Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/07/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 06:29 PM 7/25/01 -0400, B. D. Colen wrote: >As I understand it, it may have more to do with age, than with whether >they built them better....According to Sherry Krauter, those with serial >numbers above 96x,xxx are much less likely to be running into >rangefinder viewfinder problems - the equivalent for an M of pancreatic >CA.... I'm not certain I'd agree with this. "[M]uch less likely" might have some editorial spin on it. Later cameras aren't as old. I am relatively certain that the design of the M3 VF remained constant through the production run, with the exception of the mechanical linkages necessary for the preview doohickey (785,801) and the DOF notches (919,251). The RF mechanisms are pretty tough and I've never had one go bad in an M3 (though I've had two M4's whose RF's gave up the ghost). But rebuilt units are NLA -- the M4 RF is a DX item, but you have to find a craftsman interested enough to remake an M3 RF, an expensive chore. There are work-arounds, but none are totally satisfactory. Marc msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 Cha robh bąs fir gun ghrąs fir!