How solid?

[itf]

Hi, I'm a rare poster but I'm just hoping for some input on how robust the rangefinder of an M is. I'm interested in the M4-P and M6, also possibly the CL.

I've currently got a Bessa R which I've done a good job of making sure the rangefinder doesn't work. I noticed it was gradually getting more out of line, but still usable until one day the patch suddenly went way out and in the ensuing madness (it happened at a bad moment) I 'm pretty sure I sealed its fate. I still use it, but only as a scale focus.

The R's viewfinder also fogs up in the rain pretty easily (I do do my best to shelter it by crossing my arms and holding it in one hand below the other arm, if that makes sense) so I would like to know if the M's are better sealed than that (also for dust).

Oh, and I'm really not as hard on things as it sounds, but I do carry my camera in my hand almost constantly, and there's been a few more incidents than usual recently.

Cheers,
rich.

 

[waileong]

By sealing its fate, do you mean you took out your frustrations on the poor camera? If so, there's no camera available that can guard against that kind of action.

 

[itf]

By sealing its fate, do you mean you took out your frustrations on the poor camera? If so, there's no camera available that can guard against that kind of action.

No I didn't take my frustrations out on it. I had a go of fixing it and don't have time to explain. The rangefinder probably could be fixed actually, and I'll continue using it as a scale focus body as the poor camera is otherwise functioning and taking photos.

Obviously what I'm asking is not whether an M is easily fixed in a desperate situation by someone not trained to do so; I certainly wouldn't even think of trying to even look in there in the first place.

I'm asking whether a Leica will be bumped out easily in the first place, because honestly I'm not particularly hard on gear and have heard they are a bit more robust in that regard but wasn't sure. Maybe I'd just heard that from collectors whose finders don't go out because they don't go out of the glass case?

If anyone has anything useful to say on how stable (comparitively) a leica M rangefinder is, please share.

 

[laptoprob]

Well, I have used M2 and M4-2 as well as IIf and CLE on the road, by bicycle that is. This means a lot of shaking and bumping in the handlebar-bag. Such that some lenses actually got unscrewed. All of these cameras got through this without problems. I have no Bessa R to compare.

 

[Vickko]

The M rangefinder is built like a military grade optical instrument - impervious to most abuse. The parts that need to adjust are adjustable, the parts that never need to move are permanently fixed. This is pretty much the same for the shutter mechanism. And the parts that need to be adjusted on the RF are accessible without taking the top cover off.

As for DIY work, I strongly suggest you search or obtain the repair information as it is widely available, get the correct tools (far fewer than you might think) and jump in. The designers at Wetzlar were wonderful (I knew some of them) and designing properly was what they were good at. And that meant designing so that it could be properly serviced.

Good luck
Vick

 

[waileong]

I'd say the opposite, from the M6 Leica made the rangefinder difficult to adjust without their expensive dedicated tool. Of course, you can take off the top but that's a tedious operation just for the purpose of correcting vertical alignment, however slight.

 

[itf]

Thanks for the replies. That's what I wanted to know. My camera had had one hard bump (mid thigh to carpet) about a month earlier but all had seemed fine after, but my guess is maybe it loosened something enough that it gradually worsened. Aside from that bump it hadn't had anything like being on a bicycle.

It suddenly went out as evening came on while I was staying in an unpowered village in Vietnam. I wanted the rangefinder to work for that night and decided I couldn't make it work any worse so took the shoe out to see if I could figure out how to fix it (I had little idea of what was what under there, though I had briefly seen a diagram a couple months previously). I dropped a screwdriver in one of the holes and turned it very slightly while looking through the finder; nothing happened. A bit more and same result. Then I realized there was no screw down that hole and thinking there should be I shook the camera and heard the telltale rattle. Another thought, still getting darker, and I decided to operate; I broke the flash contact off and cut away some plastic thinking there might be more/larger holes in the metal chassis allowing me to get in in the short time of light I had left and sort it out. There wasn't and that's where it ended; I haven't looked under there since.

Maybe I ruined the threads for one of the screws by turning a driver in it, I imagine its quite a small and delicate thread and maybe soft metal. Obviously I also turned the hotshoe cold too. Anyway, I'm getting along with scale now anyway, but I'd like to get back to faster apertures sometime.

Sorry if this is scarring for anyone ;-) but at least it wasn't a Leica, right? I'd just like something that won't go out so easily. I'd rather not fiddle with the insides of a more expensive camera; I don't have enough money.

rich

 

[varjag]

The M rangefinder is built like a military grade optical instrument - impervious to most abuse.

It is not built like that. It can withstand a slight bang, but don't drop it on concrete from waist height.

 

[borismach]

I always drop my cameras, including M6, M3 and CL, on the floor of the car from the seat...during hard brake...my cameras survive everytime...as they are always protected in my Domke 803.

So I think what you have to do is to get a good camera bag.

🙂 bm

 

[varjag]

Boris, using a camera bag is indeed wise. Unfortunately not an option to me as I carry the M4 ready everywhere (really everywhere), and can't imagine myself sporting a bag all the time. So I have to consider repairs as a cost of ownership 🙂

But if that's OK for original poster, I'd suggest a camera bag too.

 

[pvenables]

I'd like to say that my Leicas are particularly robust, but I doubt they are. I've made a lovely dent in the top of my [pristine] M2 merely by leaving the VC11 meter in the shoe in my camera bag and knocking it gently by accident against the doorframe. But it still focuses fine.

By way of illustration I dropped my Nikon F100 with lens on a flagstone floor from chest height when I was on my honeymoon in Spain. No marks whatever : the drop knocked the electronics out but one press on the shutter and all was fine again. I nearly had a coronary.

I suppose all knocks, falls etc are variable too : when you drop a plate sometimes it bounces, sometimes it chips, sometimes it smashes into a thousand pieces.

Paul

 

[peter_n]

They are reasonably solid. I'm just back from a 2nd fairly lengthy trip with my two Ms this year and both trips they were used a lot, banged around a bit and travelled long distances on planes and buses. Because I read this forum I've been constantly checking the vertical alignment but so far they have been fine.