Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/02/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ed Leica says, > Youdo not need to go all of the way to infinity but go well past the desired > point of focus so that any slop, backlash, or free play in the focusing and > RF mechanism is out before you reach your point of focus > Greetings, Since I am not a Leica repairman I may be speaking out of place here, but it seems to me that if there is any slop, backlash or free play in the mechanism, that in and of itself would indicate that the rangefinder isn't giving you accurate focusing in either direction. The little wheel that the lens rides on is spring loaded. I don't see how focusing in one direction or the other could make any difference, unless the rangefinder mechanism was all gummed up. It certainly is easy enough to tell whether any slop exists, however. If you sit steady in a chair and focus on a nearby object from the infinity setting of the lens, note down the position of the distance scale on the lens, and then repeat the procedure starting from the near focus setting of the lens, any difference in the position of the focusing ring will indicate the amount of slop in the lens or rangefinder. My 42 year old M3 with 47 year old Summitar lens and screw mount adapter show no slop whatsoever. I doubt that this is a problem with very many Leicas. Peter Jon White