[Leica] Leica lens CLA costs in Japan--front-focussing 90 Summicron (Canada)

[Peter Cheyne]

Thanks guys,

Sonny,

That's helpful to know that most Leica lenses don't need/take shims, as now
I don't need to be wondering why that repair man doesn't just suggest a
shim.

Dante,

That's a tempting idea––not go ahead with the repair and just try the
scotch tape on the cam test, then use four coats of nail varnish if the
tape works. That would mean––just checking––that I'd coat with nail varnish
on the inside (nearer to the viewer) of the bayonet at the 12 o'clock
position in this photo, yes?

http://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/images/90mm-f2/silber/D3S_9778-1200.jpg

And I should put the varnish on in such a way as to push the roller
slightly, I take it.

This is much simpler than the repair man's suggested fix. He says the 3cm
front-focusing problem cannot be solved with normal adjustments, so he will
adjust the lens barrel. As a result, the position of the black
dot indicator on the aperture ring will become incorrect "according to the
screwing relationship", so he will fill that in and make a new black dot.

He then says, the center of the indicator will be shifted as seen from the
lens side. Therefore, he set a new black point pointing to the diaphragm.
The original black spots are putty, and his method will be slightly
different.

I'm torn between asking the repair man to just send back my lens unadjusted
for me to try Dante's idea, or just giving him the $200 and asking him to
do what he suggests (although I don't quite understand what he says he will
do, partly because of the language barrier). I am slightly worried because
initially he said the lens focus was perfectly fine, but I think it is
quite obvious that it is not.

Leica Japan replaced my M9 sensor a couple of months ago, and I have been
so busy with work and family that I have barely touched the camera in the
interim. So it is safe t assume the sensor is placed accurately and the RF
is fine. Moreover, my three other Leica lenses, plus my Voightlander all
still focus spot-on, same as they did before, while the 90 Summicron is off
by as much as it ever has been in the last couple of years.


Does anyone here know about the barrel adjustment to correct focus?

Mark K.,

You ask if it's the element or the cam. I think it looks like the repair
man thinks it's the element, seeing as he is talking of adjusting the
barrel. My  knowledge and understanding are so limited that I have no idea
why that would make a difference. I mean, if it is the element that is out
of alignment, couldn't a cam adjustment rectify that (effectively) anyway?

I'd like to get some more advice & opinions from the LUG, then I'll let the
repair man know what I decide.

Spending an hour here and there on my concern over getting a lens to focus
correctly for hobby use makes me realize how relatively fortunate most of
us reading this are.

Peter