Viewfinder difference between my M3 and M6TTL

[brambor]

I have recently gotten a user M3. Although I like it more than my

M6ttl on most fronts I am somewhat unsure what to think about one

aspect that I thought would be better than M6 - the viewfinder.

 

I expected a flare free view finder. My M3 viewfinder seems to flare

just as much if not more than my M6 ttl.

 

So my question is: could it just be a deterioration due to the age of

the camera or was my asumption of flare free viewfinder in M3 erroneous?

[albert_smith]

The youngest M3 is pretty old now. I had two M3s that were somewhat hazy in the finders, which flared when light hit directly into the eye-piece. Both were made very clear and contrasty when I sent them in for CLAs. upon the return of the first one, I looked through the finder and was stunned at how clear and bright it was... so much so that I had to check the serial number because I was sure it could not possibly be the same camera. It was, and I quickly sent in the second to be CLA'ed, and it too came back in a greatly improved condition.

 

Don't judge the M3 based on a single example in "user" condition. Put some money into a good CLA and you might be surprised at how good it is.

[brambor]

Thanks Albert. I might just do that :-) These two cameras are after all used for 90% of my shooting.

[al_kaplan1]

I wash the inside of the windows on my truck every two or three years also.

[pensacolaphoto]

Al: I depend on rainfall to take care of car washing for me ;-)

[ben z]

Rene, some people use the word "flare" to refer to the way the rangefinder patch in an M6 goes very bright and opaque when light is incoming from a certain angle. "Whiteout" is probably a better term because it isn't flare in the same sense as lens flare seen through an SLR, or finder flare caused by haze or fogging of the finder elements. The M6 whiteout aka flare is caused by light reflecting off the mirror that directs light onto the frameline masks. The M3 has no such arrangement, the masks are parallel to the opalescent window.

 

What I have seen on older M3s is if you look at the front finder window it has what looks like a layer of crazing (like what old varnish looks like on furniture). That can certainly play havoc with the incoming light. According to the repair guys, almost all flare or dimness problems with the M3 rangefinder can be remedied by a proper internal cleaning. My user M3 was overhauled by DAG before I got it, and the finder is clear as a bell.

[ajor_..]

Yeah, but a carwash costs $3; not $300! And usually, I can do 'em myself!