Lens and bodies: a mystery

[SolaresLarrave]

I'm a bit puzzled about this... BTW, I've posted the same question in PN, but I want to pick your brains too.

This is a kind of riddle for you, knowledgeable people... and I don't have a whole lot of time to act on advice (it'll have to wait, as I'm leaving for Costa Rica in about two weeks): why is that my Elmarit 135/2.8 works fine with one of my M6TTL bodies and my M3, but not with the other M6TTL camera I have.

Symptoms: clarity of rangefinder patch is excellent with my black M6 and my M3. With my silver M6, the patch seems vertically misaligned, and the image through the VF is blurry.

However, all cameras work (focus) well with the rest of my lenses (Hexanon 35/2, Summicron 90 and 'cron 50).

Any idea why?

The silver camera just came back from Leica today from a light leak repair. I didn't have it when I purchased the Elmarit so I don't know if this is a new problem or not. In fact, I'm really at loose (sp?) ends.

Now... if you tell me to send it back to Leica right away, thanks, but I just can't do it now on account of my upcoming trip. Let it be known that Rob, in Leica NJ, was nice enough to rush the revision of the camera so that I'd have it long before my departure. If this is the consensus, it'll have to wait until June 27.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I'm no expert, but it sounds like your chrome M6 has an obvious rangefinder misalignment; worse still, it may not be just the vertical alignment, it could be the whole rangefinder from how you describe it. Since focusing is more critical with a very long lens, like your 135mm lens, or when focusing very close (try it under 1m with your 50mm Summicron), that would be the cause of your woes.

I'd send it back in a heartbeat.

 

[FrankS]

Hello Francisco,

You said: With my silver M6, the patch seems vertically misaligned, and the image through the VF is blurry. and The silver camera just came back from Leica today from a light leak repair.

Of course you know that the viewfinder and rangefinder patch functionality have nothing to do with what lens is mounted on the body, or even IF a lens is mounted on the body. It's not like an SLR where you are viewing through the lens. If you sent that camera away with the viewfinder and rangefinder patch okay, and it came back not okay, the problem is not with a lens but with the body, and unfortunately, it should be sent back.

 

[FrankS]

Here's an important question: are there goggles on that 135mm lens that might misalign with your one camera body if it is a different body from the others?

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Frank, the 135 has goggles. Now... I've tested focusing with the 35, 50 and 90mm lenses I have. They were all perfect in clarity and alignment. The only problem comes up when I mount the Elmarit 135 on the camera.

After giving it some thought, I decided to send the lens, rather than the body, to some place where they fix glass. I'll check if Don Goldberg does it. But only after returning from Costa Rica. In the meanwhile, I must remember NOT to use that lens on the silver body.

And... by the way, the focusing tests I did were on a brick wall, at the minimum focusing distance of the long lenses (about 1 meter, or 3+ feet).

I'll talk to Rob, in Leica NJ, on Monday, too... And I'll keep you posted! Thanks for your advice! 🙂