MP viewfinder upgrade...available in Singapore?

czeyang · 20th September 2003

Hi does anybody know where I can send a M6 classic to be upgraded to the new MP windows? I emailed Schmidt one week ago, but there has been no reply from them.

Thanx

SzennyBoy · 20th September 2003

I'm afraid this upgrade is not viable. I asked the Leica technical engineer when I attended the Leica School up in Milton Keynes and was told that you'll need to change out the entire rangefinder unit and this unit does not fit the M6 or even the M7 exactly. The other thing is that at the moment, all the MP rangefinder units produced by Leica are to meet the MP bodies production quantity!

It's a real bummer as I would really have like the new coated prisms of the MP in my M7!

Red Dawn · 21st September 2003

Originally Posted by SzennyBoy

I'm afraid this upgrade is not viable. I asked the Leica technical engineer when I attended the Leica School up in Milton Keynes and was told that you'll need to change out the entire rangefinder unit and this unit does not fit the M6 or even the M7 exactly. The other thing is that at the moment, all the MP rangefinder units produced by Leica are to meet the MP bodies production quantity!

It's a real bummer as I would really have like the new coated prisms of the MP in my M7!

actually i think all it takes is to send the camera back to Germany if u really want the MP finder. there are pple who have done that successfully.

xplorer2 · 1st October 2003

Just like to find out the rationale in upgrading to the new MP viewfinder. If the reason is to reduce flare, then there are various alternatives that can help. For me, I go the local Guardian store to pick up a roll of 3M ($3) surgical tape. This is something like scotch tape but it is semi translucent and is meant to stick over new healed wounds after surgery.

Then I stick this over the light prism window of the M6 and this reduces the light reaching into the collection window and cuts down the flare. It also slightly darkens the framelines but is still ok to me.

Second upgrade to improve my M6 viewfinder contrast is by cutting a small piece of LEE Studio sheet filter (I use yellow - $10 at Cathay) and paste that over rangefinder window (not the viewfinder), the one above the rewind and that improves the contrast of the images and focusing significantly - on par with that of the Mamiya 7II. Have not touch an MP so cannot compare to that but I have always been spoilt by multicoated, polarised viewfinder on the Mamiya7II, which is why I try different ways to get my M6 close to that.

Hope these may help others.

XXX Boy · 18th January 2004

Originally Posted by czeyang

Hi does anybody know where I can send a M6 classic to be upgraded to the new MP windows? I emailed Schmidt one week ago, but there has been no reply from them.

Thanx

The cost of that MP viewfinder is damn ex as Leica will have to replace the entire rangefinder with a new one..
Just the top plate of a M6 already cost $700+ imagine the change of the entire rangefinder.
I would not suggest you to do the upgrade, too costly..it is better that u trade in your existing Leica to get a MP instead.

20th September 2003	#1
czeyang Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 273	MP viewfinder upgrade...available in Singapore? Hi does anybody know where I can send a M6 classic to be upgraded to the new MP windows? I emailed Schmidt one week ago, but there has been no reply from them. Thanx

20th September 2003	#2
SzennyBoy Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 694	I'm afraid this upgrade is not viable. I asked the Leica technical engineer when I attended the Leica School up in Milton Keynes and was told that you'll need to change out the entire rangefinder unit and this unit does not fit the M6 or even the M7 exactly. The other thing is that at the moment, all the MP rangefinder units produced by Leica are to meet the MP bodies production quantity! It's a real bummer as I would really have like the new coated prisms of the MP in my M7!

1st October 2003	#4
xplorer2 Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 309	Just like to find out the rationale in upgrading to the new MP viewfinder. If the reason is to reduce flare, then there are various alternatives that can help. For me, I go the local Guardian store to pick up a roll of 3M ($3) surgical tape. This is something like scotch tape but it is semi translucent and is meant to stick over new healed wounds after surgery. Then I stick this over the light prism window of the M6 and this reduces the light reaching into the collection window and cuts down the flare. It also slightly darkens the framelines but is still ok to me. Second upgrade to improve my M6 viewfinder contrast is by cutting a small piece of LEE Studio sheet filter (I use yellow - $10 at Cathay) and paste that over rangefinder window (not the viewfinder), the one above the rewind and that improves the contrast of the images and focusing significantly - on par with that of the Mamiya 7II. Have not touch an MP so cannot compare to that but I have always been spoilt by multicoated, polarised viewfinder on the Mamiya7II, which is why I try different ways to get my M6 close to that. Hope these may help others.