Range Measurement; With The Optical Range Finder - Leica M Instruction Manual

RANgE MEASUREMENT

The Leica M provides you with various tools for setting the range,
depending on whether you are using the camera's internal optical
viewfinder (26) and/or live view mode (see p. 174).
Notes:
• The electronic displays are based on the image captured by the
sensor. To use it, the shutter must be open and it is closed and
re-cocked when the function is cancelled. Of course, this is audible
and may result in a slight delay in the shutter release, and also
results in increased power consumption if used frequently.
• Due to the different sensitivities and function conditions, there may
be differences between the optimum settings and those displayed.

With the optical range finder

Due to its large effective metering basis, the range finder on the Leica M
is very precise. The benefits of this are particularly noticeable when
using wide-angle lenses with their relatively high depth of field.
Mechanical metering basis
(Distance between the optical
axes of the viewfinder window
and the range finder viewing
window)
69.25mm
The range finder metering field is visible as a bright, sharply defined
rectangle in the center of the viewfinder. The focus can be set using
either the superimposed image or split image method.
175
× viewfinder
= Effective
magnification metering
basis
x 0.68 = approx.
47.1mm