Leica LTM Small but expensive niggle

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
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thanatos

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So I received my IIIf back from Leica after a RF mirror resilvering and CLA. The local camera shop I took it to acted as go-between. The whole shebang cost 239GBP.

The first lens I put on it was my J8. I thought it strange that the distance scale was postioned on the bottom of the lens and the aperture scale off to one side but couldn't remember whether that was a quirk of the J8 fitting onto the IIIf. Anyway, I exchanged lenses for my 50mm collapsible Summar and that was all wonky too.

As an experiment I detached the threaded mount from the camera body and turned it thru 180deg and found that both lenses were back in their correct positions.

Not a major thing - and I know that 'these things happen' - but for that much money and from a (the?) premium camera company, I'd have expected some attention to detail.

Hey ho.
 
hmm... do you have official leica documentation for the corrections made??? I heard of a place in FL a while back that was doing repairs in-house, and charging them as if they were sent out to the Manufacturer.
 
I'd think that it should be possible to just unscrew the 4 screws on the lensmount and then rotate the camera 180 degrees and re-screw it on, no? Of course, I'd spend a roll of film on it to check the registration distances by focusing and rulers and the such...
 
thanatos said:
...I detached the threaded mount from the camera body and turned it thru 180deg and found that both lenses were back in their correct positions.
Click to expand...

That's what I did, Erik.











EDIT: That isn't supposed to be as tetchy as it sounds...
 
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that is a very pricey CLA.
Ash mentioned that CRR charges 160 GBP for a CLA and a mirror replacement.
 
wow, that is a serious lapse in attention to detail....and for such an expensive CLA?!

But, I am glad you solved it without further hassle or expense.

Thomas
 
thanatos said:
As an experiment I detached the threaded mount from the camera body and turned it thru 180deg and found that both lenses were back in their correct positions.
Click to expand...

If you look at the side of the lens mount at the 9:00 position you should see a line. That is the alignment mark used when replacing the mount.

Whoever replaced it either was not paying attention or didn't know what he was doing.
 
colyn said:
If you look at the side of the lens mount at the 9:00 position you should see a line. That is the alignment mark used when replacing the mount.
Click to expand...
I learn something new here all the time. Thanks colyn. One of mine has the "0" at the top of the mount and one doesn't, but both have the line.
 
CVBLZ4 said:
I learn something new here all the time. Thanks colyn. One of mine has the "0" at the top of the mount and one doesn't, but both have the line.
Click to expand...

You are welcome..

The original interchangeable lens Leicas had to have lens modified to work properly on that body since the register had not been standardized. When Leitz went to a register of 28.8mm they engraved the "O" to indicate it was a standardized mount. They eventually did away with it but used up what they already had on hand.
 
colyn said:
You are welcome..

The original interchangeable lens Leicas had to have lens modified to work properly on that body since the register had not been standardized. When Leitz went to a register of 28.8mm they engraved the "O" to indicate it was a standardized mount. They eventually did away with it but used up what they already had on hand.
Click to expand...

I thought that leica was 27.8mm and FSU was 28.8... am I missing something?
 
Makes me wonder! I hope they shimmed the mount correctly for the correct register. Were there paper shims under the mounting flange when you reversed it to the correct orientation?
 
ChrisN said:
Makes me wonder! I hope they shimmed the mount correctly for the correct register. Were there paper shims under the mounting flange when you reversed it to the correct orientation?
Click to expand...

I never seen a Leica with paper shims under the flange.
My understanding is Leitz produced each part to exact specs..
 
No shims, and yes there was a line at 12 o'clock when it should have been 6 o'clock.

And I found out about the good-deal-CLA after the camera had gone off to Leica. I'll remember that in 15 years time when it's due another one ;)
 
colyn said:
I never seen a Leica with paper shims under the flange.
My understanding is Leitz produced each part to exact specs..
Click to expand...


Aahhh - that's good to know! I remember finding shims under the flange on my Zorki, but I guess they are not built to quite the same tolerances!
 
My Leica IIIa has shims. Leica certainly used them then.

I'm with ChrisN, Leica owes you a re-check of the spacing of the lens mount, since they clearly didn't have it in the right position.

What's alleged to be possibly different about the FSU cameras is the nominal focal length of the normal lens that the rangefinder is calibrated for. The Zeiss lenses they copied were about a millimeter longer in focal length than Leitz's lenses.
 
I received excellent service on a CLA and shutter fix from Steve's Camera (I think, but maybe Steve Camera) in Culver City, CA. $238 USD.
 
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