Is there a competent Leica technician in Seattle?

[oliver_sharp1]

I have a simple task - verifying alignment of the rangefinder - and

was wondering if anyone has experience with a local Seattle tech who

can do that. I've had a full scale CLA with some body mods that

were done by Sherry on an old M3, and she did a great job, but this

should be a pretty trivial fix and it would be great to handle it

locally if possible.

 

Thanks for any suggestions you may have.

[leicamshooter]

Try this first:

http://nemeng.com/leica/024b.shtml

 

Then you can take a look at the DIY adjustment if the above

doesn't check out:

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

 

I just performed a horizontal rangefinder adjustment on my M3

camera and it took me five seconds. I asked my local camera

guy about it and he said it would be a $45 service with a 7-day

wait, but then again I live in Alaska. Best of luck. I'm sure other

members will give you good info on where you can take your

camera in Seattle. The smart-mouth members will tell you not to

worry about the alignment, and instead take your Leica and

some Tri-X to the Pike market!

[steve_lehuray1]

Oliver -- no need for a technician, you can verify it yourself in a few seconds. Put it on infinity and focus on a object 2/3 miles away. Clouds are always good.

[christoph_frick1]

As others wrote, for checking alignment of the rangefinder you don't need a technician. The infinity setting can be checked using very distant objects; the moon is nice if you can see it, or, what I like to use is a very pointed skyscraper here in Frankfurt which I see from around where I live at about 5km distance. For close distances, without film: put M on tripod, facing a mirror, stick an acute-angled triangle onto the mirror surface, focus on that triangle, check with a rule, then focus via the mirror on an object in the film plane; the second focus ring position should indicate double distance than the first one, e.g.: film plane is at 1m to mirror, then first reading should be at 1m, and second at 2m. Of course it is more accurate to do some tests with exposing film: again, M on tripod, set up a rule at about 45 degree angle to the optical axis, use maximum aperture for most narrow DOF, and focus on a particular position of the rule, and shoot 2-3 frames, each time focusing from scratch. Repeat for a set of distances from closest (e.g. 0.7m with a Summicron 50mm) to about 2-3m distance. Develop film and check with loupe, or project frames with a Pradovit projector with Colorplan lens onto a huge screen. If the RF alignment really is off, you will get a systematic error to one side of your intended spot.

 

Now, if you find out that RF alignment is not optimal, you have to decide whether you want to do it yourself or not. Alignment at infinity seems to be easier to do yourself than alignment at close distances. Good luck.

[oliver_sharp1]

Thanks for the responses .. I should have mentioned that this is for an M6 and that I have tested it by focusing at a ruler which is at an oblique angle to the camera. The point of sharpest focus is a bit off. Since my particular style is to shoot at or near minimum focus with a fast lens that is nearly wide open (90mm at f/2.8 or f/2, between 3-5 feet), being slightly off is a problem. I don't normally take pictures of rulers, but I noticed that I was getting a lower yield of sharpness from the M6 than the M3 (I take portraits and I like the eyes to be sharp). I'd like to get the alignment tweaked but would rather not send it off if I can avoid it.

[joel_sackett]

I wouldnt call any of the repair techinicians in Seattle incompetent, but they are not specialized for Leica like Serry or DAG, where I send my M6's. They can turn around a simple adjustment quickly if you are a working professional.