Cracked RF Mirror?

[kvanderlaag]

I took the M2 out for a walk earlier today, as I'm prone to doing to keep myself in shape, when I noticed something...disturbing.

A little jagged, curved dark line in the top right of the RF patch.

At first I thought it was something obscuring the window, so I carefully brushed it off. Same thing. Starting to get a little worried.

I don't think this was there when I bought it, or I would've noticed that my precious baby had a crack in the mirror to begin with.

So the question is, what do I do with this? Repairing a mirror seems to me like it's going to cost me a small fortune.

-Keegan

 

[jaapv]

If it doesn't impair focussing, can't you just leave it that way? Is it not a hair or something like that? RF repairs are expensive..

 

[former member]

If it is a crack, I would expect the different portions of the image (each side of the crack) to be fairly far off.

More likely it is some slight separation in the Canada Balsam. If it is "spider web" thin, I would not worry about it. I had an M3 like this, sent to Essex and away it went. I think they reflowed the Balsam. Whatever they did, the "spider-web" is gone.

 

[oftheherd]

If it is a crack, I would expect the different portions of the image (each side of the crack) to be fairly far off.

More likely it is some slight separation in the Canada Balsam. If it is "spider web" thin, I would not worry about it. I had an M3 like this, sent to Essex and away it went. I think they reflowed the Balsam. Whatever they did, the "spider-web" is gone.

Brian Sweeney sent a camera out elsewhere for repair????

I'm going home now. I can't work with this on my mind. My day is ruined. I think I better call my therapist. Oh, the enormity of the revalation!!! 😀

 

[former member]

I use Essex for so many camera repairs that they list me as a dealer.

 

[kvanderlaag]

I suppose I am overreacting a little bit. The focusing is still fine, so it's definitely usable. (And I actually managed to realign the RF vertically while I was frantically trying to fix everything that was wrong.) Mostly, I was just worried that if it was a crack or some such in the mirror, that it would progressively get worse -- if I'm going to have to fire it off to someone to replace a part once it's totally ruined, I may as well do it sooner rather than later (or at least that was my thinking.)

However, if Brian says it's not a big deal, and it can be fixed later if necessary, I can rest easy!

(Though this is a rather disturbing development, Brian sending a camera somewhere else for repair/fondling.)

Thanks, everybody!
-Keegan

 

[Ben Z]

The mirror in an M2 is a slightly curved piece of high-polished metal that reflects light from the gathering window to illuminate the rangefinder patch and framelines. I don't know that it even can crack, or that you'd be able to see it defined in the viewfinder. The M rangefinder optics are basically a series of prisms and a little telescope. If what you are seeing is a prism coming unglued, it won't cost you any more to fix if and when it fully comes apart than it will now. So unless you'll be using this camera as your one-and-only on assigments or travel trips, you might just wait and see what develops over time.