More expertise needed in adjusting RF in M digital vs M film?

[peter_n]

Another word for Steve, he is fantastic and does terrific work. WRT the 90mm ASPH I heard that Leica were thinking about a new version with a floating element. I sold mine for a pre-ASPH E55 because my ASPH wasn't that great with close-ups.

 

[yossarian123]

I posted a thread about this earlier - I sent mine to DAG and he adjusted the RF. This helped a lot with most of my lenses. There are still a couple of problem lenses though - my Canon 50/1.4 still front focuses so I've been compensating with it by moving focus forward just a hair. It seems to work pretty well in practice. So with my M9 my problems seemed to be a combination of lenses and camera.

 

[ymc226]

the 90 Cron Asph is a tricky one (that's why they were in such short supply -- there had been rumours that they were going to make a new one, but nothing came of it that i know of). to be sure, with that particular lens, i think only Solms has the proper machinery to adjust it.

it does sound like your camera is definitely off! you will be so so happy and amazed when it it's adjusted properly 🙂

I didn't know that the 90 cron ASPH needed special equipment only available at Solms. Do you know if the 75 cron ASPH falls into the same category?

 

[ymc226]

definitely give him a ring. he is able to work quickly but, he's also human and may be away. it would probably help to tell him what you'll be bringing and what time-frame you need it fixed by. he's very accommodating, but it never hurts to make a sort of appointment so that he'll be in the shop.

btw, it's located pretty close to the airport so, if you can, i'd drop it off straight away (unless you're landing off-hours).

good luck!

Good idea. I'll call him today to see how many lenses he can work on in a few days. Grew up in Santa Monica so happy to use someone "local."

 

[furcafe]

Yeah, compared to my experience, it sounds like your problem is w/the camera, too, not just the lenses. With my "modern" (post-1980) lenses (Leica & non-Leica), even the notoriously tricky Noctilux @ f/1 & the 75 'lux @ f/1.4, they were spot on @ close ranges (minimum focus distance to 10m, which is easily 90% of my photography) on both the M8 & M9. And not all of my vintage lenses are out of spec: the 5cm/1.4 Nikkor-S in LTM & Canon 35/2, for example, focused perfectly.

I often wish my problem was w/the bodies, as that would be less work for me, but I can always shoot film w/the lenses giving me trouble. On the plus side for the new digital M is the focus peaking option; we'll see how that works out. It would be cool if Leica could someday incorporate some kind of in-body focus adjustment that could be done by the owner, like current dSLRs.

I wish I could tell for sure which side (camera or lenses) are off; maybe both.

Just recently got the 50 lux ASPH brand new from a dealer and it seemed highly soft. I only got it as forum members were gushing about how tack sharp it was. I brought it immediately to Leica NJ and while I waited, the tech did confirm it was retrofocusing significantly. It took 2-3 weeks to get it back and that was a rush job. They were very good and responsive.

I tested it last night and it still retrofocuses but much less. The 35 cron ASPH that I just got also seems very, very soft no matter how carefully I focus, even with a 1.25 VF magnifier. Again, retro focuses alot. Out of the 10 ASPH M lenses I have, all purchased new from authorized Leica dealers in the last few years, the majority appear to retrofocus slightly so I think the camera is off a bit. There is a 90 cron ASPH that I bought used that does front focus slightly. Maybe that would worsen if the camera was adjusted so I'll bring that in to be checked.

 

[cam]

I didn't know that the 90 cron ASPH needed special equipment only available at Solms. Do you know if the 75 cron ASPH falls into the same category?

i was told this about the 90 by several people... it's the one lens i own that has the more modern look (i typically prefer pre-asph, Mandler, etc.) and i've rarely been able to get that "look" out of this lens, sigh... it' is a matter of micro-adjustments from what i've heard.

the 75 Cron is a different beast altogether and should be no trouble adjusting.

 

[furcafe]

Ha, I do have an absurdly large collection of 50s that I rotate through. They're like peanuts or potato chips--can't have just 1.

20 regularly used lenses? i think i want to come and have a play in your closet 😛

 

[ymc226]

I'd like to post when I get home tonight my test shots to see if people agree about my lenses that I think are slightly off.

Can someone tell me how to (using Lightroom)

1. post a Jpeg here on the forum
2. size limit on the jpeg
3. how to crop a magnified view of the picture so it shows up in an enlarged view (would be helpful with my 28 and 35mm lenses)