“Leica M2 framelines looks like 0.85 frame lines”

[Radost]

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Redaction: It is actual correct viewfinder. the graphic I used to compare is wrong 

Just purchased an M2 form germany. Needs CLA. The usual low speeds are off. Winder is a little tougher and i could not adjust the vertical rangefinder all the way.

Redacted.

At first I taught it is modified for 28mm frame lines. But it is clearly 35mm compared to my Minolta CLE.

Is it possible a .85 viewfinder was installed inside m2? It looks exactly like this graphic. 

the 35mm frame lines are almost at the edge of viewfinder.

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Edited July 10, 2024 by Radost

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[250swb]

I imagine it's possible the framelines have been modified but in the viewfinder the 35mm frame of the M2 fills as much space (more or less) as the 28mm frame of an M6, just as the 50mm frame in the M3 takes up a similar amount of space. In each case the widest frame available is close to the edge of the viewfinder window. So you don't learn anything by looking at examples that show a camera with a 28mm frameline and interpolating from that. Here is a pdf of the Leica M2 manual

https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_m2.pdf

 

[Radost]

4 minutes ago, 250swb said:

I imagine it's possible the framelines have been modified but in the viewfinder the 35mm frame of the M2 fills as much space (more or less) as the 28mm frame of an M6, just as the 50mm frame in the M3 takes up a similar amount of space. In each case the widest frame available is close to the edge of the viewfinder window. So you don't learn anything by looking at examples that show a camera with a 28mm frameline and interpolating from that. Here is a pdf of the Leica M2 manual

https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_m2.pdf

 

I apologies I redacted the post.

The frame lines are 35mm but are very close to the edge of the viewfinder. I can barely see them with my eye all the way in. 

[Radost]

16 minutes ago, 250swb said:

I imagine it's possible the framelines have been modified but in the viewfinder the 35mm frame of the M2 fills as much space (more or less) as the 28mm frame of an M6, just as the 50mm frame in the M3 takes up a similar amount of space. In each case the widest frame available is close to the edge of the viewfinder window. So you don't learn anything by looking at examples that show a camera with a 28mm frameline and interpolating from that. Here is a pdf of the Leica M2 manual

https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_m2.pdf

 

The graphic in the manual looks correct. Mine is just a little tighter.

The other graphic is off by a lot.

 

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[TheBestSLIsALeicaflex]

The 35mm (and 50mm) framelines on the M2 (and M4/M5) are a bit larger than what came afterwards.  When Leica introduced the 28mm, they shrunk the other frame lines to make everything fit.  It's all based on shooting distances and the rational that you'd lose a bit of picture with slide film frames anyway (at least that's what Leica told us) -- but the bottom line is the frame lines are bigger on earlier cameras, at least at the shooting distances I use.  One of the reason some of us prefer the older camera.  

[a.noctilux]

On 7/13/2024 at 1:07 PM, TheBestSLIsALeicaflex said:

One of the reason some of us prefer the older camera.

I understand.

But my choice for many years is M-A over old M4/M2 that I know well.

New Ms are not lesser than older Ms.

 

I appreciate the not-turning-solid-steel-two-screwed eyelets of M-A/MP,

and the solid feeling over "smoothness" of dated Ms.

Holding the MP/M-A without the selftimer (which I never use) is another positive feeling, etc.