bill Posted December 22, 2007 Share #1 Posted December 22, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) In my recently acquired M2, there are two notches on the focussing rectangle in the viewfinder, top and bottom. I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that they can be used as a guide to depth of focus, with the larger one showing depth at f8 and the smaller at...?? I think the M2 was the only camera made with this feature. I've checked my books, but I haven't found reference to it yet. I also have a feeling that it only applies when a 50mm lens is mounted. Can someone please jog my memory? Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 22, 2007 Posted December 22, 2007 Hi bill, Take a look here M2 Viewfinder notches - please remind me.... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Philippe D. Posted December 22, 2007 Share #2 Posted December 22, 2007 Hi Bill, I think the M2 was the only camera made with this feature. I've checked my books, but I haven't found reference to it yet. I also have a feeling that it only applies when a 50mm lens is mounted. The M3 got also this feature from s/n 919251 (1958). This is for 50mm at f/5.6 and f/16. I never understood how to use it, despite many explanation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubice Posted December 22, 2007 Share #3 Posted December 22, 2007 Bill and Philippe, I am happy that I can share another bit of relatively useless Leica trivia which stayed for many years within the folds of my feeble brain........ The notches were on all M2's and on later M3's. Their purpose was to give the photographer a rough idea of depth of field when using a 50mm lens. The upper, wider notch was used for f:16, the lower and narrower one for f:5.6. To use it is "relatively" simple. As long as the vertical line that one is focusing on is within the notch, than the object will be sharp depending on which notch and which f-stop is used. I hope this makes sense. I never used this feature during my M2 and M3 days and since it was dropped from consecutive models, I was probably not the only one. I am happy that Luigi is probably Christmas shopping somewhere - he would have surely beat me to the answer..... Glad to share! Best, Jan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philippe D. Posted December 22, 2007 Share #4 Posted December 22, 2007 Hi Jan, The upper, wider notch was used for f:16, the lower and narrower one for f:5.6 Thanks a lot for sharing, but i'm still unable to use this feature. Here a copy of the explanation, from the french M2 User Manual: [ATTACH]66616[/ATTACH] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted December 22, 2007 Share #5 Posted December 22, 2007 Hello Bill, May be this will help (from Leica M2 Manual) Cheers JC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share #6 Posted December 22, 2007 Ah, splendid! Thank you so much! I know I've seen that diagram somewhere before, I just can't lay my hands on it at the moment. That's exactly what I was thinking of, but, innumerate ninnymuggins that I am, I had forgotten the F-stop values Jan, Philippe, JC, I am indebted to you. Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergiolov Posted December 22, 2007 Share #7 Posted December 22, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Interesting info, thanks. in my m2, sn 1103973 there are no notches, frame lines are straight. Strange, is'nt it? Sergio Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted December 22, 2007 Share #8 Posted December 22, 2007 Bill and Philippe, I am happy that I can share another bit of relatively useless Leica trivia which stayed for many years within the folds of my feeble brain........ The notches were on all M2's and on later M3's. Their purpose was to give the photographer a rough idea of depth of field when using a 50mm lens. The upper, wider notch was used for f:16, the lower and narrower one for f:5.6. To use it is "relatively" simple. As long as the vertical line that one is focusing on is within the notch, than the object will be sharp depending on which notch and which f-stop is used. I hope this makes sense. I never used this feature during my M2 and M3 days and since it was dropped from consecutive models, I was probably not the only one. I am happy that Luigi is probably Christmas shopping somewhere - he would have surely beat me to the answer..... Glad to share! Best, Jan Jan, you're DAMN RIGHT ON TARGET !!! Not only I was Christmas shopping... but I came back home also with my new Summarit 75 !!! Shooping for the family.. of course... but a man with 4 women at home (wife + daughters x 3) has definitely the right to have something for himself .... ... the "DOF evaluator" was one of the most unuseful modifications made on the M's RF... strange the absence of it in Sergio's M2... my one (1.061.125) has it... I also thought it was present in all std. M2s... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergiolov Posted December 22, 2007 Share #9 Posted December 22, 2007 My mistake. The notches are where they are supposed to be, and not on the frame lines... Thanks again. Sergio Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker Posted December 22, 2007 Share #10 Posted December 22, 2007 Thanks for the explanation too. "Chocolate Fireguard" springs to mind having tried to make use of this "feature" :) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest findwolfhard Posted December 29, 2007 Share #11 Posted December 29, 2007 Hello! As far and as subdued as I can remember, my M2 didn`t have the notches, when I got it, but after its first full service in 1980 or 81, there they were! Best regards Wolfhard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share #12 Posted December 30, 2007 Having used it a bit, I now regard my M2 as my Spanish night camera. Bonus notches... Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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