Bessa 6x9 RF, any details?

looking closely at what is in there, there is a screw head just behind the LH rf window that sits in an elongated slot. It is not part of the rf or tray, so I think that it is to limit the (significant) movement of the tray.
Perhaps this movement is to facilitate the snug fitting of the tray and top casing into the very tight channel around the body top.
If this is the case, I will not worry about this movement, I could always add a little packing between it and the top casing to ensure that movement is kept to a minimum.
 
That circle is a zone focusing mark, as is the triangle between 10 and 12 footer markings. My guess is that the marks are a carry over from from the scale focusing folders. The O was to let the novice know everything let say 20 feet to infinity would be in focus - if the aperture was set either between f/8 and f/11 or just f/11.

chippy said:
Hey Andrew what do you supose the big funny looking Zero means between the 20 and 60 feet on the focus scale
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RF adjustments 😎
For anyone considering adjusting a similar camera RF. The three holes accessed by lifting the covering on the top casing at the left hand side are, from the left:
Horizontal locking screw on left and the adjustment screw on the right (through the same hole), moves the fixed image horizontally.
Vertical adjustment of the moving image, only AFTER loosening the clamp screw accessed in the third and rightmost hole.

And, as Andrew noted, the covering is not leather, but something that really does not want to come off and will leave lumps of black hardened residue.
Now to find some nearly matching leather, got to dig out all those old diaries.

I will post to let you know the outcome,
For now, thanks for your help, suggestions and support. You are the greatest 🙂
 
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On the Bessa II - the RF beam splitter and RF optics sit on a pretty good size platform that pivots. The beam splitter is mounted to the platform with two screws, one loosens the beam splitter the other allows it to move on the platform for adjustment/calibration.

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Yes, you'll need to remove the leatherette from the top of the camera.

Once you remove the screw from inside the film take up chamber on the right (standing behind the camera) - the center DOF will lift out giving access to the two retaining screws holding down the dial for setting the focus.

Removing the two screws on the focus dial and removing the dial will give you view of one last retaining screw hidden under the dial, if the cover for the Black Bessa RF is fastened in a similar fashion to the later Chrome Bessa II.

Just a recap, with the leatherette, DOF cap screw and then the focus dial removed, you'll find that the top cover is secured to the body with two screws, one under the focus dial and another on the right side of camera when looking at it from the rear.

Good luck, with the cover off try - to reverse engineer the operation of the RF so that it is understandable in your own terms. Try to get some idea what you what is happening under the cover for when you calibrate the RF. Clean the optics or least the glass for the VF and RF. Since, you have the top cover over, I'd definitely check to see if the lens colimated properly at infinity.
 
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As far as I can see, the screw under the covering on the RHS screws into a standoff stud which also has a screw retaining it from inside the film chamber. As Andrew said (easier to see now it's all in bits). On the LHS, the focus knob and scale looks as if it will pull off with the top without undoing anything other than the two screws at each end. If this is done, however, the gear under the knob comes away too, so you would have to engage the gears in the correct place by trial and error, although it was quite easy when I did it.
In my case I'm not sure that it is focussed at infinity and the gear tooth at each side gives a very clear mis-focus, so i may need to adjust the clamp fixing the gear to the knob.

~Anyway, I'm preparing for a long weekend of photography and walking. The Bessa rf can wait as I don't want to rush it at this point, it's far to nice to spoil.

Just a point though, what is the model name of this Bessa. Is it the Bessa RF?



Dave...
 
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chippy said:
(i think Fallis or someone told me it was a type of paint embossed into the cloth).
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Those were wartime Zeiss cameras. I'd guess they switched from leather to this sort of pseudo-leatherette (looks like painted cloth with the texture molded into thickened paint) as a stopgap because of wartime shortages. I was surprised when I peeled some of the leatherette back on one to see it crumble to powder, leaving me with a dirty grey cotton rag. So Voigtlander did this too?
 
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FallisPhoto said:
Those were wartime Zeiss cameras. I'd guess they switched from leather to this sort of pseudo-leatherette (looks like painted cloth with the texture molded into thickened paint) as a stopgap because of wartime shortages. I was surprised when I peeled some of the leatherette back on one to see it crumble to powder, leaving me with a dirty grey cotton rag. So Voigtlander did this too?
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voigtlander used all sorts depending on the year or model, the bessa RF are the cloth based material..although i have one that is maroccan leather but that is not common at all-its more like what was used on some other older high end voigtlanda cameras...the post war war bessa's and perkeo's are a different material again, but its not leather..its a nice pattern letherette of some kind, quite hard to the touch
 
chippy said:
voigtlander used all sorts depending on the year or model, the bessa RF are the cloth based material..although i have one that is maroccan leather but that is not common at all-its more like what was used on some other older high end voigtlanda cameras...the post war war bessa's and perkeo's are a different material again, but its not leather..its a nice pattern letherette of some kind, quite hard to the touch
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I have had three of them -- two with leather. I still have one. I don't know if it is moroccan though, and I'd be kind of skeptical about that; mine looks more like calfhide.

Genuine moroccan leather is always made of sheep or goat leather and it's quite soft. It's the creamy soft stuff they make leather sofas out of. Only goat leather would be used for cameras, since levantine (the kind with a pebbled grain) morocco sheep leather is fairly spongy and is very prone to snagging (unless it's pretty much soaked in sealer, in which case it would be hard as a rock and brittle). Also, the process of making moroccan leather has the dye all the way through the leather.

The leather on mine seems a little stiffer than moroccan leather, the dye does not go all the way through the leather, and the pebble grain size seems not to be as random as it would be if it was real morocco leather, so I would guess it is a distressed sealgrain calfskin leather (the kind of stuff they make shoes from, although they don't generally distress those), skived to about .2mm or .3mm.
 
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well i have a viogtlanda catalogue and it says moroccan leather for a few of the cameras and the leather on mine is the same as whats on them. also

the guy i got this off said he has collected voigtlander for 35 years (seems a geniune fella)and he has only seen 5 bessa RF in all that time with the leather covering (he said it was marrocan leather that was on iy as well, so thats where got it from to begin with)..your correct though if you know your leather as the leather on my bessa rf that has the leather (the other two dont) is VERY soft (creamy soft sounds about right) and if it was a camera that had been used much at all through its life it would very easily be damaged i think..i am always carefull where i put it down because of it
 
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chippy said:
well i have a viogtlanda catalogue and it says moroccan leather for a few of the cameras and the leather on mine is the same as whats on them. also

the guy i got this off said he has collected voigtlander for 35 years (seems a geniune fella)and he has only seen 5 bessa RF in all that time with the leather covering (he said it was marrocan leather that was on iy as well, so thats where got it from to begin with)..your correct though if you know your leather as the leather on my bessa rf that has the leather (the other two dont) is VERY soft (creamy soft sounds about right) and if it was a camera that had been used much at all through its life it would very easily be damaged i think..i am always carefull where i put it down because of it
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RF? The ones I had with leather were all the old 1929 folding models with dialset shutters -- the ones that looked like a cuckoo ought to pop out at any moment; very "Black Forest looking" things, but they had no rangefinders.

Moroccan leather can be made of leather from sheep or from goats. The stuff made from sheep hides is not very durable, but the stuff made from goat hides is very durable, in spite of being very soft. Moroccan goathide is often used for things like motorcycle seats, book bindings, and so on -- applications where you want a soft but fairly durable leather.
BTW, it is "moroccan" leather, as in made the way they developed the process in Spanish Morocco. You'll LOVE reading about the original process, which utilized such things as rusty iron, stale beer, dog crap, and a wool hat. http://www.publicbookshelf.com/publ...dia_of_General_Information/moroccole_cfh.html

The Spanish Moors came up with another unique leather, while they were at it, and if you want a leather that is soft and seriously extra-super-heavy-duty-industrial-strength-durable, you can use real "shell cordovan" leather, which is made from the muscle sheaths covering the butts of horses. Anytime you see a commercial with Ricardo Montalban talking about a car with cordovan leather seats, and the pieces of leather are bigger than about a square foot, he is certainly lying, because a horse only has enough material for two pieces -- just big enough to make a pair of shoes (it shrinks a LOT during the process). There are only two places in the world still making genuine cordovan leather. The process is a closely guarded secret, can't be done by machines and takes six months. A 1-inch watch band made from it costs an average $100, while a pair of shoes can cost as little as $500, so you can see that Ricardo's claim that Chrysler is making car seats out of it is preposterous.
 
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Back from my break and a good old rainy spell has suspended all those household jobs that needed doing. I've had to console myself with extended periods in my pc/darkroom/den. Don't you just hate it when the weather does that?

Got to set the infinity focus on the Bessa and then the horizontal and vertical rf alignment. This was quite easy but tedious as they move as the clamp screw are tightened.
I recall that I had some light leak on the edge of the neg. So I've blanked off the holes in the pressure plate used to rivet the springs to the camera back. I've also fixed strips of foam to the long sides of the pressure plate against the back.

I'll run off a film this weekend. Can't wait..........
 
Just read this thread. I have the same problem and I want to adjust myself. I met some difficulties when I open the up-cover of Bessa RF. Maybe the question is stupid but please help me to remove this screw in the attached photo. This screw is too tight, or the turning direction is wrong? I turn it counter-clcokwise. Is that right?
Thanks.
 

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Hi, I didn't strip mine down that far. I'm assuming that this is similar to mine, two screws locking a sliding adjustment and the central disc with an end stop were still on mine. It was easy enough to set up the focus without taking this off.

Dave..
 
fidget said:
Hi, I didn't strip mine down that far. I'm assuming that this is similar to mine, two screws locking a sliding adjustment and the central disc with an end stop were still on mine. It was easy enough to set up the focus without taking this off.

Dave..
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Huh, i'm confused. i think you must of forgoten something Dave

i pulled a couple of Bessa RF appart recently...
that nut has to be undone (anti clockwise) so the dial/knob can be removed,

that nut is located underneath, the disc that is removed, once you have removed the intial screw hidden under the DoF scale.

removing that, then allows the dial to be removed, giving access the screw that is underneath it (holds the left side of the top on), to the left side of the knob(you can just see it by looking underneath the focus dial/knob when it is all together).
the screw underneath the focus dial, and one under the leatherette on the other end (right hand side end) need to undone to get the top part of the housing, off the camera (unlike the bessa II that can be done from inside the film chamber).

if only adjustment of the rangefinder is needed then it can be done by just removing all the leatherette from the top, but thats not necessaraly better or easier than removing the whole thing, obviously when it is all removed it can be cleaned as well.

the screws inside the film chambers dont atatch the top part of the housing and wont get you acess to the rangefinder on the old bessa RF, on some model bessa RF the is no screw to undo from inside on the supply chamber end, instead that same screw is undone from the top, after you have removed the housing
 
you are right Andrew,
clearly (cause there's photos of it) I had this off. My apologies if this has mis-lead anyone. The scary part is that I cannot remember doing this........

Now, where's that cup of tea got to?,,,,...
 
fidget said:
you are right Andrew,
clearly (cause there's photos of it) I had this off. My apologies if this has mis-lead anyone. The scary part is that I cannot remember doing this........

Now, where's that cup of tea got to?,,,,...
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ah well, not to worry, it happens, there might be a pill that you can take hehe😀😀

i must admit after the last post (the one deleted) where you were reafirming i was scratching my head even more (remembering it was impossible-i couldnt think how you could possibly could have done it) so i went and pulled one apart again just to be absolutly sure (only took a couple of minutes--easy once you have done it before), wondering if there was something i missed and some other way.

but even though the screw in the take up chamber threads into the same post that the screw from the top does, that is hidden under the letherette, it doesnt release the top part of the rangefinder housing. i think maybe your screw was missing in the first place (one of you very early post seems to indicate this-so it mislead you to think undoing from the bottom works) and also Solinar's posts showing examples of dismantling the bessa II top from inside the film chamber may of been confusing the matter of removing the top of Bessa RF but they are actually different to each other.

same with the screw in the supply chamber. that screw in the film chamber (not accessable on all models) doesnt release the top, it holds the end part of another tray the rangefinder mech sits on, on some models this is screwed down from inside the top housing
 
Yup, I was convinced that I had never taken off the central plate and two screw adjustment on the focus dial.

I think that the two screws in the knob do stay on the knob when it is removed, so further convincing me that I had done none of it...so I posted that I could not remember doing this..
Maybe I should take a break from (unsuccessful) repairs and go shoot. I've got some nice, but possibly unexciting folders which beg to used more.

Dave..
 
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