RF patch examples

[mike kim]

Does someone have photographic examples of m3/m2 rangefinder patches to compare? Such as the last pic in this site: http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-165.html

My m2 has a dim rangefinder patch. I showed it to a technician and said it was definately not desilvering but humidity, so he tried to clean it without much success, still looking foggy and seeming to lack the "snap" some people talk about Leica RF patches. He said it's quite normal in old Leicas, and that I should not worry... but it's been bugging me for a while now.
It's my first Leica, and I've never handled another one but mine so I hope to get a clear comparison...

I'll try to post a picture of it tomorrow.

 

[mike kim]

Ok, I took some (bad) pics with a digital cam. The viewfinder looks dark, but it's because the pics are awful 😀 . I hope it's useful though...

http://www.mumuki.com/temp/rf1.jpg
http://www.mumuki.com/temp/rf2.jpg
http://www.mumuki.com/temp/rf3.jpg

 

[mike kim]

No one? It can be any kind of RF patch actually... 😱

 

[awilder]

Here's an example of an M3 patch I sold for a gentleman with DOF tabs: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/pho...ull.php?product=1500&bigimage=M3-RF-patch.jpg. Interestingly, this patch is pretty contrasty and clear despite needing a good CLA as it never had one.

 

[mike kim]

Thanks for the photo!
It looks like RF patches are not as contrasty as I thought they would be...

 

[MikeL]

Hi Mike,
Your patch looks good to me. Are you having trouble aligning the patch?

 

[mike kim]

No, no trouble at all Mike... I was just concerned since it's my first Leica and I got it thinking it was in excellent condition. When I showed to the repairman for the CLA he mentioned the dim rangefinder patch and I was overly concerned about it.
I just want to make sure it's normal as the repairman said (for my peace of mind).