Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/03/30

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Subject: Re: [Leica] 21 mm viewfinder - crazy !
From: Mike Gardner <mikeg@neca.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 19:53:02 -0500

=A0

Tina Manley wrote:

> Mine broke almost immediately.=A0 I sent it to Leica to be fixed and it=
 cost
> almost as much to be repaired as to purchase a new one!=A0 My next one =
will be
> the metal, used one if I can find one!=A0 Best - TIna
> =A0

As did mine.=A0 I bought my 21/2.8 ASPH in person at Tamarkin New York an=
d I had the
opportunity to look through a number of older metal finders as well as th=
e newer
plastic finders.=A0 The plastic finders, while having an ill-conceived de=
sign, are
much brighter to look through.=A0 Looking over the plastic Leica 21 finde=
r, I knew
exactly how I would fix it if it broke.=A0 I therefore purchased a used o=
ne for
$185.=A0 When I got home from NY, same day as buying the lens and finder,=
 and only
the second time I put the finder on the camera (and gently, too) the foot=
 broke
right off.=A0 It was easy to repair myself and has been fine ever since.=A0=
 First I
carefully glued the foot back exactly in place with a cyanoacrylate
cement, sometimes known as "Crazy Glue", or "Zap-a-Gap".=A0 After this se=
t, I mixed
a two part epoxy cement, available at any hardware store, and using a too=
thpick as
an applicator, I created a small fillet of epoxy everywhere the foot met =
the base
and where the hardened epoxy would not interfere with sliding the finder =
onto the
camera.=A0 This did not interfere with the little lock mechanism although=
 mine fits
so snugly that the lock is superflous.=A0 In fact, I used a jewelers file=
 to remove
a bit of material to make it just a bit easier to slide in.
I know this is long, but although the finder should be made differently b=
y Leica
it is easy fix yourself better than new.
Mike Gardner