M2 focus question

[acrystalball]

Hello,
Just received my M2 two days ago, cleaned it up and inspected it. The 50mm/2 summicron is real clear, aperture is great. The camera shutter looks good and the speeds sound right. I had to make a slight adjustment in the vertical alignment of the rangefinder patch, which I did with no problem. The image would snap into focus very well.

So I ran my first roll of film through the camera and, well, not so good. Instead of crisp images, everything appears as TOTALLY out-of-focus blobs. Oh dear.

Does this mean that my rangefinder mechanism is badly in need of alignment? Why would the image through the viewfinder look so absolutely clear, and the image on the film be fuzzy planes of tone? Can the mechanism really be that out of alignment?

Thanks for any advice. I am planning on sending it in for a CLA asap. The body is soooooooooo nice, everything's really clean. So I'm guessing it has to be the rangefinder, right?

Total bummer. Please reassure me that it can be repaired 🙂

Thanks for any advice/help!
Kind regards,
Crystal

 

[Keith]

Hi Crystal,

What type of Summicron is on the camera. I'm surprised that there wouldn't be something somewhere in focus in your pics if it was a rangefinder issue.

It sounds like the sort of images you get from a collapsable lens if you don't extend it!

Cheers. 🙂

 

[planetjoe]

It sounds like the sort of images you get from a collapsable lens if you don't extend it!

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Why? Because I've done it.

It sounds to me as if the image is way too out-of-focus to be a simple misalignment, and a collapsed lens would definitely fit the bill. Good luck.


Cheers,
--joe.

 

[acrystalball]

Ding ding ding! LOL. I was wondering why the aperture ring was so difficult to turn...

THANK YOU!

(Holding the dumba$$ photographer of the year award...)

Really, thanks folks.
Oh I am so embarassed... but relieved, too.

Cheers,
Crystal

 

[literiter]

I just checked out your site. On the basis of that, I really think you made a good choice for a camera. Best of luck.

 

[acrystalball]

I just checked out your site. On the basis of that, I really think you made a good choice for a camera. Best of luck.

Thanks... when the camera arrived, I couldn't have been happier. It seems like the PERFECT camera for me. Nothing auto, nothing electronic. 35-50-90 framelines. All mechanical.

And what an amazing amount of view outside of the framelines to compose with! I did a lot of research and basically concluded that the M2 was the one for me. With many thanks to the kind folks on this forum who explained a lot of the differences to me.

Thanks for visiting my site and the well wishes. Now I think I can take an in-focus shot!