Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/06/13

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Subject: Re: [Leica] close focus rangefinder setting
From: "A.H.SCHMIDT" <horst.schmidt@actek.com.au>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 00:18:58 +1000

Edward Berger wrote:

> I recently traded in my 35mm f/2 Summicron for the ASPH version.  I noticed
> that with both lenses on the M6, you can turn the focus lever beyond the
> 0.7 m setting which is supposed to be the minimum focus range for these
> lenses.  The rangefinder, however, does not function past the 0.7 marking.
>  I called Leica to make sure that this wasn't a rangefinder problem.  Their
> service manager assured me that this is normal, and that if you want to
> experiment, you can actually determine how much closer than 0.7m you can
> get.  It seems to me that this is rather inconvenient.  You can't simply
> turn the focus lever clockwise until it stops and then move the camera back
> and forth to arrive at the closest focus distance because you will be
> beyond the range of the rangefinder.  To achieve closest verifiable focus,
> it seems you have to set the distance at 0.7m (the point at which the
> rangefinder takes effect) before moving in and out to focus.  Has anyone
> else encountered this problem, or have I misunderstood something?
>
> Ed

  Ed.

This is quite normal with the Leica range finder models. Some wide-angle lenses
have the focusing marks to even closer distances, but the range finder cam in
the M-models goes down to only 0.7m or on the M3 with the Summaron and
spectacles to 0.65m.  The Dual range Summicron is an exception.

Regards,   Horst Schmidt