M8 vertical alignment 'out' by a whisker

[msap7222]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi all. I dropped my M8 today with a 35/2 attached. It hit gravel and rolled once, kinda sliding down my leg, so it wasn't a direct hit on concrete or anything like that.

 

Camera works fine, no dings or scuffs (but a small scratch to the LCD screen cover). Now the vertical alignment seems out by a tiny tiny margin (perhaps the horizontal/focussing alignment as well but hard to tell as this adjusts as you focus the lens)

 

I can possiby live with the vertical misalignment (but would rather not as I am a bit "OCD" when it comes to clear finders) but how can I test focussing accuracy?

 

Would I simply shoot my 50/1.4 wide open at closest focussing distance and see how that performs in sharpness? I am happy to take it to Leica Australia for testing and adjustment but leave for Africa in 10 days and this camera will be backup for the M9 they are loaning me.

 

Also, is the vertical misalignment fix a (relatively) easy one at Leica repairers? I often read/hear of "weeks to fix" for other issues. I would have thought that this type of adjustment/repair should be no different to a film M.

 

On a kinda unrelated topic, prior to this event today, I suspected that the camera focus could be a bit out anyway. I could get my 50, 90 and 135 to focus on infinity, but not my 35mm - it was focussing a teensy bit prior to infinity. I unscrewed the front 'head' of my 35/2 for lens cleaning yesterday and noticed that when I replaced it, I was able to "nip up" this group of elements so the the aperture marker was a bit past top-dead-centre. Backing it off a tad so hat it was aligned with focus scale mark did not allow the lens to focus on infinity still.

 

Any thoughts?

 

BTW, in 26 yrs of pro and travel photography I have only ever dropped a body twice (the other was a Nikon D3/70-200) both times in the past 6 months! I must be getting old!

 

Thanks,

Mark

[erl]

Mark, I think you will find no one in Australia has the gear to adjust the RF in M8's or 9's. The (old) rig that you find in this country was designed to hold the body in a specific position for testing, but it will not accept the thicker digital bodies. Two option remain open. Fiddle with it yourself (dodgy) or send it to Solms! Sorry about that.

[Shootist]

Someone at your location should be able to adjust the vertical alignment. It uses the same tool as the newer film cameras but it will have to be done by eye.

 

As for the focus alignment that is easily checked as you say using a 50 1.4 and a ruler.