[Leica] Re: Viewfinder rangefinder patch flare control

[Cummer Family <cummer@asiaonline.net>]

Dear Kip,
Please try this. It may help. Take a Post-It Note and peel off a single
sheet. Use a paper punch to punch a hole in the sticky end of the sheet.
Take the paper circle from the punched hole and stick it in the centre of
the frosted frame line window. If flare is reduced then you can punch a
circle out a piece of tape and stick the tape circle more permanently over
the frosted window. Choose any colour your prefer! :) I am grateful to, I
seem to recall, Tom A for this suggestion and it works for me. By my own
experience flare is greater with the newer M6's I own, including an M6HM
which I sold to Alastair F. (you're welcome Alastair) and my present M6HM
TTL (on which I have had to have the rangefinder adjusted twice since
buying the camera in May 1999). My old M6 from 1988 (serial number in the
1,700,000) does not flare as much, neither does my beloved old CLE although
for me, eye ball placement is more critical on the Minolta. LUGGERS please
don't start up the old / new - which is better thread, but this is my
experience. Good luck Kip.
Howard.

>Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2000 17:49:07 -0600
>From: Kip Babington <cbabing3@swbell.net>
>Subject: [Leica] Rangefinder patch flare
>At the risk of posting something on topic these days, and with apologies
>if I've ignored an answer that has been provided previously, but is
>there an easy self-help solution for the rangefinder patch going white
>on the M6 when the light strikes it from a certain angle?  I've read
>comments about this phenomenon since I subscribed to the list, but
>haven't been bothered by it until recently (my daughter has begun riding
>in horse shows in indoor arenas, where the sodium vapor or some other
>type of intense ceiling lighting frequently blanks out the rangefinder.)
>I gather the problem stems from the ribs in the translucent panel, and I
>know that if I cover the panel completely I lose the frame lines.  Is
>there some other well known temporary cure that keeps the frame lines
>but tones down the flare in the rangefinder?
>Sorry for the interruption.
>Cheers,
>Kip