M4-P Dent, How bad is it?

[Maxapple88]

With a VC II light meter attached my M4-P fell to the ground. It was inside a bag and since it was on top and the bag turned around in mid-air, it took most of the pressure of the fall. The meter really pushed a dent into the brass plate and now I don't know what to expect from any service or repair.

The rangefinder is misaligned vertically but seems to work smoothly as do all other mechanics. As far as I can tell, I have a considerable dent and a misaligned rangefinder to deal with.

What can I expect from any repairs? I'll take it to the Leica shop in Vienna, which apparently has a certified Leica technician. I'm guessing that re-adjusting the rangefinder will not be the major problem, but will he be able to save the top plate? Will it have to be replaced completely or can he "bend" it back into shape. I'm not expecting miracles but the dent is quite massive and I was hoping for some improvement without getting the complete thing replaced.

How much would I expect to pay for this kind of work? In addition I would have brought the camera to the shop for a proper cleaning anyway, i guess now it'll really be worth it though..

 

[kipkeston]

I would imagine the top plate can be punched back in place. RF adjustment is pretty minor I think.

Do you know Severin and Bernhard?

 

[Maxapple88]

I would imagine the top plate can be punched back in place. RF adjustment is pretty minor I think.

Do you know Severin and Bernhard?

Nope, who are they?

 

[nobbylon]

If you have a few c clamps it's easy to get the top off yourself and hammer the dent flat. these sort of dents are easy to do as it doesn't look like there is any edge work involved. As for the rangefinder, plenty of info on the forum for diy adjustment, also pretty straightforward.

 

[Maxapple88]

Thanks, I'm glad to hear that it seems to be a somewhat simple procedure. I'll take it to the shop after all because it need some general cleaning anyway although. Once again, good old mechanics overrule the digital age 🙂

 

[kipkeston]

Nope, who are they?

Some Viennese photomakers, I think about your age. They're on flickr, actually they're on your contacts list.

 

[Maxapple88]

Some Viennese photomakers, I think about your age. They're on flickr, actually they're on your contacts list.

I might have written an Email or two to Bernhard, don't know who Severin is although.

 

[Tom A]

Leica shop should be able to straighten out the top-plate. All they need is to clamp it and apply pressure gradually. You are lucky that it wasen't in a corner as those dents are more difficult to straighten. Also, you are in luck thai it was not a zinc top plate as those tended to crack, rather than dent,
The rangefinder alignment should be straight forward, unless the dent dislodged anything.
The M4P is a pretty robust camera and can take a lot of abuse anyway.