Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The "flare" problem in late Leica viewfinders is where, if your eye moves away from a centred position, the rangefinder patch goes white. This only happens under certain, unfortunately not uncommon, lighting conditions. If you centre your eye the rangefinder patch returns to normal. When in M camera production it first started and what exactly is the cause is not known by me. Several causes have been proposed: I have heard that a condenser lens in the viewfinder was removed during M4-2 production to save money and this caused the problem. This is not correct. The condenser lens was removed during a finder mechanical redesign to accommodate the six frame finder not to save money. I have a early M4-2 with the condenser lens that flares just like my M6TTL and I once had a late M4-2 without the condenser lens that did not flare. I have also heard that the cause is the change in shape of a finder illumination mirror from flat to parabolic. It was supposed to have been changed after the M5. This would imply that all M4-2 and up cameras would have the problem. This is certainly not the case but it is unclear when the mirror might have been changed. The coating of the viewfinder port glass on the late M6TTL and M7 cameras is supposed to have helped (several people have posted that it is much better) but Erwin has said that the problem is not completely solved. That is all I know. John Collier > From: RHaigh5748@aol.com > > Can someone briefly summarize what the problem is with the M7? I have gone > back through the archive but am not quite certain. > Is the new mirror only in the M7 or the TTL? > Does the M7 and the TTL have the same reflective glass? > Will all this delay the M7 in anyway? > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html