mfogiel
Veteran
Hi everybody,
I have decided to seek your fellow RF's wisdom and stance on this painful problem afflicting our cameras: the misalignment of the rangefinders: be it vertical or (especially) horizontal, be it with new cameras, or with old, be it with Leicas. Zeiss Ikons, Bessas, or what may be...
I find that one of the main points of the use of fine lenses and fast focusing RF cameras is precisely, the possibility to make selective focus photographs, and although this can be often the purpose of the shot, sometimes it is simply a matter of necessity for the available light shooter. Hence, the need to keep the camera (and lens) calibrated as precisely as possible.
I have several RF bodies, and so far only the 0.58 Minolta CLE and 0.52 Bessa R4A have not had the need for an adjustment - but this well may be, because the magnification factor and the base are so small that I actually do not notice it... With shorter FL's these bodies are under small stress for ultimate precision anyway.
My Bessa R3A came misaligned right out of the box, and after 2 (!) repairs done by two reputable Milanese repairmen, it is still misaligned at least 5cm at 1m
The Zeiss Ikon was perfect for several months, but eventually various hits and bumps during an air travel took their toll. The most resilient to shake has been the M7, but after I've asked to remove the 75mm frames, it came back off the track too.
At this point I am somewhat tired of going back and forth to the repair shops, not to mention the money spent for nothing, and I am considering the DIY way - also because I will likely soon leave this country and reside in a place where it will be highly unlikely to find specialized assistance.
My question is: what has been your experience with these adjustments, and who of you has actually been doing it himself for some time? Is it very difficult? Is some experience and a fixed routine helpful? Do you align on the moon or on the 1m mark, or both? Do you use a laser beam?And what if the infinity and 1m alignments do not agree? Do you check the sharpness with a ground glass at the film plane, or do you do test shots afterwards?
Any experienced voice and links to instructions for the job will be highly appreciated.
Marek
I have decided to seek your fellow RF's wisdom and stance on this painful problem afflicting our cameras: the misalignment of the rangefinders: be it vertical or (especially) horizontal, be it with new cameras, or with old, be it with Leicas. Zeiss Ikons, Bessas, or what may be...
I find that one of the main points of the use of fine lenses and fast focusing RF cameras is precisely, the possibility to make selective focus photographs, and although this can be often the purpose of the shot, sometimes it is simply a matter of necessity for the available light shooter. Hence, the need to keep the camera (and lens) calibrated as precisely as possible.
I have several RF bodies, and so far only the 0.58 Minolta CLE and 0.52 Bessa R4A have not had the need for an adjustment - but this well may be, because the magnification factor and the base are so small that I actually do not notice it... With shorter FL's these bodies are under small stress for ultimate precision anyway.
My Bessa R3A came misaligned right out of the box, and after 2 (!) repairs done by two reputable Milanese repairmen, it is still misaligned at least 5cm at 1m
The Zeiss Ikon was perfect for several months, but eventually various hits and bumps during an air travel took their toll. The most resilient to shake has been the M7, but after I've asked to remove the 75mm frames, it came back off the track too.
At this point I am somewhat tired of going back and forth to the repair shops, not to mention the money spent for nothing, and I am considering the DIY way - also because I will likely soon leave this country and reside in a place where it will be highly unlikely to find specialized assistance.
My question is: what has been your experience with these adjustments, and who of you has actually been doing it himself for some time? Is it very difficult? Is some experience and a fixed routine helpful? Do you align on the moon or on the 1m mark, or both? Do you use a laser beam?And what if the infinity and 1m alignments do not agree? Do you check the sharpness with a ground glass at the film plane, or do you do test shots afterwards?
Any experienced voice and links to instructions for the job will be highly appreciated.
Marek
