M6 finder problem

["Hans Pahlen" <hans.pahlen@mark.komvux.se>]

Message forwarded by Hans Pahlen, hoping for help from the LUG-members:
(I have never experienced this problem myself, anyone here?)
[If you answer: -Please make a Cc to Mr Scheele, who (not yet) is a
LUG-member]

> From: escheele@massart.edu
>   I have been having a problem with my M6.  I have enjoyed visiting your
> website, and thought that perhaps you or someone you know might have had
> an experience similar to mine.  Below are copies of my correspondence
with a
> person at Leica which describe the situation in some detail.  I hope you
won't
> mind reading through them and giving me your opinion.
> Thank You. 
> 
> Sincerely,
> Evan M. Scheele
> 
> 
> 
> >>I recently purchased a new Leica M6 to replace my M4.  
> While the M6 is in many respects superior to the older 
> camera, there is a serious problem with the M6 which 
> didn't exist in the M4 - the rangefinder patch is extremely 
> prone to flare, so much so that in certain conditions it
> turns completely white with glare, and focusing becomes immposible.
> I tried covering the rangefinder window with my finger 
> to see if light was somehow being reflected off the 
> rangefinder prism, but the problem remained. I then 
> discovered that the flare went away when I covered up 
> the brightline frame illumination window, so I've had 
> to cover it with transparent tape to solve the problem.
> As I said, I never had this problem with my 1969-era M4,
> which I used for many years.  Is the material used for 
> the frosted grid of the illumination window somehow 
> different now than it was in the past?  I use the camera 
> primarily for photographing inside at night - the exact
> conditions which seem to make the problem most severe.  
> I find it absurd that I have to resort to putting 
> adhesive tape on the body of a $2700 camera, just to be
> able to focus it accurately.  Can't this obvious design 
> flaw be (re)solved, as it was in the past?  I had 
> thought that the legendary design of the Leica 
> rangefinder was being continually refined over the 
> years,but I see now that certain aspects have also
> gotten worse in the process.  Also, I have noticed that
> the superimosed image in the rangefinder patch is not 
> aligned vertically.  While this has no affect on focusing
> per se, it does cause one to question the calibration
> and accuracy of the camera's other components.  I was
> under the impression that the M6 was the most carefully
> designed and meticulously crafted camera in the world. 
> I now see that this is simply not so.  
> Sincerely, 
> Evan M. Scheele
> 
> 
> From: "PM M-System, Soenke Peters" <peters.pm@leica-camera.com>
> To: <escheele@massart.edu>
> Subject: viewfinder of the m6
> Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 13:24:25 +0100
> 
> 
> Dear Mr. Scheele,
> I am very sorry for your problems with the M6-Viewfinder.
> This problem occurs sometimes unter backlight conditions and we are not
> able to change this in a short term. 
> To build in the LEDs for the meter 12 years ago the viewfinder had to be
> redesigned. 
> I can assure you that we are working on a solution for this problem - but
> it will take us some time.
> Nevertheless I hope that you enjoy your M6 and the in-built light meter 
> 
> If you have any questions be free to email me.
> 
> Best regards, merry Chrismas and a happy new year
> 
> Leica Camera AG
> Product Management M-System
> 
> 
> Mr. Peters,
>    Thank you for your prompt and courteous response.  I have several more
> questions for you; I hope you won't mind answering them.  
> 1) Why can't the brightline frame illumination window on the M6 simply be
> made of a more opaque plastic?  Covering it with a translucent layer of
tape
> takes away the flare without significantly diminishing the brightness of
the
> finder frames or the LEDs.  The probem seems so simple to solve - is it
somehow
> more complicated than it appears?
> 2) Could you please specifically explain the redesign of the viewfinder
> to accomodate the LEDs and how this causes the flare problem?  Is the
> problem also related to the redesign of the viewfinder to accomodate the
addition of
> the 75mm and 28mm brightline frames?  I was curious because I noticed
exactly the
> same problem several years ago in an M4-P, which as you know also has the
28mm
> viewfinder, but no LEDs.
> 3) Do you know of any other temporary solutions which customers have
> found besides the use of tape, or is that what others have done as well?
> 4) Will the eventual solution which you are working on be retrofitable to
> older M6 bodies or will I have to trade in my current M6 for a new one in
order
> to correct the problem?
> I thank you in advance for any detailed information which you can give
me.
> sincerely,
> Evan M. Scheele<<