After using leica M's for 32 years and having damaged my 21mm metal finder along the way after it slipped off, I am no closer to finding a professional answer to this perennial problem of finders that may slip when pushed,especially on my older non- M6 M bodies.It appears that the only reliable short term fix is a one cent accessory being a shorter rubber band carefully stretched from the back of the finder,over the top plate then fixed under the lens base adjacent to the camera body;not aesthethically perfect but gives some sense of security when working under rougher conditions.Any other solutions?

-- Mr. Sheridan Zantis (albada60@hotmail.com), August 25, 2001

Answers

I used to run a strip of tape across the top of the camera and up the side of the finder, when I had only one lens that needed one. Now I put one layer of masking tape on the underside of each finder foot. This gives enough traction to keep the finders in place, and yet they can be easily changed.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), August 25, 2001.

That's very strange. I have trouble removing the auxillary finders from any of my Leicas; don't know how they could possibly slip out of the spring loaded shoe.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), August 25, 2001.

Ok I think I have a near perfect solution for a one lens only M external finder, I mean one lens only becuse it would become risky to keep taking it off and on.

OK, go to the back of your camera if you have M4P or earlier body, then you find two PC sockets one for M another for X, this are set to the body by a screwable ring, well you screw off the screwable ring rigth below the hot shoe, and ask some profesional to make a larger ring around this (4 or 5 mm) so you can screw it back and lock the shoe way out.This of course may have itīs problems, like a hard knok on the external finder that damage the socket screw or part of the camera body, or wear down the screw for taking it off and on.

Well if you can make somebody makes one of this, please ask for another one for me, I gladly pay for it

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), August 25, 2001.

The plastic finders are so tight that my fear is always of snapping the finder off its pedestal trying to remove it. I always push down toward the body while sliding it off, and do it slowly. The metal finders, as I recall, have a small slit cut in one or both sides of the foot, when viewed from below. Inserting a thin, *strong* blade into this slit and twisting *ever so slightly* expands the foot and tightens it. The latest 21-24-28 finder has a screw-down lock similar to a flash.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), August 26, 2001.

Yes I have droped/damaged/lost my metal finders too. I sold them and bought the plastic ones and now have no problems. The plastic ones have a better "grip" as the coefficient of friction is much higher than with the metal finders.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), August 26, 2001.

Mr. Zantis:

Actually your solution sounds pretty good.

Bill Pierce published a workaround back in the 70's, but it's not for the faint-of-heart. He drilled two holes in the shoe of his finder, and two more in the camera's accesory shoe (this was with non-hot shoe M4s) Then he made a "U" shaped wire spring clip with the tips bent over, and inserted the tips through both sets of holes, temporarily "riveting" the finder to the camera shoe. Spring pressure held the clip in place, and by squeezing the sides of the U he released the pressure and the clip would lift off, "unrivetting" the finder and allowing it to be removed.

I used to lust after the metal finders, but once I learned that the front element is press-fitted in place (which is why so many are cracked - they fall out) I quit worrying and lived with plastic.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), August 26, 2001.

There was someone in the 80's who set a threaded insert( set screw through it) in the hot-shoe, notched the finder and you had a finder that did not slipout. I do not know of anyone doing that now but try some of the indepentant repair folks and see if they will do the work.

-- Steven Alexander (alexpix@worldnet.att.net), August 26, 2001.

I don't have an old metal finder so my suggestion is theoratical. I suppose if you take some black paint and paint a thin film on the metal finder at the portion (letting it dry first) where it mates with the hotshoe, that would give it some stickiness and additional width to give a good fit.

I have the new 3 in 1 viewfinder, fits perfectly with the added security of a screw down ring.

-- Yip (koklok@krdl.org.sg), August 27, 2001.

The new finder with its locking ring sounds like a great way to inadvertantly remove the top plate! I prefer the plastic ones, they do not slip off and nor do they cause damage in the inevidable knocks of life.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), August 27, 2001.