Any good illustrated articles on adjusting the RF?

S

simonclivehughe

Guest
I'm in the middle of my 3 week vacation in Paris and the vertical RF adjustment is out of whack on one of the twins, Henri and Robert (R-D1 #1 = Henri, R-D1 #2 = Robert). In actuality, both cameras exhibit a vertical missalignment, but one is more pronounced than the other. It's really a nuisance when trying to focus the 90mm.

I've seen both the pictures of the guts of the R-D1 (from DAG, I think) and the text-only article on "How Not to Adjust a Bessa-R", but I've not seen anything that might help me at least make a judgement as to whether to try this or live with it until later.

I checked out a couple of the Leica stores near the Bastille and was directed to Atelier Photo who do all manner of repairs, but the minute the realized it was "mumerique", they just said no.

Any advice would be welcome.
 
Bill,

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see anything about adjusting the RF on the R-D1 on Karen's site. I'm specifically looking for an article (or detailed help) that shows how to access the adjustment screws etc.

As I mentioned, I'm a few thousand miles from home (Paris - Seattle) and I've got a couple jeweller's screwdrivers (slot & Phillips) and a Leatherman tool. I'd just like to know whether this is possible or not, and if so, how??
 
Simon, I sucessfully adjusted mine following the "how no to ..." instructions. It worked for my 90mm, 50mm and 35mm, not 24mm, all new leica lenses. You need good light to find the tall screw you need to adjust. I accidently turned the infinity screw when I did mine. Not that ie mattered, it needed adjustment anyway.

Ulrik
 
The R-D 1 is a little different from the older Bessa covered in the 'how not to' article.

Access to the screws is the same: Lift off the cover from the accessory shoe (spring-loaded; lift tabs at rear with an appropriate tool -- I used a pointed wooden toothpick -- then press forward and lift the front edge, then slide the cover back and out.) Once the cover is off, remove the four Phillips screws and lift off the accessory shoe.

The vertical adjustment is a large gray screw that's slightly recessed back under the edge of the cutout in the top cover, toward the right (film advance lever) side. It stands well up from the baseplate of the mechanism and is easy to distinguish from the other screws. Because it's under the edge of the cutout, you have to reach in diagonally with your screwdriver to adjust it. The angle means you have to be careful not to let your straight-bladed screwdriver slip out of the slot, but otherwise it isn't too difficult.

[I did this job a couple of months ago, but didn't take any pictures -- sorry!]
 
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jlw,

Thanks for your reply. My problem is I'm still not 100% clear on how to remove the hotshoe. Is the clip you speak of the black plastic "U" shaped piece that surrounds the central (silver) contact? I tried to pry that up and it does indeed come up but doesn't seem to release anything and now has a crease in it so I'm afraid of doing anything further because I just know it's going to break off. This wouldn't be the end of the world as I never use flash, but all the same, I'd rather not tempt fate.

Unless I'm way off base and the real procedure is something more simple, I think I might just wait till I'm home and send them to DAG for an adjustment.
 
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Yes, the clip I meant is the black U-shaped piece around the hotshoe contact. It's not plastic, though; it's thin, springy metal. You're very unlikely to break it, unless you have no discretion whatever when it comes to mechanical things.

The clip hooks under the edges of the shoe at both the front and the back. To release it, you first have to push it backward a bit, enough to release the two sides that hook under the rear edge; then, press it forward slightly so you can unhook the front. The rear parts have to be pried up and back externally (gently!) but the easiest way to release the front is by sliding something down into the curve of the "U" in the vicinity of the hotshoe contact, and lift gently.

As I said, I've had my best luck using a sharply pointed wooden toothpick to do this. First, hold the toothpick vertically, slip it in at the front of the shoe, and press backward to release the back edge. It won't move much, as there is very little play. Next, transfer your toothpick to one of the rear edges, slip the point in from the side, and press it backwards and upwards. The first time you try it, it will be quite stiff; subsequent removals will be a bit easier. Once one side is free, repeat on the other side.

Once both sides are free at the rear, hold your toothpick flat, slip it in from the back, and gently lift the front edge free. There are two spring fingers under the sides of the shoe that press downward from the top, so you'll need to maintain slight upward pressure as you slide the cover back.

Once the cover is off, you'll see the four Phillips screws and can proceed from there.
 
adjusting rangefinders

adjusting rangefinders

in my experience, adjusting the viewfinder is a thankless task.

I once had an R3A. It arrived from the store with terrible misalignment. Particularly on the vertical. I looked up the directions for adjustment and gave it a try, but wow. The little screws were sticking, not adjusting smoothly, and it just got worse. And once you open things up and try it yourself, the shops will avoid the project like the plague since it is very likely that something is broken.

I eventually had the camera replaced with another that was perfectly aligned.

Point is, viewfinder alignment is something that should be done by pros. It is worth the cost to have it done right. Unless you have the patience to struggle with calibrating a viewfinder (very involved process), and dealing with getting both close and infinity focus perfectly aligned, and have probably hours to spend getting it done, send it off. I do not know about the RD-1, but most of the time, those adjustment screws are also set with lock-tite so they don't wander. You will have to try and re-set them - which is like performing brain surgery on a mouse.
 
shutterflower said:
in my experience, adjusting the viewfinder is a thankless task.

I once had an R3A. It arrived from the store with terrible misalignment. Particularly on the vertical. I looked up the directions for adjustment and gave it a try, but wow. The little screws were sticking, not adjusting smoothly, and it just got worse. And once you open things up and try it yourself, the shops will avoid the project like the plague since it is very likely that something is broken.

I eventually had the camera replaced with another that was perfectly aligned.

Point is, viewfinder alignment is something that should be done by pros. It is worth the cost to have it done right. Unless you have the patience to struggle with calibrating a viewfinder (very involved process), and dealing with getting both close and infinity focus perfectly aligned, and have probably hours to spend getting it done, send it off. I do not know about the RD-1, but most of the time, those adjustment screws are also set with lock-tite so they don't wander. You will have to try and re-set them - which is like performing brain surgery on a mouse.
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not really - if you know what you are doing, adjust the RF is the easist repair you can do.
 
Dan Chang said:
not really - if you know what you are doing, adjust the RF is the easist repair you can do.
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I agree. It is not too difficult, but it requires a bit of patience.

I am not one of those people who is good with fixing things, but I have been fairly successful in adjusting the infinity focus and vertical alignment. The infinity focus is the more difficult, because it is very difficult to see the infinity focus screw, and the screwdriver can only reach the screw on an angle so the screwdriver keeps slipping off the screw head. If you have a headlamp (such as used when camping or hiking), I recommend using one to light the screws. Otherwise you may need someone to hold a flashlight for you.

In my experience, the rangefinder mechanism seems to go out out of alignment regularly (once a month or so). That may be because I tend to use heavier lenses, and I take my camera (nearly) everywhere. I also carry my camera with the lens pointing down and the body supported, so the weight of the lens is hanging from the camera. (I'm not sure if this is a good or bad idea.. anyone have any comments?).

There will likely come a time when you need adjustment done and there are no rangefinder technicians around (such as when I was in Fiji recently). It isn't a bad idea to get some experience doing the adjustments in an un-hurried environment so you will feel comfortable doing the adjustment on the field or while travelling. Once you are familiar with what to do, the process isn't nearly as daunting. And it is very satisfying feeling to have fine-tuned a piece of precision machinery :D

Phil
 
Well Gang,

Thanks for all your replies. While I consider myself to be very comfortable doing mechanical and electrical things, I've come to the conclusion that I simply don't feel comfortable in trying to do this here (on vacation) with the limited tools I have. I see no point in getting the hotshoe off and not having the right sized screwdriver etc. to do the work satisfactorily.

When I get back to Seattle, I'll arrange to get them to DAG (any other suggestions) to have them professionally done. At that point, I'll get them fully CLA'd to get the slightly wonky framing (slants to lower left) done and focus checked at the same time.

Thanks for all your good advice.

Other than this slight issue, the twins are being stellar performers here in Paris... much better than two years ago when I dragged around pounds and pounds of D1X and lenses in a backpack! Now, when I go out, I have the twins, typically with the 21mm and the 90mm, with the rest of the stuff (12mm, 28 Ultron & 50 Nokton, viewfinders, batteries, cards and either a small beanbag or my Manfrotto table tripod) in a small belt pouch. Now that is liberating!

Here's a few of pictures for you (all shots RAW then processed in Epson RAW, finally CS processed typically for curves, saturation and sharpening):
 
No, the vertical alignment has no effect on distance. If your camera is focusing in front of, or behind, your intended subject, the problem is either with the horizontal alignment or with some non-rangefinder-related issue, such as the lens coupling cam, body thickness, screw-to-bayonet adapter thickness, etc.
 
I have the front focusing problem with my Bessa R3A which essentially has the same rangefinder as the R-D1. The problem occurs with all my CV lenses (which should couple OK) so I'm pretty sure it's horizontal alignment. It sounds like this could be the problem on your R-D1. I believe this is extremely difficult to fix yourself. I've sent mine back for repair.
 
pab said:
I have the front focusing problem with my Bessa R3A which essentially has the same rangefinder as the R-D1. The problem occurs with all my CV lenses (which should couple OK) so I'm pretty sure it's horizontal alignment. It sounds like this could be the problem on your R-D1. I believe this is extremely difficult to fix yourself. I've sent mine back for repair.
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I only have a 50 Summicron and focusing *used* to be spot on but now I've noticed that at 3 feet its focusing some 4inches in front and at longer distances up to a foot in front.

I'd really rather not send the camera back as I'm in the UK and the camera was bought from a fellow RFFer in the US. I'm willing to spend a whole day trying to open the cam and fix it, just trying to find some instructions on which screws do what and fix this most annoying of problems.

Did a wedding last week and 98% of the shots were front focused. Got another this Saturday so today is the day this cam gets fixed! :)

Any links, tips or personal accounts on how to fix front focusing on the R-D1 much appreciated!
 
I'm in the UK also but bought my R3A in Japan. I sent the camera to Robert White who will try and do something with it.
 
I am the one who poasted DAG's photos of the R-D1 innards. (Go to imagere.com then to "Ed's Works", then "R-D1"). There one sees an inner adjustment screw that trims the RF baseline for 1 meter distance. One needs a serviceperson (or equivalent skills oneself) to get to this screw. Luckily, this is rarely the culprit in front-focusing.

The 3 screws under the hotshoe are fairly easily adjusted by anyone with good fine motor skills, and the left screw (as viewed from behind the camera, will likely correct front focus in most instances, and the right tall screw vertical misalaignment.
 
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