Re: [Leica] 40 Summicron Mystery

[Dennis Painter <dpainter@bigfoot.com>]

Jlaird@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Maybe someone can solve this mystery for me. Recently bought a 40mm Summicron
> for my M3 even though I'd heard the CL lenses might not function well with
> bodies other than the CL and CLE, but I love the 40mm slightly wide focal
> length, always have. So I took the plunge and wouldn't you know it, some of
> the 'bad' things I heard came true. Rangefinder patch off at infinity and at
> the close end too. Just stopped moving at about 3 feet. I doubt if there's
> any problem with my M3, it just came back from a thorough CLA by Sherry
> Krauter and all my other lenses work perfectly. So, I thought, all those
> stories are true.
> 
> Well...just got an M2 the other day...recently CLA'd by Leica. Mounted the
> 40mm and it works perfectly on the M2. Perfect at infinity and close.
> Naturally I was elated, I bought the M2 for it's lower mag finder to use the
> wider lenses, but I just don't get it. Why would the 40mm work perfectly with
> one Leica and not the other? Any clues?
> 
> Jim L

I believe that someone previously posted that the position of the RF
roller in the M camera body can vary and that Sherry said about 1 in 10
M bodies did not work with the CL lenses.

You might search the archives for this but I think there is a difference
in the two bodies you have tried. 

Try another M body ;)

Dennis