How to adjust focus

[Steve Fines]

Hi,

I've had no problems with my M9 and 21 lux or CV 50/1.1.

Santa brought a new 50 noct for the holidays. After a few days of being sure I just needed more technique I decided to pull out a focus chart.

It seemed to confirm exactly what my photos were showing - focus a few cm in front of the subject.

My question - To get this fixed do I have to send in my camera and all the lenses? Just the noct?

I'd obviously prefer just to exchange the new lens, but the waiting lists are months, and so fixing it seems not unreasonable.

thanks for your thoughts,

 

[Paratom]

Safest way is to send it in together with the camera. But I have also sent in lenses (my 50/1.4asph for example) without body (as long as you know your bdy works fine) and told my experience and they fixed it. By the way my new 35/1.4asph does slightly backfocus. I will send it in without my M9 because I dont want to stay without the camera. Right now I even will wait some time because I like shooting wth the new lens and if I just turn the focus ring a little to the right (in your case to the left) after focusing I can hit focus nearly spot on. Is this a 0.95 or a 1.0 Noctilux?

 

[Steve Fines]

Hi,

I feel exactly the same way - just got it and the last thing I want to do is lose my camera as well for a few weeks.

Just tried giving it an ever so slight turn to the left after focusing and the focus chart then looks perfect.

It is a 0.95.

I've been reading on the forums about turning a 2mm allen bolt in the body to adjust focus. All is under warranty and I'd hate to nix that, but if that's all they'll do in Solms I'm sure I could manage too.

 

[Bob Parsons]

Steve, Just before Christmas my M9 and new 0.95 Nocti were sent to Solms. With near subjects the combination had back focus and distant subjects had front focus. This was confirmed by Leica in the UK. All my other lenses such as the old Nocti and 50mm Summilux seemed OK on the M9 body. So I'm somewhat apprehensive in case the body gets adjusted.

I'm told Solms are taking the problem very seriously since it involves the new 0.95. The lens has such good resolution at full aperture that any focus errors are immediately apparent. Maybe the camera body does have a problem but it's not visible with my other lenses because of their smaller aperture and/or lower resolution. I expect to get the items back in the next 2 weeks.

Bob.

 

[Godfrey]

... M9 and new 0.95 Nocti were sent to Solms. With near subjects the combination had back focus and distant subjects had front focus. This was confirmed by Leica in the UK. All my other lenses such as the old Nocti and 50mm Summilux seemed OK on the M9 body. ...

That sounds like a problem with the rangefinder cam on the lens ... sounds to me like it is formed incorrectly, rather than incorrectly positioned, because the focusing error changes from near to far. If the cam were simply indexed wrong on the lens, the focusing error should be consistent.

I had one lens like that years ago, a Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH bought new. Leica service in New Jersey took the lens in and fitted a replacement rangefinder cam. I didn't send a body in (I had both an M6 TTL and an M4-P, it showed the same problems on both bodies). No problem after it was returned.

 

[Paratom]

Hi,

I feel exactly the same way - just got it and the last thing I want to do is lose my camera as well for a few weeks.

Just tried giving it an ever so slight turn to the left after focusing and the focus chart then looks perfect.

It is a 0.95.

I've been reading on the forums about turning a 2mm allen bolt in the body to adjust focus. All is under warranty and I'd hate to nix that, but if that's all they'll do in Solms I'm sure I could manage too.

I know other had good experience with the Allen key.
I tried it once on a M8 and after I had corrected for one lens the others didnt work right plus you have to see if its theinfinity correction or a general focus correction. I felt all lost and sent the wholepackage to Leica.
So in my case: I will let Leica do that work and would recommend the same to you.

 

[jaapv]

Hi,

I feel exactly the same way - just got it and the last thing I want to do is lose my camera as well for a few weeks.

Just tried giving it an ever so slight turn to the left after focusing and the focus chart then looks perfect.

It is a 0.95.

I've been reading on the forums about turning a 2mm allen bolt in the body to adjust focus. All is under warranty and I'd hate to nix that, but if that's all they'll do in Solms I'm sure I could manage too.

That is certainly not all they do. Leica will match the lens up to a reference body and test at a number of different distances. The RF mechanism has four adjustment point, of which two are mosty used for distance adjustment. These work together, so adjusting one influences the other. You can imagine that this is rather elaborate to adjust and as DIY suitable for dedicated tinkerers only. The Allen Key adjustment is fine as a rough-and-and ready emergency adjustment,but is likely to throw the whole system out. If it is just the lens that is out of adjustment there is no need to send the body in.

 

[Steve Fines]

Thanks all.

My M9 arrived from the factory with a stuck frameline adjustment lever as well, but again at the time there were no others available so I decided to live with it for a while.

Now with two strikes I guess it is time to end it in.

Jaap - thanks for the info - I'll limit my allen key usage to the thumbs-up adjustment.

I have a third lens on order, expected in a few weeks. I'm going to wait until it arrives and then send the whole lot in together. With some more internet reading it seems that needing to do this, while not the norm, is not terribly uncommon either. Likely just a product of the markedly increased demand they've had.

 

[Per Ofverbeck]

Steve, I second (third, fourth ?) those who advise against touching the camera body if just one lens is off. Just for reference, here is one of the most comprehensive texts on RF adjustment outside the Leica M 9 Service Manual (go down to post 8 or so, if you´re in a hurry).

As for myself, I wouldn´t dream of trying unless stranded on a desert island....

 

[JohnW]

Steve, not to state the obvious, but are you sure your testing procedure is accurate? The reason I ask is, I thought my setup had the same issue, but when I tested it on a tripod with good lighting, it was right on.

John

 

[Steve Fines]

Steve, not to state the obvious, but are you sure your testing procedure is accurate? The reason I ask is, I thought my setup had the same issue, but when I tested it on a tripod with good lighting, it was right on.

John

Hey John - good thought.

In my first hundred or so photos it was clear on many that I had missed the focus. On faces the tip of the nose or the glasses were sharp, but not the eyes. I did that focus chart shot with a tripod, and given that it pretty much exactly matched the errors I was seeing in the photos I suspect it is correct.

 

[JimCollum]

Info on how to do it can be found at

http://leica.nemeng.com/034b.shtml


(proceed at your own risk...)

 

[jaapv]

If you really want to do it yourself, in here you'll find the rangefinder explained, with all five(!) adjustment points...
http://www.pentax-manuals.com/manuals/service/leica_m2_service.pdf

 

[mathomas]

I love my Ms (M8, M2), but something tells me the system is flawed when the supposed best (and most expensive) rangefinder bodies and lenses in the known universe (i.e., M9/Lux) have to be sent in, brand new, to be adjusted.

That would really chap my hide to have to do that. Here's wishing your adjustments are free, accurate, and quick.

 

[jaapv]

Come on, this is a mechanical, handbuilt system,. If you get a new Ferrari be sure you will be fiddling with the adjustments for quite a while before you have it perfect.

 

[mathomas]

Come on, this is a mechanical, handbuilt system,. If you get a new Ferrari be sure you will be fiddling with the adjustments for quite a while before you have it perfect.

You know, I spent a while writing what I thought was a reasoned response to this, but then I decided ... nah, waste of time.

Best of luck with your fix Steve. Again, I hope it's quick and accurate.

 

[jaapv]

:cussing::ROTFL::ROTFL::ROTFL: