Bright Line View And Range Finder - Leica M Operating Instructions Manual

BRIGHT-LINE VIEW AND RANGE FINDER
This camera's bright-line view and range fi nder is not only a very
high-quality, large, brilliant and bright viewfi nder, it is also a highly
accurate range fi nder coupled to the lens. All lenses with focal
lengths from 16 to 135mm connect automatically when fi tted on the
camera. The viewfi nder has a magnifi cation factor of 0.68x.
When using lenses with focal lengths of 28 (Elmarit from serial
number 2 411 001), 35, 50, 75, 90 and 135mm, the relevant
LED-lit frame is automatically illuminated in the combinations
28+90mm, 35+135mm, and 50+75mm.
The size of the bright-line frame corresponds to a sensor size of
23.9 x 35.8mm at a range setting of 2m. It is linked to the range
setting to ensure that the parallax - the off set between the lens and
the viewfi nder axis - is automatically compensated. At a range of
below 2m the sensor detects slightly less than shown by the inner
edges of the bright-line frame, and slightly more at longer ranges
(see adjacent diagram). These slight variations, which are hardly
ever critical in practice, are due to the operating principle.
Bright-line frames on a viewfi nder camera must be matched to the
image angle of the relevant lens focal lengths. However, the
nominal image angles change slightly when focusing due to the
changing extension, i.e. the distance between the optical system
and the sensor plane. If the set range is less than infi nity (and the
extension correspondingly greater), the actual image angle is
smaller - the lens captures less of the subject. In addition, the
diff erences in the image angle tend to be greater at longer focal
lengths, as a result of the greater extension.
In the middle of the viewfi nder image is the square range metering
image, which is brighter than the surrounding image fi eld. If the
exposure meter is turned on, the exposure meter LEDs and the
fl ash symbol LED appear at the lower edge of the viewfi nder image.
For more details about setting the range and exposure metering, as
well as fl ash mode, refer to the relevant sections on p.
144/145/154.
A
All pictures and bright-line frame positions relative to 50mm focal length
A
Bright-line frame
B
Actual image fi eld
Set to 0.7m: The sensor detects approx. one frame width less.
Set to 2m: The sensor detects exactly the image fi eld shown by
the inner edges of the bright-line frame.
Set to infi nity: The sensor detects approx. 1 or 4 (vertical or
horizontal) frame width(s) more.
EN
B
143