[Leica] Re:Newbie Leica questions...(a thicker plot)

["Mike Quinn" <mlquinn@san.rr.com>]

Paul, Bill, et all:

It's the same with my 35mm Summicron-M. It focuses nicely on the M3 using
the "eyes" and doesn't if you take them off. At first I didn't like the size
of the "Eyes". Now I use them to snag the lens after I stuff it into
inaccessible parts of my bag...

Mike Quinn

- ----------


> Subject: Re: [Leica] Newbie Leica questions...(a thicker plot)
>
> In a message dated 8/23/99 1:18:44 PM Pacific Daylight Time, Bill Larsen
> trying to be helpful regarding the use of the M3 Summaron 35mm/f3.5, (with
> eyes), on the M6  without the eyes, said:
>
> << Paul, if this were the case, you had other problems with the lens.  The 50
> mm
>  framelines and the focusing are not co-dependent.  The lens should focus
>  regardless of the framelines that are shown.  All that the spectacle
>  viewfinder (eyes) does is to expand the angle of view from 45 degrees for the
>  50 mm frameline to 64 degrees
>  for the 35 mm frameline.
>
>  Regards, Bill Larsen who learned this from the LUG a couple of years ago. >>
> - --------
> Bill, when I first encountered the problem I researched the archives
> thoroughly for an answer, and all I found was many opinions and very little
> fact. A few posters seemed to know how it works, but most did not. What I
> know is that my 35mm/f3.5  Summaron lens, which is the M3 version with the
> removable eyes, has a focusing cam which is dependant on the eyes for proper
> rangefinding on the M6. Without the eyes, the camera rangefinder will give a
> false in-focus reading and the subject will be out of focus on the film. If
> the rangefinder is ignored and the scale on the lens is used, the subject
> will be in focus on the film. This is apparently a peculiarity of the M3
> Summaron 35mm/f3.5 with removable eyes, and it might be the reason the next
> version of the M3 Summaron 35mm had the eyes semi-permanently attached to the
> lens body.
> My local Leica repair specialist said the lens focus cam can be re-ground to
> work properly without the eyes, and also the lens mount can be modified to
> bring up the 35MM framelines on a camera that has them. But then it would not
> work as it was originally designed when used with eyes on a M3.
> Hope this helps to clarify the subject.
> Regards, Paul Connet