Bessa RF 6x9 beam splitter replacement

[AW80]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum and I wanted to say hello to you all.

I have also a question for you all. Does anybody know how to replace a beam splitter of Voigtländer Bessa RF 6x9? It is very hard to spot something if I try to focus. I could not find a lot of information on the net. Nevertheless, I read that it is almost not possible to replace it, because there are no spare parts. Is there really no workaround? Thank you all for your help.

Kind Regards,
Alexander

 

[WoodallP]

Hi, i have a Bessa RF and a Bessa II but have never had to replace the beam splitter mirrors. However I have done it for Leicas and Agfa Isolettes and Nobbysparrow on EBay was the man. He can cut to size. It’s not that hard yourself if you can get the mirrors, but it’s better to buy one in if you don’t like the sight of blood.

 

[WoodallP]

But before that, maybe try a coloured filter in front of one of the front RF windows. I forget which one but I think it is the one with a straight line of sight from the eyepiece.

 

[AW80]

Thank you for the tipps. I will try a coloured filter. Let's see if this helps.

 

[PRJ]

If you are talking about the original pre war Bessa RF I may have a parts body...

 

[AW80]

yes, it is a prewar model so far as I know. Would the rangefinder be ok?

 

[AW80]

But before that, maybe try a coloured filter in front of one of the front RF windows. I forget which one but I think it is the one with a straight line of sight from the eyepiece.

Dear WoodaIIP, thank you for this tip. It is indeed helping. Especially using a yellow filter helps a bit. It is not perfect, but focusing is a bit easier.

 

[WoodallP]

Dear WoodaIIP, thank you for this tip. It is indeed helping. Especially using a yellow filter helps a bit. It is not perfect, but focusing is a bit easier.

It’s a solution used a lot in the Barnack Leica world. Leica even sold a screw on coloured filter.

 

[AW80]

Dear All,

Finally, the camera is fixed. It now has a bright and clear rangefinder. The mirrors were corroded and needed to be replaced.

My first idea was to see if I could open the camera myself. After some internet research, I came to the conclusion that this would be too difficult a task for me, so I decided to look for professional help. Unfortunately, repair services in Switzerland and Germany do not accept Voigtländer Bessa cameras. There are no spare parts available, and the rangefinder repair is complicated. There was one service in Geneva that would have taken it, but due to holiday absences, I ended up not sending it there.

For a long time, my wife and I had been planning a trip to Japan. So why not take the camera with us and have it fixed there? We had already had very good experiences with a camera repair service in Tokyo (Mr. Hasegawa—very professional and friendly!). He told us that he had never repaired this type of camera before and that finding parts might be an issue. Nevertheless, he completed the job. He was able to replace the corroded mirrors, clean the rangefinder, and adjust it. He also told me that adjusting the rangefinder is not easy and that I should take good care of the camera.

The view is now incredible. Very bright and clear! A big thank you to Mr Hasegawa.

Now I’m going to take some pictures… Let’s see if I can share something here soon.

Have a lovely day!

Kind Regards,
Alexander

 

[Zuiko-logist]

Alexander, good to hear this. Looking forward to seeing the results.

 

[PRJ]

Sorry I dropped the ball on the parts camera Alexander. Glad you got it sorted.