[Leica] M3 RF patch problems: getting better, but...

[vick.ko at sympatico.ca (Vick Ko)]

Yes, a spot on the RF is highly annoying.

The black spot is likely a piece of dust, and whether it is in focus or 
not will suggest which surface it is on.

In Japan, there must be many technicians that can quickly open up the 
camera and remove it. 

Good luck.

Vick


Peter Cheyne wrote:
> I posted recently about my newly purchased M3's RF patch being too dim 
> to focus.  I'd like to thank those who suggested I return the camera 
> to Tony of Popflash to send it for repairs.  It was cleaned the day it 
> arrived and swiftly returned.  The difference was day and night!  Now 
> it's very bright and great to use.  I took a few photos on a test roll 
> of colour negative monochrome then put the camera down.  Easy 
> focussing every time.  However, when I picked it up a few hours later, 
> I noticed a black spot on the top middle of the RF patch.  It wasn't 
> there before.  Even with a gentle tapping on the camera, the black 
> spot won't budge.  It takes up a bit more than 1% of the patch, but 
> I'm not obsessing, it really is a distraction.  My hope is that it is 
> just a flake of dirt or whatever that needs air-blowing off.  My worry 
> is that the great cleaning it received was a bit on the vigorous side, 
> and a piece of the silvering has now dislodged.  I wonder if anyone 
> here can suggest a way of finding out which it is.  Being close to 
> Christmas, I don't really want to send this back across the ocean (I'm 
> in Japan) to Tony.  I don't have the tools to remove the top-plate.  
> Is there a gap in the top-plate somewhere where I can try blowing a 
> bit of compressed air through to see if the dirt flake, if that is 
> what it is, dislodges?
>
> I also discovered, now that I can focus, that the RF was not properly 
> aligned at infinity.  I did this by focussing on a star against the 
> black sky.  I turned the screw of the RF roller inside the lens mount 
> area, and now that seems fine.
>
> Thanks for reading!
>
> Peter
>
> P.S.  I have already considered just ignoring it, but the black flake 
> really is a distraction.
>