Help! Did an old lens wreck my nice new R3M's rangefinder?

[willy_boots]

<p>Hi all,<br>

Yesterday I just received an old collapsible 90mm Leica F4 collapsible elmar. I threw it on my almost brand-new Voigtlander R3M to test this morning. I went out shooting with it and my Voigtlander 50mm f2 Heliar to compare how they rendered the same scene and things like that. At first I didn't notice any problem at all but then using the 90mm I noticed the 90mm framelines shifting up and over a little as I focused. Also the secondary image in the focusing area after this would kind of jump back and then move back over and line up. The framelines stayed put and didn't move again.<br>

Now, I'm new to rangefinders and I don't know exactly what this means though I'm guessing it has something to do with the lens needing some attention. The focus is pretty stiff, but the apertures click nicely. It collapses pretty stiff. I should note that I haven't collapsed it into my Voigtlander at all yet.<br>

So I took my camera and lenses home and thought that I'd finish my test roll shooting some stuff in the apartment. First I shot with the 90mm elmar, not noticing any more frameline shifting or anything, and then when I put the 50mm on, I got a real shock because now the 50mm frameline is shifting pretty heavily and it just wasn't doing that at all before I put the 90mm on.<br>

I wouldn't be all that dismayed to find that I had to get someone to CLA the 90mm elmar, but I'm pretty disappointed that it seems to have tweaked something and wrecked my camera's rangefinder. Or at least, that's what I'm guessing happened. I don't know much about rangefinders. Is this possibly what happened? Is this a major repair? What do I do?? Should I panic?</p>

[willy_boots]

<p>Oh, wait. I'm reading elsewhere that the framelines have actually been moving the whole time. Really? I guess it took me 6 weeks to notice or something? Well, ah, maybe everything's fine and I won't start panicking. Really though? They've been drifting that much across the thing and I never noticed it before? Weird. Ok.<br>

Ehrm but the focusing patch, the way the second image moves over nice and smooth and then suddenly kicks back for a sec, but then if I keep going it gets back into position. Whaddya reckon?</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>It's possible that the roller is not in exactly in the right position, in terms of radius from the center of the lens mount, and sometimes doesn't line up with the cam on the Elmar. Open the back, put the shutter on B or T, and watch through the back as you focus the lens. The roller on the top should smoothly follow the cam on the back of the threaded focusing mount.</p>

 

[jean_yves_mead]

The framelines are parallax-corrected, so they move as you focus at different distances.

[Gus Lazzari]

<blockquote>

<p>"the way the second image moves over nice and smooth and then <strong>suddenly kicks back</strong> "</p>

</blockquote>

<p><strong>That part isn't normal !</strong><br /> I'm with John on this, just let me add:</p>

<ol>

<li><strong>The roller</strong> on the body should be inspected to make sure there isn't any debris stuck to it.</li>

<li>Check the lens <strong>cam</strong> surface for the same.</li>

</ol>

<p>Smooth and clean on both of these surfaces is imperative.</p>