I recently bought M6 with 35mm f2 used (non TTL). I think the focuse is a little off. For example, when I point a camear and focus on a building in long distance, the reangefinder does not line up even the focusing rign is turned all the way to infinity. I tried the same lens on my friend's M6, and the rangefinder maches fine. Someone told me that I can adjust the focusing myself by turning some nob??? My thanks in advance.

-- Jiro Ose (jiroose@aol.com), December 03, 2001

Answers

This explains how to ajust the horisontal and vertical alignment of the rangefinder patch. The infinity alignment (your problem) is ajusted through the screw just inside the mount as explained on page 3. Please be careful/gentle if you choose to do it yourself.

-- Niels H. S. Nielsen (nhsn@ruc.dk), December 03, 2001.

Find yourself a reputable address for service & repair. You can even ask here if there's someone close to you.

For those who practice DIY and live dangerously: Remove the lens and look inside, ever wondered what that round thingy on the bottom is for? The correct way to adjust horizontal misalignment is to remove the baseplate. Remove the cover (the one with the film loading diagram on it). There's spring held by two screws, the sping has a hole in it. Through the hole you can see the back of a cover. The front of the cover is 'that round thing'. On an M4 it's a nicely crafted cover from brass. (After all these years the hole still has 'ears' for the bayonet.) On the M6 it's a plastic cover. Remove the cover (push it out with the back of an eraserless pencil) and then you stick a screwdriver straight 'up its arse' to adjust the horizontal misalignment.

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), December 03, 2001.

Like this:

Proceed at your own risk!!

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), December 03, 2001.

Perhaps I can make a web page for future reference? This question will come up every now and then...

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), December 03, 2001.

Page is up: http://home.wanadoo.nl/bkkn/

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), December 03, 2001.

Nice pictures but not the right adjustment. The eccentric screw holding the roller to the rangefinder arm is what you use to the adjust infinity setting. The access hole is used to adjust the eccentric pivot at the base of the rangefinder arm. This adusts the length of the arm which allows you to have both the infinity, 10 metre and 1 metre settings be accurate. 99% of the time when the infinty setting goes out through a bump or what not, you just need to trim the eccentric screw holding the roller.

Go to this previous message for a more detailed explanation:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_i d=0077yT

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), December 03, 2001.

John, I did a bit of thinking (uh-oh!) but doesn't adjusting the screw in the roller mean you're adjusting the entire range from infinity to close up and everything between it?

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), December 03, 2001.

The eccentric screw holding the roller gives the rangefinder a fixed starting point. It "zeros" the rangefinder so to speak. The eccentric pivot adjusts the relationship between arm movement and shaft rotation so you can fine tune the focusing accuracy between infinity and close focus. You need a set starting point to be able to: quickly and properly evaluate the rangefinder accuracy, easily see if it needs further adjustment and in what direction.

A Leica tech first adjusts infinity at the roller and then checks it at 10 metres and 1 metre. Most of the time that is all that is needed as once the arm length is properly set, it seldom needs readjustment.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), December 03, 2001.

I'll take down my page to prevent people f****ing up their Leica M by making the wrong adjustment.

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), December 03, 2001.

Bert,

please don't take it down - just correct it. This topic comes up so often (here, lug, etc), your pics and the combined facts from this set of messages would be a veryt valuable resource.

best of light,

Alistair

-- Alistair Stewart (astewart@gigaweb.com), December 03, 2001.