Droped my Zorki 4 RF mirror out of alignment

[trondareo]

Rewinding my christmas shots, I dropped my Zorki 4 and threw the rangefinder mirror out of position. It is now a third down and to the right in the viewfinder. Also the focus cam, has lost its spring back action. I read the Z4k CLA sticky, but it is not very detailed on the RF mechanism. Before I dive in, or decide to send it to Oleg for TLC and CLA, I wonder if anyone has some more info or pics on the RF mechanism?

 

[apostasiometritis]

Rewinding my christmas shots, I dropped my Zorki 4 and threw the rangefinder mirror out of position. It is now a third down and to the right in the viewfinder. Also the focus cam, has lost its spring back action. I read the Z4k CLA sticky, but it is not very detailed on the RF mechanism. Before I dive in, or decide to send it to Oleg for TLC and CLA, I wonder if anyone has some more info or pics on the RF mechanism?

It has happened to me before, the spring back action is set by a simple linear springe that in your case popped.

Linear alignment is set by a screw behind the screw right of the name plate.

Vertical is achieved by rotating the viewfinder window. However, this is usually glued with some substance which wll require use of a solvent to make it adjustable. Also, you need to take off the top cover to do that.

In fact, both adjustments are easier when the top cover is removed and you will get to clean the prism & mirror.

It has happened to me before and it was a case of the mirror next to the viewfinder popping out of one of its mounts. Watch out for the small balls that form the mount. I had to partially dissasemble the mirror mount and when I put everything together alignment was spot on without requiring myself to do anything else.

The spring had also got detached and I "improved" on this by fabricating a tie to the arm. I wish I had taken pictures of when I was fixing that.

Just go through the CLA guide and see whether it is something you think you could do.

The Z4 is easier than the Z4K, but for Leica standards they are both very easy to work with.

I love these cameras for their simplicity, you can pretty much strip them in the field with very common tools.

 

[Frontman]

To repair Zorki you must do like we do in Mother Russia! Drop again, and hit with heavy stick until it again work! If still not work, sell on eBay! Zorki very rare! Just like Leica! Many foreign peoples will pay dollars for rare Zorki made in Mother Russia! 😀

Just kidding. The Zorki is a simple beast, and not hard to perform basic repairs on. You just need a cheap set of micro screwdrivers and a pair of pointed pliers for most repairs. Make sure to lay out everything you remove in an organized way so you can get it back together again.

If the job seems too much, Oleg will fix it for $48 plus shipping. The last camera I sent to him took about 6 weeks to get overhauled, but he did the job well, and the camera worked like new when I got it back.

 

[trondareo]

😀 In Norway I have heard that a Russian greasing is hitting it with a huge hammer until it moves the way you want!.

Thank you for the tips, and excellent description.
If anybody has a picture of the mechanism it would help me understand. Meanwhile ill re read the CLA and your discription above.

 

[wolves3012]

In fact, both adjustments are easier when the top cover is removed and you will get to clean the prism & mirror.

It has happened to me before and it was a case of the mirror next to the viewfinder popping out of one of its mounts. Watch out for the small balls that form the mount. I had to partially dissasemble the mirror mount and when I put everything together alignment was spot on without requiring myself to do anything else.

The spring had also got detached and I "improved" on this by fabricating a tie to the arm. I wish I had taken pictures of when I was fixing that.

I agree it's possible the RF mirror has popped out of its mount. If you do remove the top, work over a tray because the mirror pivots on two tiny balls. If either or both has dropped out of position, you'll need to be very careful not to lose them since they'll be loose inside somewhere! I'd suggest working over a tray to catch anything loose.

To be honest, the RF mechanism is so simple it's hard not to see how it works when looking at the real thing.

A word of caution on the mirror: earlier Zorki 4s used a glass prism that can be cleaned. Later ones and the Zorki 4K use a surface-silvered mirror that should NOT be cleaned with anything harsher than a lens-cleaning brush, or similar, to get the dust off it. Air-blowers are also fine but don't use something like a cotton bud (q-tip), you risk taking the silver off and ruining the mirror. Better not touched at all, if possible.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

other option: remove the top and show us some pictures of the current state of affairs, we than can leave some more detailled advice.....

 

[trondareo]

Ok, Im psyked and ready to go. 5 hours until our new years party begins...
Ill post pics as i go.

 

[trondareo]

I got it open! Puh!
Unlike the Zorki 4 K CLA description, the Z4 has two screws on the back. A set screw for the winder. The unscrew the winder counter clockwise, and you find another two screws under the winder. I used 1, 1.4 and 2.5mm screwdrivers. The screws have very thin slots, so some of my screwdrivers would not fit. Beware of this when buying.

Next Ill start hunting for the fault...

 

[trondareo]

Fault found!
The arm connecting the mirror to the cam axle from the lens follower had jumped up, and partly off the cam. It was a simple matter to push it back on.
First picture the arm (beside the viewfinder prism) is of the cam. Second picture, the arm in place again.

 

[farlymac]

Are we supposed to be looking at a point somewhere between and above the center screw hole, and the start of the serial number? Because other than that, I can't see a difference between the two photos. And even that is not clear.

PF

 

[trondareo]

The viewfinder prism is held by a diagonal metal strip at far left. Just to the right of it is a half circle, which is the cam. And the mirror arm is pushing on it from above in the picture. Sorry I dont have access to photoshop on some arrows at the moment.

 

[rjbuzzclick]

Congrats on fixing it yourself! It's quite gratifying, isn't it?

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Indeed you fixed it! For the ones among us that service Zorki's themselves, your pictures are clear enough - and show the difference.
Happy new year!

 

[trondareo]

It was rather intimidating loosening those small irreplacable screws, but otherwise a fun project. Im glad I did it. And happy for the support on the forum.
Ill edit in some better pictures for future reference for people who havent opend their camera. Probably later this week.