RE: [Leica] SL help!

["Patrick G. Sobalvarro" <pgs@sobalvarro.org>]

> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of James
> Burris
>
> I just purchased a SL and while the camera fires perfectly, there seem to
> be some problems with it.  Firstly,  looking through the viewfinder, the
> image appears a little musky (brownish?) in color.  Is that typical for
> these cameras?  I was under the impression that the SL had a very bright
> viewfinder, but this one isn't as bright as my R cameras.

My SLs have brighter screens than my R6 and R6.2.  However, the screens do
have a slight tint to them -- bluish or yellowish.  That's just the way SLs
are.  There is an ugly possibility if your screen is dim: it's possible that
your prism is losing its silver somehow.  I have heard that this can happen,
although I have never seen it.  If this is the case, the only people I know
of who claim to be able to resilver it are in the UK -- send email to
crr.luton@virgin.net or see <http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/page3.html>.
Or Leica can replace it for you, at an outrageous price.

> Also can someone enlighten me as to how the metering system works on these
> cameras and what does that little arm in the viewfinder do?  I suspect
that
> there may be something wrong with the camera's meter as the needle just
sits
> at the top of the viewfinder unless I press the switch and then while I
hole
> it down, it sits at the bottom.  It never stays anywhere in between no
matter
> which shutter/aperature combination I use.

You need a manual.  I recommend the 15th edition Leica Manual, published by
Morgan & Morgan.  It's out of print, but www.amazon.com can do a search for
you.  Also, presumably the Amphoto guide up for auction at EBay
<http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=19928204> would
suffice.  In the meantime, here are some simple instructions.

The button you have been pressing (on the prism housing) is the battery
check switch.  It makes the needle go to the bottom because it is telling
you that your battery is good (it should point at the little dot).  The
meter switch is incorporated into the film-winding lever.  When the wind
lever is all the way over the body, the meter is off.  When you pull it out
some, the meter is on.  So when you want to meter, pull the wind lever out
as though you were going to cock the shutter again.  Leave the button alone
except to check your battery.  Remember to return the wind lever to the
position all the way over the body when you are not using the camera, so as
not to run the battery down.

The little arm in the VF moves when you change the shutter speed or the
aperture.  It essentially moves to a position that tells you a combination
of the shutter speed and aperture setting.  When you turn on the meter, the
needle will move to a position that tells you how much light is entering the
lens (it's actually multiplied by the set film speed, but ignore that).
Your job is to match the needle with the arm by moving the arm.  You move
the arm by changing aperture and shutter speed.  It sounds complicated, but
it's the most natural thing in the world once you do it.

Your meter is a spot meter.  It only meters the central area inside the
circle on the VF.  It falls off very very sharply around that -- more so
than for the R cameras.

Enjoy your SL.  If it turns out you need your prism resilvered, and you
decide to do that, be sure to let the list know how it went.

- -Patrick