Sax45 Posted March 8 Share #1 Posted March 8 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello, new M3 owner here. Today I had a chance to compare my M3 against a very clean M2, and it became apparent that my viewfinder is not in the same condition. The issue, thankfully, is not noticeable when using the camera. I have heard of the issue of viewfinder or prism separation in old Ms. Is that what I am looking at here? What is my prognosis? Is this something that I can expect to get quickly worse, or is it likely to be okay for a number of years? Does anyone have experience having a tech fix this? Or, any experience where a tech was unable to fix it? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/390578-m3-viewfinder-separation/?do=findComment&comment=5082439'>More sharing options...
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Sax45 Posted March 8 Author Share #2 Posted March 8 Perhaps it is worth noting, this is very hard to see in person, which is why it took a close comparison to a nicer camera before I noticed. I took this photo with flash on my iPhone, and the flash does a great job of accentuating the issue. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anbaric Posted March 14 Share #3 Posted March 14 If it ever separates completely (I'm not saying yours will) there is a fix, though it's one of the more complicated services and only some techs have the expertise to do it. This is from Cameraworks-UK: https://www.cameraworks-uk.com/post/leica-rangefinder-rebuild-and-why-you-might-need-one In the US, I would talk to DAG first: https://www.dagcamera.com Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sax45 Posted March 14 Author Share #4 Posted March 14 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Anbaric said: If it ever separates completely (I'm not saying yours will) there is a fix, though it's one of the more complicated services and only some techs have the expertise to do it. This is from Cameraworks-UK: https://www.cameraworks-uk.com/post/leica-rangefinder-rebuild-and-why-you-might-need-one In the US, I would talk to DAG first: https://www.dagcamera.com Thanks! I ended up hearing back from YYE. He confirmed that it is fixable, but only after it has already broken. Pricewise the fix isn’t too bad, but it’s enough to make my great deal seem like not such a great deal. From my point of view, the bigger issue is reliability. If I can get 5-10 years of service out of the camera before I pay for the fix, then the economics aren’t so bad. But I would be hesitant taking it on any important trips, knowing that the viewfinder could suddenly go black. So, I returned the camera. Maybe one day I can afford to have a shelf-queen M (prob M3) and a reliable user M, but right now I prefer the latter. A recently CLA’d M4-2 is headed my way! Edited March 14 by Sax45 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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