Adjusting rangefinder focus on a Leica M. A do-it-yourself video by photographer Thorsten Overgaard

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Thorsten von Overgaard is a Danish writer and photographer, specializing in portrait photography and documentary photography, known for writings about photography and as an educator. You are always welcome to send an e-mail to Thorsten for questions, suggestions and ideas.
Thorsten Overgaard is an independent writer and photographer who write, teach workshops and publish user reports about the equipment he uses. There is no affiliation with Leica Camera AG or any camera dealers, no free gifts, no sponsorship, no kickback and no paid content. All you see is real and based on the life of an eccentric and hard-working photographer who makes his own money, buys his own equipment and form his own independent opinions - and shares with you. Enjoy the ride.
Video Credits:
Produced by: Thorsten Overgaard (www.overgaard.dk)
Equipment:
This video was made with the Leica SL bhpho.to/3cIbPEg and Leica 35mm Summilux-TL ASPH f/1.4, using Sennheiser wireless microphones bhpho.to/2zafn4v .
Reviews by Thorsten Overgaard:
Leica M11 www.overgaard....
Leica M10 www.overgaard....
Leica M240 www.overgaard....
Leica M9 www.overgaard....
Leica M246 www.overgaard....
#sharpness #Leica #focusing
Job 2254-1024

[@markusbuechter3766]

Thank you so much. This video saved me from being without my M10R for 3 month or longer. It took me 10 minutes to fix the alignment.

[@LehJugaU]

Thank you, I just bought a Leica M9, ​​it's very helpful

[@ronaldmoravec2692]

There are two adjustment points, infinity and one meter. Today I can use live view to focus, then focus with RF and make it match.

[@blubberflutsch]

May be, the adjustment at infinity as described works for Leica branded lenses. But there are many other lenses out there (not only cheap Chinese, also Voigtländer), which mechanically go "beyond" infinity, although calibrated properly. So I think, it is better to calibrate at typical portrait distances like 3 meters.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes. Normally Leica lenses doesn't need adjustment, the camera does. Then when you get into 7artisans and other 2rd party brand lenses that fits on a Leica M, then the lens may need adjustment , and that's an entirely different story. I love my 7artisans 50mm f/1.1 but always use EVF with it as I can't get the lens to focus even I adjust the lens with the screwdriver they send with it. Too high tech for me 🙂

[@blubberflutsch]

@@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard I was not talking about misadjusted lenses. There are lenses, which are perfectly fine matching the rangefinder mechanism of a well calibrated M Leica but already focus "beyond" infinity when the focus ring physically reaches the infinity mark. You also find them in the Voigtländer portfolio. In that case you can trust what you see in the rangefinder patch but you cannot use the "infinity" mark on the focus ring of these lenses for adjusting your camera rangefinder. Regarding the story of cheap chinese lenses: My TTartisan 90/1.25 (which has a surprisingly good performance) could be adjusted pretty well and easily using the tool that comes with the lens - assuming, your camera is already well calibrated. With Thypoch lenses, so far I saw no requirement for adjusting them. They seem to spend more effort on a good factory calibration (so they do not come with tools for that purpose).

[@klarkolofsson]

It’s so on brand that you bought the best (most expensive) hex key you could find ;) But I respect that, good tools will save you money in the long run.

[@zoltankaparthy9095]

Tak. You always have a good post with good info and easy to understand. Thanks a lot.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you very much 🙂

[@allanschuster3520]

Thorsten, Thank you for this tutorial, it is very useful information.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Welcome!

[@suncoma]

There are two types of M alignment - vertical and horizontal, in video we see horizontal one, vertical is more sophisticated afaik. Just received my adjusted M6. M10p was able to fix myself as it’s not requiring removal of the logo

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

@@suncoma yes, horizontal is the one I would do, but vertical I wouædn’t touch. And even I may be able to do adjustment myself, I would send it to Leica in Wetzlar to get it done properly whenever the oppertunity is there.

[@simossosias3727]

The RF focus is both horizontal and vertical, to get both aligned, besides what you did in your video, you also need to open the red dot and move the screw behind it too with a totally different tool which is not easy to find. Not an easy job, it took me more than 2 hours to repair mine.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes, the one behind the red dot I don't like to touch. Generally, this 'do it yourself fix' I think can be used when you need it to work, and then whenever you can possible send it in for a real adjustment with Leica in Germany, that's a good thing to do.

[@deemdoubleu]

A couple of points: As far as I am aware, the adjustment you make is only one of 2 or 3 possible adjustments. I think it adjusts the "offset" I.e. the infinity adjustment. But that won't by itself necessarily make it correct at other distances. So although you sat check at other distances, what happens if you can't make them all match? Send it to Leica I suppose. Also, is there a possibility for a lens to go out of adjustment such that your focus is OK on one lens but not another? Seems like this is all a big negative of Leica rangefinder technology. All this adjustment and expense to get it correctly adjusted and hoping it is correct. Especially if you have a film Leica M like me.

[@limpek001]

For rangefinder does focus accuracy depend on good eye sight or as long as the focus square match it will be in focus.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

As long as it matches, it is in focus. It does not depend on eyesight, glasses or anything.

[@flgrove]

Thanks. Never knew this. BUT, which way does what? Turning the tool left does what and visa versa right does what? Or did I miss something? Also is it true that later cameras like the M10 and M11 can take more bumping than earlier M's?

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

I think it is true that the rangefinder becomes more and more robust as we move to newer models. Tolerances gets smaller and they have updated the design as well.

[@bastelwigames]

My focus is right on every lens but the 90mm. The same 90mm works on every other M camera. What could be wrong?

[@M6M7M9]

Couldn't it happen that the Leica M gets bumped during shipment back from Leica Germany? I.e. one sends the camera to Leica Germany and they perfectly adjust it, but during shipment back it gets bumped and arrives unadjusted again?

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

@@M6M7M9 in theory, but never happened to me.

[@jonathanjustin8620]

Hi can you please post the free book downloads you mentioned?

[@martinsmyth5580]

Hi Thorsten, what do Leica charge to get it refocused

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

@@martinsmyth5580 someone mentioned 300 but that must be a full CLA. Generally I think they do it as service.

[@user-ue1pv1wv7o]

i watched this and saw no adjustment info. wht the heck??

[@nathanhoefert]

I’ve been to Leica SF, Miami, and Paris, all quite recently, and they all said they couldn’t adjust my rangefinder unfortunately.

[@stefan_becker]

Unfortunately adjusting the focus for infinity can sometimes be insufficient. My M3 focuses correctly at infinity (lens set to infinity, viewfinder images are aligned correctly when looking at something a few hundred meters away), but if I focus on something at 4m distance, the focus point is at 3m. I have no idea, how to adjust this. Probably only Leica could fix it.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes, that might be the third adjustment. I am sure Leica in Wetzlar can figure that one out.

[@Millicente]

I love my M but when Leica wanted $300 to adjust my focus I decided to just do it myself

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Maybe $300 was fro CLA (Cleaning, Lubrication, Adjustment), I think the focus adjustment is free at Wetzlar. Maybe with the focus adjustment service they try to have in each Leica store, they want to charge for it. I think sensor cleaning is free as well

[@Millicente]

​@@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard Yes, they wanted to charge for an adjustment and check. I thought it would be cheaper since I told the Leica NYC store I only needed to fix focus but the NJ center sent back that quote. I don't know if they changed their policy or something got lost in the communication but I suppose I'll ask again the next time I need it done.

[@hizhaus]

Does the tool go into the center of the wheel?

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes, it fits right in.

[@hizhaus]

@@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard Thank you!

[@GamachePhoto]

Excellent! It must of been so difficult in the film days to adjust focus on M cameras.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

@@GamachePhoto well, you can adjust so the infinity matches and it will work.

[@brettrogers8482]

In the absence of manufacturer equipment a known good 50mm lens, ground glass and various loupes can be used to verify lens focus at infinity-after which a rangefinder may be dialled in to match the focus distance of the lens, both at its infinity stop and also at close range to ensure linearity is good. It's faster and easier than exposing films to assess accuracy (which can still be done afterwards as the definitive confirmation calibration is correct). The infinity calibration is your primary calibration but that is only half the job. Does the patch conform to the focused distance of the lens at close range? If not, the linearity must be addressed.

[@thomaspunchur3627]

@@brettrogers8482 Yup. This past spring I was adjusting my M10 discovered that by looking down the length of my chainlink fence with my Voit APO 50 set at f1.0 and adjusting my patch to one specific point on it and then blowing the image up I could see where it was about 6-8" off at closer distances. It took quite a bit of fiddling but I eventually got it dead on. Bottom line? Do your adjustments at the narrowest field of your lens will allow, it makes a world of difference "in the field".......just one old man's opinion.

[@dalemoore387]

Hey Thorsten! When are you going to email me the links to the video masterclass and Lghtroom presents I paid for, over a month ago? I've emailed you several times but you keep ignoring me.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Please send me an email to [e-mail] with the email it was ordered under, then I can fix it :-)

[@brettrogers8482]

That's a quick and dirty process. You've used your unaided eyesight. It's impossible to discern very small deviations between the patch and main image if the camera is not securely mounted. It must be very stable, if the slightest errors are to be visible. The camera front should be as parallel and level to the target, as possible, it informs the accuracy of the vertical calibration, and it is critical when assessing the linearity at close range so that a parallax error does not skew the test. This cannot be satisfactorily achieved hand held. If you are going to attempt your own calibration, at least set up a tripod that successfully levels the camera, and when checking the linearity, make some basic measurements to the target to ensure target and camera are parallel and level.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes, it is quite an amazing precise system. That is what they were really good at when they made the original Leica: mechanical precision and perfection.

[@petrolabkilla]

My m240 used to go out of focus all of the time… I’d bring it to Leica repair in NJ and they’d dial it in. I wish I had know this! Haha