The framelines are not level with the film - pictures are slightly tilted on my M6 'classic'.What is there a procedure for tweaking the position once the top plate is off?

-- Johann Fuller (johannfuller@hotmail.com), June 05, 2002

Answers

Johann, I believe what you are seeing is the normal side effects of using a rangefinder camera.

-- Karl Yik (karl.yik@dk.com), June 05, 2002.

I really don't think this is a do-it-yourself project unless you are a camera repair person. If not, I'd send it to Sherry, John, or Don. The addresses have been posted in the archives.

BTW, do you have this problem with any other cameras? There is such a thing as an eye condition that causes one to tilt the camera. It's correctible. Ansel Adams mentioned it in one of his books.

Assuming that's not the problem, though, and the lines really are off, I would personally send it in.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), June 05, 2002.

In order to get the top plate off, you'll have to remove the flash hot shoe, the shutter speed dial, the advance lever, the flash sync connection on the back and last, but not LEAST the rewind knob that has about a jillion little washers in a particular order PLUS a spanner nut. How do I know all this? Cuz I had to inventory and take all of these pieces to John at the Focal Point camera repair shop here in Denver when I couldn't get them all back together again and actually have the camera work.

Don't try this yourself... it's a big old mess, requires special tools in some cases and you'll just end up taking it to a repair shop anyway. Leicas are extrememly well crafted, precision, hand- made Rube Goldberg machines and it takes a twisted and demented mind to fix them ( it also doesn't hurt to have a manual). Leave it to the Pros.

-- Bob (bobflores@attbi.com), June 05, 2002.

Removing the top-plate of an M camera is not difficult *if* you have the exact-fit tools, otherwise you will gore and chew-up the fasteners which are quite soft metal. The *worst* one is the threaded ring under the wind lever, which has extremely fine-pitched threads and is incredibly easy to cross-thread and strip.

However, the frameline mechanism is not to be tampered with by inexperienced hands. One of my M6's (the newer one, ironically)just went in for repair of the framelines. I did take the top plate off first, that's how I know I didn't want to mess with that mechanism.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), June 05, 2002.