Adjust M3 min focusing distance ?

Good for you, Hans! Now I'm wondering if the ability to adjust close focus accurately has to do with the vintage of the particular M3. As I recall from another thread, Hans, yours and mine are very close in age. Will be interesting to hear from Laura re the vintage of her M3. I may be completely off on the vintage being a factor, and I guess it does not matter to the three of us since all our cameras can accurately focus at less than 1 meter, but I figure others would be interested.

-Randy
 
Adjusting the close focus stop on an M body is a double edged sword due to the eccentric shape of the focus stop which acts to limit focus in both far and near directions. If you go to the extreme to allow plenty of room at the close focus end to go well under 0.7 meters, focus travel of the arm at the far end may be limited to stop BEFORE infinity. Thus you could damage the arm if the lens is set at infinity and mounted on the body whose arm won't swing back far enough.
 
Thanks awilder for the further information. Presumably that's why Youxin Ye told me that he could not guarantee close focusing accuracy since he specifically worked to ensure he maintained focus at infinity. Further, I don't have any reason to believe that my adjusted M3 focuses accurately below 0.7 meters since I have no lens that goes that close and, further, I simply asked Youxin to adjust close focusing so that I could use my Rokkor 40mm which only goes down to 0.7 or 0.8 meters anyway.

-Randy
 
vrgard said:
Glad to hear that you had the same good fortune as did I. I'm curious, did Don give any hint as to why this would work for some M3s but not for others? (and before anyone asks, Youxin provided no further comment than I've already posted and I did not ask) Further, in case it's part of the equation, my M3 is a very late double stroke. What vintage is yours, Laura?

-Randy
Click to expand...

Hi Randy. No, Don didn't say why some M3s can't be adjusted to have a closer minimum focus distance. I didn't ask either. We both seem to suffer from a deplorable lack of curiosity. :)

Mine is a late single stroke, vintage 1963. It's older than me, and in better shape, to be honest.
 
Thanks, Laura, for the further info. Guess my hunch about vintage of M3s isn't the answer. And I like your remark about your M3 being older yet in better shape. In case it makes you feel any better, I feel exactly the same way about me and mine.

-Randy
 
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