Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]John und Patrick Dare I ask, what is a "vertical alignment tool"? Jerry Patrick Jelliffe wrote: > The dedicated cyclist knows how, or figures out how, > to fix any mechanical problem on the road. Well done, > John. You have more courage than I. > > Patrick > > --- John Collier <jbcollier@shaw.ca> wrote: > > For the last few years I have taken to wearing a > > vertical alignment > > tool around my neck as a talisman against evil. It > > has been remarkable > > successful with no misalignment during that time. > > You might say that I > > got cocky. You might say that I forget from whence I > > came. The > > resulting struggle in my somewhat dim evening of the > > soul has freed me > > forever from the tyranny of rangefinder coddling. I > > sit before you, > > clacking away. a changed man, a humbler man; but > > more sure of myself > > and my abilities. > > > > It all started innocently enough: a nice surfing > > holiday in Tofino with > > a good friend of mine. I packed light so as to do > > the all carry-on > > thing. A small pack and a hip bag for the camera. I > > only brought the > > 0.58x with a 24 and a 35. My new to driving daughter > > agreed to getting > > up early -- hard to believe but true: a seventeen > > year old can get up > > early -- to give me a ride to the airport. So far so > > good except that I > > decided to leave my alignment tool behind as another > > sacrifice to the > > weight gods. We jumped in the car, down the drive > > way and, > > unfortunately, a curb leapt out and smacked the back > > wheel destroying > > the tire. I frowned at my daughter and quickly > > ordered a cab. > > > > In this somewhat agitated state, I threw my bags > > into the taxi. The > > sickening clunk that concluded the arrival of my > > camera bag at the > > boot's floor, had me inwardly cursing. I knew that > > clunk. That was the > > clunk of a camera with a misaligned rangefinder; and > > me without my > > alignment tool! Sure enough when I got to the > > airport, the superimposed > > image was almost fully halfway to completely missing > > its target. OH > > POOP! My only comfort being that my wides could be > > moderately easily > > scale focused. Sigh. > > > > While waiting for the ferry, I came to a decision. > > If a knock can put > > it out of alignment, why the h*** couldn't another > > put it back in. So > > there I sat by the ocean, beating the stuffing out > > of my 0.58x. I am > > sure it was only the ferry's arrival that allowed me > > to narrowly miss > > being arrested and locked up for this heinous crime. > > Parents herded > > their small children back into their cars and > > cranked up the > > Teletubbies soundtrack to drown the screams and, in > > vain, pleadings of > > my poor camera. However, no word of a lie, it > > worked! I hit the camera > > on the RW and the superimposed image dropped a > > little low. A few more > > biffs to the top plate and it was perfectly aligned. > > > > So the next time you are out and about and your > > finder is bent out of > > shape, just whack it back in place. Remember that > > this only applies to > > late M4-2 cameras and up. The earlier cameras have a > > simple vertical > > alignment adjustment located behind the cover screw > > just above the lens > > mount. > > > > NEVER NEVER hit a M2 or M3 camera. The finder is > > held together with > > Canadian Balsam and this deteriorates with time. A > > good knock could > > cause the finder to separate and black out. > > > > Cheers, > > > > John Collier > > > > -- > > To unsubscribe, see > http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! > http://sbc.yahoo.com > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html