FSU Quality Control strikes again?

[Grytpype]

I got my 1976 Kiev 4A out recently to check something. I looked through the viewfinder and it was out of focus - the whole viewfinder, not just the rangefinder patch. Normally a Kiev/Contax viewfinder is sharp if I'm wearing my distance glasses (I'm slightly short-sighted).

The external eyepiece on these is plain glass, and the internal viewfinder block consists of a cube shaped metal shell with a round eyepiece lens (permanently fixed in the late Kievs) and a rectangular objective lens, the latter held by metal tabs. I thought one of these two lenses must have come loose, though there was nothing visibly wrong from outside.

When I took the top-casting off and detached the viewfinder block I could find absolutely nothing wrong. I changed the block for one taken from a spares camera, and everything is now normal.

So how did this camera come to have a faulty viewfinder - a batch of lenses made out of spec? Surely this would have been noticed during rangefinder alignment at the factory. There is no sign of anything having been changed or messed with. The error would have made the viewfinder sharp for someone a little more short-sighted than me, not wearing glasses, but it seems rather far-fetched to think that Kievs might have been available to order with a built in dioptre correction - unless anyone knows differently.

I did use this camera about 4 or 5 years ago and do not remember noticing anything wrong, but I actually was a little more short-sighted then!

 

[papaki]

An accidental kick at the camera could put many things off, for example the dichroic mirror in the viewfinder part of the rangefinder assembly. They are well made, durable, but that does not mean they are indestructible.

 

[Grytpype]

This was a viewfinder issue, not rangefinder, and could only be influenced by the lenses in the viewfinder unit, which were solid.

The rangefinder itself is very robust in the Kiev, apart from the plano-convex prisms in the adjustable part, which can sometimes come adrift. This would not affect viewfinder focus. The semi-silvered mirror is embedded in the main prism block, and cannot be dislodged.

 

[papaki]

Indeed, the viewfinder block is almost impossible to knock it off its place. Are you sure it was defocussed? Could it be foggy? Also was it o.k. in the past, or you bought it like that? It could be that someone got there first and replaced/damaged something.

 

[Grytpype]

Could it be foggy?

The glass is clear as could be.

Also was it o.k. in the past, or you bought it like that?

Absolutely nothing looks wrong, except when you look through. I'd normally use a Kiev without my glasses, and I've only used this camera once, shortly after I bought it a few years ago, when my eyesight was more shortsighted, and it may have matched the error in the camera closely enough for me not to notice.