Aligning eyes for 135mm 2.8 Elmarit

I just purchased a beautiful 135 2.8 Elmarit-M. The eyes appear to

be out of adjustment. How do I get these set up properly? Thanks.

I just purchased a 135/3/2.8-M from a US company and the vertical alignment

was off. It would have been a real hassle to try and return the lens to the

vender what with duties and brokerage fees so I decided to adjust it myself. It

is very simple to do. You need a set of jeweler's screwdrivers, a tripod, a

locking cable release and a 35mm focusing screen. I used an old K screen I

had lying around from a Nikon F2.

 

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This procedure is for the later lenses with the eyes cast with the lens body. I

have not examined an earlier lens with the goggles that attach by screws. The

early lens may or may not be similar.

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First remove the back of the M camera by removing the baseplate and sliding

the hinge pin on the left side of the back. It will have a small post you can

move with your finger or a phillips screw head you can move with the point of

a pen. Put the baseplate back on and mount the camera/ lens on the tripod.

Use the tripod mounting screw on the lens. Set the shutter to B and lock it

open with the cable release. Frame something at least two kilometers away

and use the ground glass screen to check if the camera framelines are

properly indicating the center of the negative area. Check to see how the

rangefinder images line up. We will assume that both need adjusting.

 

To adjust the frameline position at infinity, remove the two large adjusting port

cap screws on either side of the finder ocular on the metal plate covering the

rear of the goggles. Adjust the lens by turning BOTH adjusting screws. Always

turn the "loosening" screw first and turn each screw by equal amounts. When

you are done, put the cap screws back in.

 

To adjust the coincidence of the rangefinder images, remove the two black

wax plugs over the adjusting screws at the bottom and side of the round

rangefinder ocular. They work against the rear element. Now remove the four

small screws around the viewfinder ocular and the three small screws around

the rangefinder ocular. Lift off the metal plate. The rear element of the

rangefinder ocular is now free and can fall out so be careful. Now you can see

how the flat metal spring and the two set screws are able to move the rear

element. Mount the lens back on the camera and the assembly back on the

tripod. Again focus on infinity and use the set screws to adjust the rangefinder

images so they line up. You may have to rotate the rear element to get the

proper adjustment. When adjusted correctly, replace the metal plate as this

secures the rear element. Now double check your adjustment again. DO NOT

ATTEMPT TO ADJUST THE SET SCREWS UNLESS THE REAR METAL

PLATE IS LOOSE. When satisfied, plug the adjustment holes with either black

crayon or black candle wax.

 

Put the camera back back on and pat your self on the back for being such a

clever fellow.

John, thank you for the excellent response. Unfortunately, it sounds like it is more difficult than I had anticipated. However, I got a great deal on the lens (it is the version with the fixed eyes), and this may be a good rainy day project. - Ed