R-D1 - rangefinder patch misalignment?

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Waterman100

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Members from this forum are great. I've relied on your advise and insights during research for my first RF -- many thanks to all!

I bought a R-D1s in-person over the weekend from a fellow member here. During the transaction, he also showed me a M6. When comparing the two, I see that the M6's RF patch coincide perfectly, while the R-D1s is not and it is off just so very little...

However, the seller could focus and shoot properly -- I screen-tested those shots with a computer on-site. So I wasn't sure if I just didn't know how RF patches should look like, if the R-D1 was simply built / design like that, or if this R-D1s has a RF misalignment. Any thoughts?

Many many thanks.

Wai
 
RF misalignment as usual i'm afraid.
You can live with it as is i guess if it's tiny.
Otherwise your R-D1s will be easier to fix than mine hopefully.
 
Hello,

I had the same problem after I recently purchased a used R-D1. Somehow I could achieve sharp pictures but I discovered missaligned rangefinder. My camera repair man is very experienced and fixed this within a couple of days. Now it matches perfectla. If you are mechanical skilled person you can also fix it by yourself. You need a lens which you know that it is exacly on focus and you should take care more on the close distance focusing than the infinity. Details about the rengefinder adjustments can be found on Richard Cutlers website: http://www.richcutler.co.uk/r-d1/

Have fun!
Matthias
 
Thanks for confirming it for me, guys.

I did more reading after getting the camera, and I got a strong inkling immediately that it was misalignment. It was partly my fault for accepting the camera, but then the seller had said the RF worked perfectly! I just didn't know enough at the time to think otherwise :bang:

Luckily the seller did offer to buy it back if I wasn't happy with it. Hopefully he'd honor that promise!
 
Waterman100 said:
...but then the seller had said the RF worked perfectly...
Click to expand...
Which can be perfectly true.
RF misalignments can be caused by drops or bumps of the package during carriage or handling.
I've bought my R-D1s in Italy from a professional dealer who checked that the RF was spot on before shipping but when i received the camera in France i had the same experience as yours exactly.
And then i discovered that the RF could not be adjusted through the hot shoe contrary to my R-D1 but it is another story.
 
Mine misaligned abour every 2 months

Mine misaligned abour every 2 months

I became god at repairing it myself until I messed it up by applying locktite to the alignment screw. Too muck came out and got on the glass.

just be extra careful. I got a 250.00 quote for alignment, Does that sound right to you?
 
I'd just learn to adjust it myself or learn to live with it... I'm positive mine is a little off as well, but I 'm just used to it and doesn't seem to affect my images at all. I can't be bothered worrying over it...just another quirk in a quirky camera that I just can't seem to put back down once it's in my grubby hands.
 
Its pretty normal with R-D1s. I had it on mine and fixed allignment myself. Its not that hard to do. You can still focus it perfectly when RF alignment is off.
 
Today I checked my R-D1 for misalignments. It was vertically misaligned a tiny bit. I removed hotshoe and corrected it thanks to Rich Cutler's page. The instructions are very clear indeed and overly detailed so following it carefully is really a surefire way to eliminate risks fiddling with the internals. The hotshoe clip really comes off quite easily, it's not tight. The adjustment screws really need to be turned just a few degrees as Rich instructed, I was so gentle that I almost do not feel that it turned but know it did feeling the resistance a moment before I stop exercising more force (which is tiny and without pressing the screwdriver down at all, which is not so risky with the rightmost vertical adjustment screw but risky with the others).

Then I tried to adjust focus at infinity but could not do it because my right eye is bad for infinity (myopic) and using the left eye is awkward and therefore not precise. In fact my vision is not that bad so I never felt the need to see an ophtalmologist but now I do. Tomorrow I will see one to find out which diopter correction VF lens I need to buy one from Japan Exposure just to be able to do alignment corrections effectively.

Furthermore it seems that I need to remove the top plate as well to be able to turn the 4th screw on the far left to correct close focusing alignment which cause my 35/1.2 to front focus. Even though I tried to correct focus at infinity at many settings using my left eye, close focus was always off. I will need to remove the top plate and my only concern is to remove the leather (!) covering with the fear that I could not put it back so fittingly. I will also disable wheel lock during that top plate removal.

So ophtalmologist first. Then I will see if I need more alignment corrections.
 
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