this allegation.

Any camera system where changing lenses frequently would cause the camera to need to be sent in for service would be doomed to fail from the get-go; on the other hand, the M system has endured since 1954 and is still going strong.

 

 

Edited October 21, 2022 by Herr Barnack

[charlesphoto99]

I've shot rock shows/situations where I might change the lens 20-30 times in an hour or two before and no problems with the focus. Urban myth. And no need to change lenses in a bag/etc just turn the camera off, point it down if its windy or dusty situation, and blow off/clean the sensor on occasion. No worries if one changes the lens and not turned the camera off - at the of the day its about getting the photo, not being in a lab like situation. 

[IMAGEPOWER]

I can second most of the statements made here. I change Leica M lenses (and Nikon F lenses) very frequently a day, never had any problem due to lens change. Some lenses lose friction a little bit, but still are firm on the mount. After all these are no plastic toys...so don't worry. Changing in a black bag to keep dust off...never seen somebody doing that in my lifetime.

[Photoworks]

21 hours ago, MyLeicaWorld said:

some say changing lenses frequently on a rangefinder camera  can have a negative effect on rangefinder alignment.

I hear buying a Leica cause hardtack to the spouse.

True of False ?

Why do I have all this lenses if I can't change them? does focusing cause the same?

[jplomley]

Always mount the lens set to its minimum focussing distance. This will prevent "whacking" the roller when mounting. Once mounted, set to infinity and good to go. After focussing and capture, reset the lens to infinity so your always focussing in a clockwise direction every time.

[pgh]

50 minutes ago, jplomley said:

Always mount the lens set to its minimum focussing distance. This will prevent "whacking" the roller when mounting. Once mounted, set to infinity and good to go. After focussing and capture, reset the lens to infinity so your always focussing in a clockwise direction every time.

I've never done any of this with any M in 15 years of using them and never had any rf alignment issues. (I've had plenty of issues out of the factory with every digital Leica I've purchased - that's another story - but magically, never an RF issue and I even shoot a 135 wide open on occasion.)

Edited October 22, 2022 by pgh

[lct]

2 hours ago, pgh said:

I've never done any of this with any M in 15 years of using them and never had any rf alignment issues. [...]

Same in 30+ years. Aside from protruding lenses i don't bother with mounting techniques and i don't remember having ever set my lenses to infinity but it's just me .

[Chimichurri]

Personally I don’t really ever think about it. I’m just not a donkey. I’ve seen some people deal with their cameras and you’d be surprised the things they do. Grabbing a summilux by the hood and jamming it in there and twisting it by the hood. People do all sorts of things. 

But I follow you on Instagram and I don’t think you’re the sort of person to mistreat their equipment. 

So I wouldn’t worry about mounting lenses a lot if I were you. I gently bring the dots together, I grab the lens by the body where it’s ribbed and I twist. I’m pretty sure you’re careful with the gear too. 

[jplomley]

10 hours ago, pgh said:

I've never done any of this with any M in 15 years of using them and never had any rf alignment issues. (I've had plenty of issues out of the factory with every digital Leica I've purchased - that's another story - but magically, never an RF issue and I even shoot a 135 wide open on occasion.)

Been using M’s for over twenty years without issue as well using this approach. It just makes sense if your concerned about collision with the cam when mounting a lens, set the lens to minimum focussing distance. Becomes habit, like resetting to infinity between shots so the direction of focus becomes unidirectionally instinctive. As does the location of the tab when not wanting to raise the camera to your eye when photographing in dangerous areas. One should know the distance and zone of focus for a given aperture just by tab location. 

Edited October 22, 2022 by jplomley

[fsprow]

I can’t imagine how many times I have changed lenses since my first M, a M3 double stroke.  Certainly many thousands of times.  Never worried about setting the lens properly, dust except in a windstorm or anything else except changing rapidly to get the shot.  Never a problem.

[S Maclean]

On 10/20/2022 at 6:44 PM, Artin said:

I have done it quite a few times actually 

me too, by accident always.  I always feel bad about it but....I can only hate myself so much for it. 😀

[250swb]

If all the myths about Leica's could be debunked in one go the following day there'd be a thousand more. I mean, changing lenses in a bag!? Just change the ******* lens, it's what the camera was designed for! Good grief where are my pills.

If there are consequences to changing a lens it's likely to be dust, and since the dawn of digital photography photographers have managed to clean the sensor of their cameras, and Leica's are no different in also having a sensor that can be cleaned by the owner. So unless somehow Leica owners are less capable than a moron with a Nikon or Canon (no offence, just making a point) there is no excuse not to treat sensor cleaning as normal ad hoc housekeeping, and it can be done miles away from a Leica authorised service centre. So change lenses when you need to change lenses, the sensor won't stay clean indefinitely anyway even if you never change the lens, so enable yourself and don't be a victim of fake fears.

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[Ouroboros]

On 10/20/2022 at 8:11 PM, MyLeicaWorld said:

….My question is; some say changing lenses frequently on a rangefinder camera  can have a negative effect on rangefinder alignment.. it causes a rangefinder misalignment.. is it true? 

Any ideas on this? thank you..

Comfort yourself in the thought that the ‘some’ who spread such nonsense are simple butter-fingered idiots who habitually drop their camera as part of the lens changing process because it’s a cool thing to do.