[Leica] RF Flare, was: Solms repairs (for the record)

[Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net>]

Daniel:  I remember my feeling when I started using my M4-P in difficult 
lighting:  "Sheesh, my old M2 never flared like this!" followed by, "How 
the <expletive> am I supposed to focus this thing?"

Apart from getting the M7, or whatever viewfinder retrofit that Leica may 
eventually provide, there are a few things that can make the flare less 
troublesome.

1.  "The Shade," made by a Swiss fellow named Lutz Konermann.  I believe he 
is taking some time off from *making* new stuff, but when I wrote him a 
couple of months ago, he had some "Shades" still available.  Write him at 
lutzkonermann@compuserve.com and see.  The Shade is made of material that 
restricts light at certain angles.  It does dim the bright lines in the 
viewfinder some.  It does alleviate the flare, noticeably, but not completely.

2. A material similar to that used in the Shade is available 
commercially.  Check the LUG archives.  We discussed it some time back.

3. A colored gel over the illuminator window makes it easier to recognize 
the flare and change your eye position or angle of view slightly.

4. A piece of black tape partially covering the illuminator window.

5. A black cardboard "awning" around the top and sides of both the RF and 
illuminator windows.  You can stick it on with double-stick foam or 
similar.  I found these very effective, but they kept falling off as the 
camera went in and out of the bag.

6.  Wear a hat with a big brim while shooting.

7.  Get a Hexar RF or a Bessa R or R2. They don't flare.   Hexar:  Dimmer 
viewfinder, .6x.  Bessa: Short base RF, but an incredible bright viewfinder 
with good eye relief for glasses wearers.  Too bad it's basically a cheap 
SLR with this wonderful VF grafted on.

8.  Find a junker M3 with a broken shutter but a good viewfinder.  (good 
luck!) Get a repairman to do a transplant.

No, we shouldn't have to do this stuff with an expensive camera.  Yes, it 
stinks.  Yes, this problem has been around for over 20 years, and it's 
unbelievable that it has taken Leica this long to even acknowledge it, no 
less deal with it.  That's reality.  As mad as this problem made me, I'm 
still a Leica guy.

- --Peter Klein
Seattle, WA

At 03:28 PM 7/16/02 -0700, Daniel wrote:
>Ahhh ... no. The "problem" I described previously can be summarized: Leitz
>made really good stuff. Leica makes good stuff. They put good stuff in my
>really good camera. I've never used a Leica after M4 so I wasn't aware of
>the degeneration of quality in Leica products. I got top notch present day
>Leica quality. It's just that it doesn't cut the mustard by older standards.
>Live and learn.
>
>No, my M3 is not the same camera nor is it anywhere as good as it used to
>be. I guess I was just spoiled with the old M3 and the M4. I hadn't been
>following the "spam" about flares and all of that so I hadn't a clue that
>there was a problem.
>
>I should have b**ched immediately. (For the longest time I thought the
>problem must be with me.) Then there might have been time to back-track. I
>suppose I could pick up a 24mm Voigtlander lens and dedicate the camera to
>it. :)
>
>I've run a roll of film through it. Focusing is a pain. I just hope it's
>accurate.
>
>Daniel
>


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