p.2 #1 · Leica M Rangefinder and Lens Calibration Fix
pmeheut wrote:
If you have several lenses, it may not be possible to calibrate your camera for all of them.
A while ago, you could send all your gear to Leica and they would calibrate all the lenses to a standard and then the camera.
A Leica repair shop checked my M11 so I'm sure it is perfectly calibrated, I've also compared it with other cameras but I often need to adjust my Voigt lenses themselves.
I make the adjustment at a longer distance using a dedicated 3D focus chart, around 5m, then check the infinity focus and around 1m.
Actually, you can get all your lenses calibrated to match your "RF calibrated" body, but it's not an easy process. You either have to test multiple copies of the same lens and keep the one that’s optimally aligned, or go the route of fine-tuning. But there is no universal method for that since each lens is different. Some use calibration shims, while others require disassembly and helicoid adjustments.
That is just part of the tradeoff with the rangefinder system. It is mechanical and relies on precise calibration and regular maintenance.
And Leica is not immune to this either. They once told me one of my bodies was calibrated, and it clearly was not.
p.2 #2 · Leica M Rangefinder and Lens Calibration Fix
To followup on my previous post, I returned the M10 and got an M-10R today. I am happy to say that the rf is spot on at every distance, and the images are tack sharp.
p.2 #3 · Leica M Rangefinder and Lens Calibration Fix
maxonenn wrote:
To followup on my previous post, I returned the M10 and got an M-10R today. I am happy to say that the rf is spot on at every distance, and the images are tack sharp.
Congrats! Sometimes just switching the camera does the trick too!
p.2 #4 · Leica M Rangefinder and Lens Calibration Fix
I would hazard a guess that most people that think their eyesight really isn’t good enough anymore to focus using the RF are trying to focus with an RF that needs adjustment.
I also have an EVF as a backup for my M11. If you have a properly adjusted RF the EVF is of very limited use because using the optical RF is so much faster and easier to focus with.
p.2 #5 · Leica M Rangefinder and Lens Calibration Fix
I need to wear glasses (mainly cheaters) but I find that I can get a sharp image faster on my diopter equipped M11-P. I have been trying a Nikon Zf with my M lenses and I definitely am faster and more accurate with the M11-P, YMMV.
p.2 #6 · Leica M Rangefinder and Lens Calibration Fix
soarfm wrote:
I would hazard a guess that most people that think their eyesight really isn’t good enough anymore to focus using the RF are trying to focus with an RF that needs adjustment.
I also have an EVF as a backup for my M11. If you have a properly adjusted RF the EVF is of very limited use because using the optical RF is so much faster and easier to focus with.
That too, and also in cases where someone thinks a perfectly fine lens is soft and doesn't match what reviewers or MTF graphs are saying. If the lens and RF are not properly calibrated and in synchrony, the results will not be optimal. This is especially important with fast normal and telephoto lenses.
p.2 #7 · Leica M Rangefinder and Lens Calibration Fix
This thread covers adjusting rangefinder distance and lens calibration to the RF, but if you want to adjust horizontal RF alignment, you'll need to remove the camera's red dot, or the screw underneath it on cameras without a red dot (like the "P" versions).
If you'd rather remove the entire top plate: on the M10 it's very easy, just 2 screws from the bottom. The M11 is also very serviceable, just one extra step. You need to take the baseplate off first before you can even get to the top plate screws.
Tools: a small Phillips screwdriver, a lens spanner for the battery release latch (or two sharp pointy things if you want to wing it), and a long TORX driver for the top plate screws.
1) Remove the compliance sticker (don't damage it, unless you don't care).
2) Remove the small Phillips screws, one on the battery compartment side, one on the compliance sticker side.
3) Remove the battery release latch key, then pull the baseplate free. It may feel a little stuck the first time, but shouldn't need much force.
**From here it's the same as the M10 series:
4) Find the two TORX screws holding the top plate on, one inside the battery compartment, one on the opposite edge, and remove both.
5) Ease the top plate up with both hands, same as any M body, then gently unplug the wide ribbon cables underneath. Snap a photo first so you remember which cable goes where and which way it's oriented.
6) Lift the plate off, check that the weather-sealing gasket hasn't shifted out of place, and you're in: clean the viewfinder, adjust vertical RF calibration, whatever you needed access for.
Best to try this on a camera with no warranty left, in case anything bigger turns up that needs a proper repair.
p.2 #8 · Leica M Rangefinder and Lens Calibration Fix
Quick way to test if your M lens is front or back focusing
If you're not sure if a lens is back or front focusing, here's the fastest way to check without any special gear.
1. Set up an angled target: Use a ruler, tape measure, or printed focus scale with clear markings. Prop it up at roughly 45 degrees to the camera, so some marks sit closer to you and some sit farther away.
2. Shoot wide open: Set the lens to its widest aperture. Shallow depth of field is what makes any front or back shift obvious instead of getting buried in the in-focus range.
3. Focus on one specific mark: Pick a clear mark on the scale, say the "10" line, and put the rangefinder patch right on it. A tripod helps keep things consistent, but handheld works fine if you're careful.
4. Check the actual plane of focus: Pull the RAW file up at 100% on your computer or check the camera's LIVE VIEW without refocusing. Look for the mark that's actually sharpest, not the one you focused on.
5. Read the result: If the sharpest mark falls behind your focus point, farther from the camera, the lens is back focusing. If it falls in front, closer to the camera, it's front focusing. Shoot it two or three times to be sure, since there's always a bit of play in the RF coupling.
One catch: this only tells you the lens is the problem if your camera's rangefinder is already known to be accurately calibrated. If you haven't confirmed that, run the same test first with a lens you know focuses correctly. If that one comes up accurate and the lens in question doesn't, you've isolated it to the lens.
