Re: [Leica] LUG -- what's the point?

["Jeff S" <segawa@netone.com>]

- -----Original Message-----
From: Pieter Bras <pieter@world.std.com>
>So what's the point of the LUG these days?  Is it to provide mutual- and
>self-gratification for a few old-timers?  Does anyone with any knowledge
>to share still bother to read (never mind to answer) a serious question
>from a newcomer

Congratulations, Pieter, you've just learned the first guideline of email
discussion groups, which is that controversy generates responses :-)

The LUG serves to entertain it's members, and to assure us that, nutty as we
may all be for spending so much money on such itty bitty little cameras,
there is method to the madness, and we're not alone!

If you really want to test your rangefinder (and viewfinder framing
accuracy) you might do this: Get an old viewscreen or groundglass, and tape
it at the camera's focal plane, frosted side facing forward. Focus the
camera using the rangefinder, then verify (using a loupe) that in fact, the
image at the focal plane is a match. Might want to try this at close range
and infinity. Might also want to try this with multiple lenses, in order to
verify that any errors do, in fact, lie within the camera body. Testing the
rangefinder in isolation, I have no ideas handy and I don't have access to
my service manuals right now.