Rangefinder focusing question...

[Ara Ghajanian]

I just bought my first rangefinder a month ago (Leica M6 Classic) and I have a question about the focusing. It seems that the rangefinder image never really lines up perfectly. It is usually a tiny bit off. I thought this might be due to the fact that I might not be perfectly square to a subject, but I'm not sure. Is this just how it is or do I need an adjustment?
Ara

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[NL2377]

I have found, at least w/ other older rangefinders, that if you dont have your eye square to the rangefinder patch, that it wont align perfectly... I'm not sure how this is on the M cameras, though... as I am awaiting my new 40/1.4 lens to come in!

 

[Xmas]

Ara

see bottom link for M3...

http://www.mediajoy.com/en/lrc/index.html

Alas your M6 is post the change part way through the m4-2 run and you are supposed to use a leitz special tool for one of the adjustments, rather then a screwdriver, not got a M this young so cannot confirm.

Noel

 

[ffttklackdedeng]

Ara

see bottom link for M3...

http://www.mediajoy.com/en/lrc/index.html

Alas your M6 is post the change part way through the m4-2 run and you are supposed to use a leitz special tool for one of the adjustments, rather then a screwdriver, not got a M this young so cannot confirm.

Noel

Great link! Thank you!!

 

[pvdhaar]

I just bought my first rangefinder a month ago (Leica M6 Classic) and I have a question about the focusing. It seems that the rangefinder image never really lines up perfectly. It is usually a tiny bit off. I thought this might be due to the fact that I might not be perfectly square to a subject, but I'm not sure. Is this just how it is or do I need an adjustment?
Ara

Before you start poking screwdrivers into a camera, there's a couple of things to check first..

1. Make sure your eye is indeed centered behind the finder. Moving up or down gives the impression of vertical misalignment while it isn't so..

2. Be aware that the rangefinder is a very acute measuring device. If you don't keep the axis exactly perpendicular to the subject, you'll see the double image at a different angle from the viewfinder image. A single line would appear like an X in the rf patch.. The sharper the angle, the more cross like the line appears... Straight on it's straight again.

Only if you've eliminated the above two as causes for apparent misalignment, is it time to think about an adjustment..

 

[MadMan2k]

Rangefinders can show depth of field, but not the same way as an SLR, I wonder if that's what you're seeing? Like with foliage, if you focus on one branch there might be something behind it that looks similar, which comes out of alignment, and it gets really confusing to focus on things like that. If there's more than one line in the patch, and they're at different distances, only one can be aligned at a time too.

It can be hard to focus on a round thing up close, because if you get the edge in focus the front won't be, so it'll look screwy in the viewfinder.

 

[mad_boy]

Best way to test it is at night against the stars.

If there is a vertical mis-alignment you will easily see (stars not exactly ending up one on top of the other).
If that is the case, adjustment is the cure or alternatively the famous
'whack' which I thichk was Frank's solution.

mad_boy (But not mad enough to try the Whack procedure!)

 

[aad]

Have you ever had an out of focus picture? That's what I'd check.