Correction lens (diopter) on Leica M6

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alexandru_voicu

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Hi everyone,

After years of using my M6 without glasses, I decided to go ahead and buy a -1 correction lens for a total of -1.5. I ordered it from Leica Shop Vienna for a measly 150 euro + 20 euro shipping and I received it today. After I removed it from the box, I discovered that the 170 euro also included a gorgeous fingerprint right in the middle of the glass, so I was quite happy with the unexpected freebie. After some cleaning, I decided it to mount it on my M6, only to discover that I can screw it forever and ever, it simply does not stop. Unscrewing seems pretty easy, which is not a pleasant thought. Therefore, I'm asking you: is that normal? Any thought would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Alex
 
Ronald M said:
not normal . Suggest stripped threads on eyepiece on camera or diopter.
Click to expand...


Ronald, thank you so much for your input! I'm sorry to be so insistent, but are you absolutely sure it's not normal? My M6 was bought a few years ago and it was in new condition. Don Goldberg had it CLA'd and he also confirmed it was in new condition. I doubt the eyepiece is damaged, so my bet would be on the diopter. Basically, when I screw the diopter, all goes well until I hear a small click, then I can freely rotate the diopter in any direction I want. If I want to remove it, it's not enough only to unscrew it counterclockwise, but also to pull it slightly away from the body.
 
Somethings not right. I checked my m6’s all with a Leica diopter. Once the diopter is screwed in it doesn’t move. It doesn’t take too many turns to place it. Since it is hard to grab hold of it to remove, I use a piece of thin rubber to unscrew it.
 
Livesteamer said:
It sounds like your diopter may have a mechanism to prevent it being screwed in too tightly. If it does not easily fall off then perhaps it is good to use. Joe
Click to expand...


Hey Joe, thank you for your comment. I did think of that, too. However, unscrewing seems a little too easy. Let's just say that the diopter does not feel safely seated in the eyepiece and with a counterclockwise rotation and little wiggling, it would simply fell off.
 
arthur berger said:
Somethings not right. I checked my m6’s all with a Leica diopter. Once the diopter is screwed in it doesn’t move. It doesn’t take too many turns to place it. Since it is hard to grab hold of it to remove, I use a piece of thin rubber to unscrew it.
Click to expand...


Arthur, many thanks for letting me know about your experience. After reading your message, I contacted Leica Shop Vienna for a return+refund. Let's see what they have to say. All in all, I feel pretty disappointed by the whole thing and I would add that the Leica diopter feels pretty flimsy. The Nikon FM diopter I used on my Zeiss Ikon ZI is a lot better built and a lot cheaper.
 
I have one for my M9 and one for my M8, -1 Leica diopters bought new at B&H, they gently get tight after a few turns and done.

They seem to be of equal quality as the ones I have on my Nikon F and F2 cameras.
 
Hi everyone and thank you for your help. It looks like I definitely have a problem. For those of you who use diopters, may I ask you one more question? Do you have any sort or rubber on your eyepieces? My 1991 M6 does not have any rubber and I couldn't help but wonder: should it?
 
I have a similar loose +0.5 diopter on my 1986 M6. I use a small length of dental floss in the thread as if it were miniature thread tape. It has stayed put since I did that. I’ve seen more recently that Loctite make a thread repairing fluid which could also be employed. I don’t know if the fault is in the eyepiece or the diopter. I suspect the eyepiece, since that is 1986 and the diopter was new several years ago.
John Mc
 
Hi everyone and thank you for your help. I'm still waiting a response from Leica Shop Vienna, it will be interesting to hear what they have to say.



mcfingon said:
I have a similar loose +0.5 diopter on my 1986 M6. I use a small length of dental floss in the thread as if it were miniature thread tape. It has stayed put since I did that. I’ve seen more recently that Loctite make a thread repairing fluid which could also be employed. I don’t know if the fault is in the eyepiece or the diopter. I suspect the eyepiece, since that is 1986 and the diopter was new several years ago.
John Mc
Click to expand...


John, thank you for the tip, I shall consider it. As far as I could see with my naked eye, the threads of the diopter look fine. I believe that if the eyepiece was actually just a hair taller, the diopter wouldn't have reached the point from where it starts "looping".
 
alexandru_voicu said:
Ronald, thank you so much for your input! I'm sorry to be so insistent, but are you absolutely sure it's not normal? My M6 was bought a few years ago and it was in new condition. Don Goldberg had it CLA'd and he also confirmed it was in new condition. I doubt the eyepiece is damaged, so my bet would be on the diopter. Basically, when I screw the diopter, all goes well until I hear a small click, then I can freely rotate the diopter in any direction I want. If I want to remove it, it's not enough only to unscrew it counterclockwise, but also to pull it slightly away from the body.
Click to expand...

Exact same behavior on my M6/ eyepiece corrector combo. When I install it, the threads properly engage as I turn clockwise. But then there comes a point where the threads disengage, and it becomes free-spinning - clockwise and counterclockwise. It is more or less secure - that is, the only way to remove it from the camera is to put some mild back-pressure while unscrewing, then the threads engage, and then it can be unscrewed entirely from the camera.

This odd behavior is only on my M6 (it is a 1986 version with a rubbery coating on the eyepiece). I can take the same correction lens and it installs just fine on my M2, M4, and M7 (it tightens up as expected on the bodies).

I have multiple Leica correction lenses, and the behavior I described is the same for each of them. So a defect in the correction lens can be ruled out. There is just something weird about my M6 eyepiece. And evidently yours too, Alexandru.
 
I've used Leica diopters on all of my Leicas (including a 6 and a 6TTL) over the years, and never had any problems. However, I've had exactly the same thing happen with some brands of "slim" filters designed for wide-angle use. There simply wasn't enough thread on them to engage properly. Since there isn't much thread on the diopter, perhaps you got one where the tolerances were just off enough to prevent it from engaging fully. Of course, for what you pay for a Leica diopter, it should be flawless. But...
 
I can confirm that the loose Leica diopter occurs on early M6. I have a pristine 1985 M6 and after screwing in the diopter it sits loose and turns indefinitely. You can unscrew easily. It never tightens. The diopter just screws through the thread and then spins freely. Maybe to prevent over tightening.
 
Yes it can happen. I have a lot of Leica diopters in different strengths and for some reason when I tried mounting one on a recently purchased M2 it would not mount, just spinning and spinning but when I tried another diopter it screwed in as normal. These were all genuine products purchased new.
 
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