I'd like to buy a 40mm Summicron or Rokkor (from the CL or CLE cameras) to use on my Hexar RF. On M cameras, these lenses bring up the 50mm frameline, but I'd want it to bring up the 35mm frame. (The Hexar frames only show about 85 percent of the image, so the 35mm frameline should give a near-perfect 40mm field of view.) Does anyone know if those lenses can be modified? Thanks.

-- Peter Latner (peterlatner@yahoo.com), September 05, 2001

Answers

A lens which brings up the 50 frameline can be modified to bring up the 35 lines by grinding some off the leading edge of the bayonet tooth at the 3 o'clock position on the lens--the one next to the frame preview lever on the M Leicas. Look inside, and you can see the little piece of metal that this tooth pushes on to adjust the framlines (notice how the preview lever moves as the lens is turned into place.) As you turn the lens on into place you can see by how far you have to un-turn it to get the 35mm frame as a guide to how much to take off--I think it's in the neighborhood of 2mm or so. I've done this myself, by you might want to seriously consider your skill level before you do it. Once it's done, it can't be easily undone.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), September 05, 2001.

The 35mm frameline of my M6 gives exactly the field for one of my 40mm Summicrons at 100 ft.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), September 05, 2001.