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Dropped my M6


tri-x

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I had neglected to close my camera bag, and as I picked it up, the camera fell out and dropped about 1 meter onto the asphalt. There is a slight dent in the camera body which I'm not too worried about. However, the rangefinder alignment seems to have been affected. The split images no longer converge precisely at the plane of focus. One is a hair's breadth above the other. Everything else seems to be fine. It seems to work fine but I find this misalignment a bit annoying. Am I being too nit-picky. Is it repairable?

 

Thanks.

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tri-x, I'd use it until something else goes wrong or the difference starts driving you nuts. My M4 was off for awhile, and it wasn't too bad, and I waited until the rangefinder cam started sticking.

 

I had the same thing happen with my then new Nikon S3 2000, one week after I got it. Bag wasn't closed fully and the camera came out at shoulder height as I took it off. A good dent on the back and a dent on the front of the lens, but everything still worked fine.

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This happened with all my Leicas. M3, M4P, M8... And with the Noctilux attached. The lens unscrewed in 2 pieces. All si fixed now, but the dents will stay forever.

 

Funny, I was (much) more irritated by the vertical misalignment then by the broken Noctilux. I HATE vertical misalignment.

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you can try striking the top or the bottom of the camera against your palm. I did this once and it worked. I did this a second time and really screwed up the vertical alignment. Unfortunately, I can't remember which direction the rangefinder image moves when striking it on the top and the bottom, but the direction is consitent. You need a special tool to adjust the vertical image; it's behind the leica sticker.

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I've dropped my M6 at least four times, once while loading (held on to the baseplate, LOL). There is now a nice dent in the body shell where the film goes. The RF alignment went out (horiz.) and I fixed it myself. Vert. alignment, while mildly annoying, doesn't affect focusing, and is more difficult to DIY. It's a Leitz M6 and never been to the shop for any work; it ain't broke.

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Ouch! That's a cringe-maker.

 

A couple of dents and scratches just add "character," but if the impact was severe enough to throw the RF out of whack it might be a good idea to just bite the bullet and have the camera CLA'd.

 

More a matter of peace of mind than anything else, perhaps. :)

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