Old Leica 50 1.4 on M8

lifevicarious

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I tried out a friends Leica 50 1.4 (not sure which one it was but it was older, didnt have a focus tab) on my M8. I have only used my CV 40 1.4 on it up to this point. I noticed when focusing with the 50, whatever I was focusing on was slightly angled. So if I was focusing on a vertical line, the vertical line in the RF patch was slanted a couple degrees to the left on the bottom. This does not happen with my 40 1.4.

Is this a lens issue or is there something screwy with my RF alignment?

Thanks!
 
Are you saying that one or both vertical lines in the viewfinder were angled? That would be a rangefinder issue, not a lens issue. The only thing that a misaligned lens could do would be to not superimpose on a distant subject as the lens hits the infinity stop. Did you try your 40 again since then? FYI I have an older 50/1.4 and it has worked beautifully on my M8.
 
The vertical line associated with the lens was not vertical. The static vertical line in the patch remained vertical. I have not put my 40 back on but will later this evening.

The angle was pretty pronounced and I'm certain I would have noticed before. And the camera was not dropped or even bumped in the past day or two since my 40 was on it.

What else could throw the RF out of alignment?
 
Try remounting the 50. Click it into position with enough force to hear the click. If it still looks wrong, then check the flange. It may have been dropped and/or bent thus preventing the lens from mounting correctly.

Just a hunch.

Tom
 
lifevicarious, were you lining up a vertical that was perpendicular to you (like a door frame at camera height)?

If you line up a vertical in the viewfinder that is close to you but not perpendicular to you, like a seam on a table or something, parallax will induce a slant in the split image controlled by the lens.
 
lifevicarious, were you lining up a vertical that was perpendicular to you (like a door frame at camera height)?

If you line up a vertical in the viewfinder that is close to you but not perpendicular to you, like a seam on a table or something, parallax will induce a slant in the split image controlled by the lens.

Wouldn't this be the other way around? A door frame at camera height would be parallel vertical lines as they never cross (your body being the oteher vertical line). And on a table that line would intersect therefore being perpendicular. Or am I missing something?

Regardless of what it was called it was a vertical line going from the ground to the sky like a door jamb.
 
Try remounting the 50. Click it into position with enough force to hear the click. If it still looks wrong, then check the flange. It may have been dropped and/or bent thus preventing the lens from mounting correctly.

Just a hunch.

Tom

I'm hoping this was it. It was actually my friend who mounted the lens and he is a bit new to the M8 so I'm hoping he just didn't turn it far enough to fully click in. And I didn't think to check until you mentioned it.

Thanks for the hunch, I will check it out soon.
 
I got home and mounted my 40 1.4 and it was perfect. I then went to my friend and remounted the 50 1.4 and it was fine as well so it looks like you were right Tom! Remounting was what did it.

Thanks!!
 
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