M8 has backfocus

I thought I was going crazy. This is my first Leica (M8). I thought Leica lenses were the state of the art. I was ready for some really sharp images. I'm using a Summilux 35mm1.4. I've been experimenting about three months and realized that the images wide open are focusing behind where I thought I was focusing in the view finder. I'm not ready to give up my camera for MONTHS! to have it fixed. You bet I won't be buying that second lens I was planning for (75mm). All the money we spent on this "name" camera.......how depressing!!
 
There's been tons written about this on the LUG forum with all sort of folk performing all sort of tests.

Some people haven't experienced the problem, some have and were able to self correct it with an infinity adjustment. Others have sent their M8 to Leica, some have sent lenses, and I think some have sent the whole kit and kaboodle(sp).

My M8 had the backfocus issue and I was able to correct it by adjusting the RF's infinity setting. It took me a couple of tries to get it dead on, but all my lenses focus correctly now.

It is somewhat disheartening when a Holga is sharper than a $5k camera body and $3k lens because of a focus problem.
 
Shoot, now I'm not so sure!!

Looking at the images directly before and after and considering the bokeh and DOF now I think that I still had the 75 Heliar on the M8 when I took the shot above.

Further, as my middle-aged memory just ain't what it usta be, I wonder if I didn't in fact guess the distance on that shot.

So just disregard that image as an example of backfocus!!!

Soooooooo sorry!! :bang::bang::bang:
 
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ok. So I now have the problem. Previously my 35mm nokton and 75mm summilux were spot on. Last week I ave my noctilux to photovillage to adapt to the M8 so I can focus up to infinity and I picked it up today and tried to put it on and it wouldn't go. It was very resistant. And had to apply some pressure but it went on. Once on the focus ring was solid stiff. So I took the lens off. I noticed the flange was scratched and that there were metal shaving rubbs on the inside of my M8 and on the focus bearing lever. Photovillage dude said they'll fix the lens and may give me a new one tomorrow.

However, I was concerned that mounting the nokton might have caused wear on the M8 internaly or even threw my focus off. Tonight I played with my 75mm summilux to test focus. And it's off. My other lens a 40mm nokton, which was once slightly off. Is now way off.

Ugh. I don't know what to do. Do I have to send it to Leica? I have a job to do in three weeks which was the whole reason I bought the M8, so I can work in digital and now I can't even. It's like I bought it for nothing. I'm so damn irked.
 
My Nokton 40mm shows about 12cm-15 cm backfocus at 2M, but the 75 and 21 (as best I can tell) seem pretty much dead on. I've no other lenses against which to compare, but looking for shimming information for the Nokton.
 
Her's the story so far.

40mm Nokton is on the way back to the factory. That's the least desired solution, of course, but I want it right, and there's nobody that can adjust it here. The lens aligned perfectly at infinity, but showed 10-15 cm back-focus on the M8.
In the meantime, I needed a "normal"-ish lens, so I got a 28mm f/1.9 It too backfocuses, but because has a cam'd rangefinder ramp, I shimmed the mouth (LTM) with a piece of paper (that's actually too thick). Now the rangefinder won't go to infinity when the lens stops there, but does focus more accurately close up. Still not right, but better.
After both were back focusing, you'd think I'd be concerned with the camera, right? Well... I have a CV 75mm which FRONT focuses a few cm. It'll go back, too, when the 40mm comes back right.

To prove the case, I went to the local photo store and put the 90mm ASPH on, and adjusted to IT, assuming that it was right. I got sharp pictures. The 35mm 'cron ASPH too- very nice, sharp pictures with either no trace, or nearly so of back/front focus.
I can't afford 'em (I seem to remember when I bought the 90 the first time around, it being FAR less expensive), so there's no way I'm getting the Leica lenses, but I'll keep sending lenses back to the dealer until they are all right.

The 21mm f/4? Perfect, as far as I can tell.

It's an expensive camera for there to be so muc suspicion about it. It's far too expensive to have to go back to Germany for fixing.
 
OK, I *just* ordered the M8 due to all the praise on here and other places. I waited for months and months for this to work out.

If when I get my camera on Thursday and I find it back focuses, I am going to return it for a full refund and wait at least 6 more months.

I make a living with my Leica gear, I need it to work with lenses wide open, period.
 
The backfocus is very easy to fix. Very. If it's consistent across lenses. THAT'S the problem. The M8 has resolving power so easily available (by pixel peeping) that it's much easier to see lens faults you might never have noticed with film.

That'll be the undoing of the digital rangefinder, I think. Pictures that print sharp at 8x10 might have a focus shift that makes manufacturers have to adjust lenses...
 
jdos2 said:
The backfocus is very easy to fix. Very. If it's consistent across lenses. THAT'S the problem. The M8 has resolving power so easily available (by pixel peeping) that it's much easier to see lens faults you might never have noticed with film.

That'll be the undoing of the digital rangefinder, I think. Pictures that print sharp at 8x10 might have a focus shift that makes manufacturers have to adjust lenses...
Click to expand...

Well, I only have two lenses, the 28 cron and 50 asph, hopefully by now, they have done their homework. The problem for me is I can't give up the lenses to go to Solms or even New Jersey to be paired with the M8, no way, they are used almost daily.

I have over 180,000 frames on two 5D's, some with fast glass wide open at 1.4-1.2 that are flawless. I need flawless like I get with my M3, M6, MP3.

I'll know on Thursday....
 
It was the flawed 50 f/1.2 on the 5D that got me into my M8, and back into rangefinder photography. I needed a lens/camera combo I could focus- where I was SURE that focus was.

No worries. The backfocus isn't common. My M8 didn't have it- the lenses I bought for it were poorly calibrated. A 70's 40mm Summicron-C is perfect on it.
 
My 28/2 will not focus correctly on my M8 regardless of distance or aperture. Everything looks like it was shot with a Keystone 110. However it is sharp on a film body. Same with the Noctilux. My 24mm ASPH is fine on the M8 so it is now my standard lens. I prefer to have made that choice voluntarily and not have to choose from a pool of lenses that actually works on it.
 
My fairly late M8 had (i.e., has) backfocus problems w/all lenses. This was not the case when it was new. Using Tim Jackson's "focus test chart", my M8 focused about 20mm away from the target line with all lenses. It is now in the sick M8 ward at the New Jersey Leica Hospital. I assume the camera responded to a light bump(?) - it appears that the rf mechanism is somewhat more fragile than the M Leica's I am accustomed to using. I strongly recommend Mr. Jacksons test target and methodology.
 
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