[Leica] IIIf rangefinder contrast

[emu <ernestmurphy@mac.com>]

Finding those tiny round colored filters made for IIIf rangefinder windows can be iffy, at best.

In my IIIf days  22 years ago -- that was my very first Leica, and I wish I still had it -- someone suggested a more doable alternative, which worked fine for me. 

Go to an arts-and-crafts supply store or a florist and buy a sheet of colored cellophane. It's used in floral arranging, etc. Some prefer yellow, orange or green, I used red. Take it home, cut out a tiny round piece of the appropriate size -- precision isn't important, but it needs to be slightly bigger than the rangefinder window itself. Unscrew the little ring around the circular window that provides the smaller rangefinder image -- that's the one on the left as you look toward the front of the camera. Carefully place the bit of cellophane over the window and screw the ring back on so that the ring holds the cellophane in position. Instant improvement in rangefinder-image contrast.

Ernest Murphy