M2 eyepiece mask removal?

J

jicolson

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recently got my first Leica, an M2. it's amazing, but as a glasses wearer i need more eye relief to comfortably see the 35mm frame lines. it has the older rectangular eyepiece mask/aperture piece. i'm aware that an M4 style eyepiece can be installed, but then I thought, after watching an m2 top plate removal video and seeing the part in question exposed, could the mask be omitted entirely for more eye relief with no ill effect?

wondering if anyone has experience with this mod, the couple of techs i asked over email skirted around the removal part of the question.

this is the part in question, in case I wasn't clear: https://www.dagcamera.com/store/p11..._20%_larger-_just_like_M4.-_Out_Of_Stock.html
 
Yes you can remove it with no ill effect - it's long gone on my M2 - but in my experience it makes pretty much zero difference. I still can't see all of the 35 frame lines with my glasses on.

cheers.
 
well, that's both good and bad news. i'm surprised though- when looking they the finder with glasses on i feel like the lines are just being covered by the mask. i'll likely have a go at it at some point, with the proper flexiclamps, of course. are you using a plastic cap on the eyepiece? i have a small piece of gaffers tape where my glasses touch to prevent scratching, i suspect that the cap that DAG supplies may be too thick and would further hinder frameline visibility.


mooge said:
Yes you can remove it with no ill effect - it's long gone on my M2 - but in my experience it makes pretty much zero difference. I still can't see all of the 35 frame lines with my glasses on.

cheers.
Click to expand...
 
Install the good rubberized eyepiece from an M6. Done.
I wear glasses as well and the mask doesn't have any effect on viewing the framelines. It's all that exit pupil eye relief and the focal length of the telescope in the viewfinder.

Phil Forrest
 
Lately I've used a diopter lens in Lieu of glasses. It has been excellent as for improving the view with the 35mm lens (and the 28mm with M4P, M6, etc.). You just have to take the time and trouble to remove your glasses and put them somewhere. I have those "croakie" strings for letting them dangle.
 
Rob-F said:
Lately I've used a diopter lens in Lieu of glasses. It has been excellent as for improving the view with the 35mm lens (and the 28mm with M4P, M6, etc.). You just have to take the time and trouble to remove your glasses and put them somewhere. I have those "croakie" strings for letting them dangle.
Click to expand...

i do the same, the diopter is great for seeing the 35mm lines. Hm, I may need to put some strings on my glasses. i like the added level of safety you get from that as well.
 
mooge said:
Yes you can remove it with no ill effect - it's long gone on my M2 - but in my experience it makes pretty much zero difference. I still can't see all of the 35 frame lines with my glasses on.

cheers.
Click to expand...
Same as my experience.
 
I didn't know this was an issue with the M2. I've looked at mine and I think I've got the older sort. I can focus ok without my glasses but things have improved recently with the addition of a diopter lens in the eyepiece. The Leica M eyepieces are needless to say absurdly expensive but I managed to get a nice used example.
 
jicolson said:
well, that's both good and bad news. i'm surprised though- when looking they the finder with glasses on i feel like the lines are just being covered by the mask. i'll likely have a go at it at some point, with the proper flexiclamps, of course. are you using a plastic cap on the eyepiece? i have a small piece of gaffers tape where my glasses touch to prevent scratching, i suspect that the cap that DAG supplies may be too thick and would further hinder frameline visibility.
Click to expand...


You can make your own flexiclamps if you've got a dremel tool and some polycarbonate (or aluminum, or brass, or whatever). Not terribly difficult.


I put some epoxy on the eyepiece of my M2 and it didn't help at all (not sure why not...?). So don't do that I guess, haha. Between my Leica(s) and the amount of angle grinding over the past three years my glasses are super trashed...
 
bought some flexiclamps, borrowed a friends spanner and drivers, and pulled out the mask today. makes a notable difference in my case, and i managed not to mess anything up. the top and bottom 35mm frame lines are fully visible now with a small amount of room and the left and right ones are just barely visible. i suspect those who this didn't provide much improvement for had glasses that sat closer to their eyes, and could get close enough to get the right and left framelines in view already.

just didn't want to leave this thread hanging, my .02
 
Resurrecting a old thread to ask if there is any downside at all to removing this mask rather than replacing/filing? I'm surprised that Leica would put it in there in the first place if it served no purpose other than to punish those of us with glasses, for some reason :).
 
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