FED Viewfinder Fix

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MinorTones

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Oct 11, 2005
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I took apart my FED-2 tonight. I wanted to clear up some greasy substance in the viewfinder that was really obstructing the view.

So I did it all correctly, and according to Laika's stickied thread in this forum.

I got to the Viewfinder to find it is two triangular pieces of glass, and on the inside of these two triangles is where the grease has made its home. I cant see any way to get inside there to clean it out. I believe these two pieces are stuck together in some way.

Here is a link from Laika's thread that shows the VF of an FED-2 so you get an idea. Its the piece on the top right that I'm talking about.Viewfinder Link

So am I sunk? Do i need to buy a new viewfinder for this camera? Where can I buy one.

Oh it was fun taking this thing apart though and seeing all the inner workings. I recommend you all go buy an FED and just tinker with it. The things are so damn cheap.

-Mitch
 
A little shameless bump.

I'm reasoning with myself wether or not to buy a beater FED-2 just for the viewfinder.
Whats the concensus?

I dont wanna have to make the 50th poll this week :eek:)

-Mitch
 
Those triangular pieces of glass are glued together with a gold beamspliter in the middle. Do not split those apart.

Does the "grease" look like a rainbow or color fringing? If it does have that look, the prisms have started to separate. All is not lost if it is splitting. Post again if so.

While you are in there, make sure the RF prism and wedge near the wind knob are clean.

Also paint the inside of your top-plate with flat black.
 
Here's a quote from Laika.

"Once the top cover is clean you may want to give the inside of it around the RF/VF optics a quick coat of matt black paint to cut down on any internal reflection that may cause problems say if you were shooting towards the sun."
 
jcline said:
Just currious what does painting the top plate flat back do for you? Reduce flare?
Click to expand...

As Gary Cooper said, "Yup"

It made a difference for me.

I also slightly enlaged the RF mask hole in the prism strap and adjusted the movable mask to slightly enlarge the RF spot.
 
I was pretty sure those viewfinder pieces dont come apart.

I cant really describe the grease inside the two sandwiched parts of the viewfinder any better than I already have.

It looks as if some glue above the split between the two glass VF pieces has melted and seeped into the space between.

Perhaps the VF is splitting, I cant really tell. This is the first FED-2 I've taken apart, and the first rangefinder I've ever seen inside of really.

-Mitch
 
I'm waiting on a fed 2 as we speak, and I'm looking forward to learning it inside and out. For the price, they sound like a cheap education ;)
 
w3rk5 said:
Here's a quote from Laika.

"Once the top cover is clean you may want to give the inside of it around the RF/VF optics a quick coat of matt black paint to cut down on any internal reflection that may cause problems say if you were shooting towards the sun."
Click to expand...

He said it better and earlier than I did! His post is great.
 
Yeah, I'm waiting on a Fed 2, too. Looking forward to it's arrival. Mine looks to be in good shape, and for the price I paid, I'm not worried if it needs a little TLC.

The Pics
 
I might have a spare VF for you if you take care of shipping. Send me a PM if you're interested.

I agree with what you said jcline. I sacrificed one, but I learned a lot from it (don't fix what ain't broken. :p ). lol But seriously, I did learn a lot. :)
 
MinorTones said:
I was pretty sure those viewfinder pieces dont come apart.

I cant really describe the grease inside the two sandwiched parts of the viewfinder any better than I already have.

It looks as if some glue above the split between the two glass VF pieces has melted and seeped into the space between.

Perhaps the VF is splitting, I cant really tell. This is the first FED-2 I've taken apart, and the first rangefinder I've ever seen inside of really.

-Mitch
Click to expand...

Mitch,

It is normal to see "melted" looking glue on the top and bottom of the prisms. Cardboard or paper parts were attached to the top and bottom of the prism. I had a piece and a half on the bottom of one to shim it vertically.

If you want to take a non recoverable chance at a brighter prism, you can repair the prism that you have and make it brighter. I wasted THREE prisms learning how. I am quite please with the final result. It is as bright as my Canonet QL17 GIII.

I need to post the tool and instruction list when I am not so tired.

I also need to contemplate telling people who may not be careful, how to totally destroy their camera.

Another option is buy another FED. But if this one is broken, It might be worth a try.
 
Lance.......it'll be great if you can post your "brighter prisim" non recoverable repair guide. :) I'd like to give it a shot. :D
 
Well the rest of the camera is perfect, its just the prism that is the problem.

I'd also like to see the prism brightening repair. I mean the thing is busted right now so where can I go wrong, right?

-Mitch
 
I'll write it up today and post it tonight or tommorrow.


It is not complicated. I just want to get it right. Plus I've got to leave now.
 
FED2 prism repair

FED2 prism repair

Below is a material list and two sets of instructions for repair and making brighter the FED2 VF/RF prism. Please read and understand the instructions all the way through before attempting this. If you have questions before attempting this, ask before you try. Remember, it is impossible to reverse this procedure. If you are new to FED2's, just try cleaning the VF/RF first, and then use it for a while. I find a normal cleaned prism sufficient for most shots.


I went through three attempts to get this right. These instructions are based on my memory, not from note taken at the time. If this is not accomplished correctly, you may render you camera unusable. I have two FED2 cameras. One is unaltered, that I use in most outdoor situations. The second is used in concert halls, at night, and for about 25% of my outdoor daytime shots. Before you do this, think about the need again.

If you PM me, I'll provide you with the lighting gel and window tinting. The smallest purchase was enough to do about 100 cameras. I'll also provide a bit of window tinting for the optional step. I have enough for about a thousand cameras. I'll give you my address in a reply PM. Then send me a SASE.


Materials:
  • Sheet of bright yellow lighting gel
  • Optical cement, UV curing, from micro-tools.com
  • Masking tape, easy release
  • Window tint 50% -60% - (Optional)
  • CYA glue (crazy glue)
  • Flat black paint (very small amount, 1oz jar)
  • A paper towel.


Tools:
  • (2) New razor blades
  • Fine point felt tip pen
  • Sandpaper, about 100grit
  • Small paint brush


Instructions stage 1:
  • Mark spot on front of prism, while looking through the eyepiece, where the RF patch appears using the felt tip pen to later locate the RF patch spot and size.
  • Remove top plate, prism, & prism clamp using Laika’s directions
  • Mark the tops, sides, and bottoms of the prism, near the front edge and eyepiece edges using very small pieces of tape and felt tip pen to relocate the RF ink mark previously placed on the front of the prism. DO NOT cover the dividing crevice between the prism halves. Be accurate. You need this later to locate the spot and size of the RF patch.
  • Lightly sand inside of top plate where rangefinder resides
  • Clean inside of top plate
  • Paint inside of top plate where rangefinder resides
  • Carefully sand off paint around RF spot mask on outside of clamp, being careful not to bend clamp
  • Trim lighting gel to a square, the width of the prism clamp
  • Glue gel, using CYA, over the RF spot mask on the outside of the clamp (on the surfaced that was cleaned with the sand paper. It is important that the gel be flat and smooth. Do not get glue in the RF hole.




Instructions stage 2:
  • Wait for a sunny day
  • While looking at the top of the prism, note the relationship of the corners of the hypotenuse delineated by the prism split.
  • Using first razorblade, clean top and bottom of prism near the prism split
  • Hold your breath
  • Work the first razor blade no more than 3mm into the cleavage, between the prism halves at one of the corners. The prism should pop apart.
  • If it did not pop apart, while holding one prism triangle, place the other prism triangle’s edge on a table, a few inches in from the table edge and press down.
  • Tear off two three inch long pieces of tape.
  • At this point you should have two glass triangles. One will have a clean Hypotenuse face, the other will have a beam splitter gold surface
  • With the second razorblade, scrape off the gold beam splitter surface from the glass, EXCEPT for the central portion where the RF patches would reside. You can use the ink marks previously placed on the prism to locate the RF patch spot. About the central 1/9 of the beam splitter should remain. Double-check several times to ensure that the center portion where the RF spot would be does not get the gold removed
  • Clean off the “clean” cleavage surface with the first razor blade.
  • Place two or three drops of the optical adhesive on the “clean” cleavage surface.
  • Quickly press the two triangles together as they were before, as you noted in the second step of the second stage. It is crucial that the adhesive surfaces have no air bubbles and that the adhesive be of an even thickness.
  • Clean off excess adhesive squeezed out of the prism cleavage with the paper towel.
  • Quickly wrap the pre-torn tape around the prism halves to hold them together. Leave one of the clear prism surfaces uncovered by tape.
  • Go outside and hold the prism in the sunlight, with the uncovered side exposed to the sun. Do this for the curing period as written on the bottle (I believe it to be between 2 and 5 minutes)
  • Come inside, remove the tape, and then clean the three clear prism surfaces with the razor.
  • Reassemble.


Optional step:
This may not be needed. Try it first without. If the RF patch is too light to use comfortably. place a 3mm circle of widow tint on the outside, front surface of the prism. The tint can be removed from the backing by peeling or with a drop of alcohol. It will take about 24 hours for the tint advesive to harden. It can always be removed later with a razor blade.
 
Thanks for posting LMD. Luckily I'm getting a new VF. I'm going to try this out with the old one though. Since it is already ruined I dont think I have much to lose heh.

I wonder, what made you think of this technique?

-Mitch
 
MinorTones said:
I wonder, what made you think of this technique?

-Mitch
Click to expand...

I needed a brighter VF and brighter RF patch to use in very dark situations, like asa100 or asa400 @ f0.95 @1/30. It was cheaper than buying a Canon 7.
 
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