HOW TO - Adjust your RF on a FED or Zorki

[wolves3012]

Hi folks.

My Zorki 4K rangefinder window has suddenly become extremely blurry. Looking through it presents a similar image to looking through a very out-of-focus SLR viewfinder. I'm not sure how this has happened as it's been sitting in its case on a shelf since the last time I took it out to shoot.

It's not a misaligned rangefinder patch, the whole RF window is affected.

I have never taken a camera apart before, but I'd be up for attempting a fix if anyone can point me to some instructions. I'd hate to think that my Zorki might be dead when I've only put a couple of rolls of film through it!

A little late with a reply, because I didn't notice this thread had been moved. You can find instructions on how to remove the top-plate under the FSU sub-forum, in a CLA thread I wrote years back. Before you take the top off, are you sure you haven't just bumped the dioptre correction lever? If not, it sounds likely that the dioptre correction lens has become misplaced internally.

 

[domdel]

When turned in (clockwise) or out? If you turn it far enough out it'll come out of its thread - the adjustment is finite! The screw isn't behind the VF window, it's beside it - what camera are you adjusting and which screw are you turning?

I believe this is what just happened to me 😱 turning the screw has no effect, it seems out of its thread indeed - is there a way to fix this? I'm a bit afraid of messing around with this part.




Thanks in advance for any tip you may have.

 

[domdel]

Does anybody have any advice? How can I get the infinity adjustment screw back in its thread on my beloved FED-2? 🙁
It seems it has completely wronged my rangefinder, now I'm not able to get a proper adjustment, even by adjusting the cam linking the lens...

 

[Wiglaf]

Can't get infinity and close focus to both be correct...

Can't get infinity and close focus to both be correct...

Great post. I'd actually already performed the different steps you described on an early-ish Fed II with a collapsible lens when I found it. As you remark, when the infinity focus is correctly calibrated by adjusting the horizontal alignment by turning the small screw behind the screw on the front plate below the logo and by rotating the inner RF lens to correct the vertical alignment often the close focus is incorrect and vice versa. When I then correct the close focus by adjusting the wedge-shaped cam behind the lens, this throws the infinity focus considerably out. No amount of back and forth seems to get me any closer to having both infinity and close focus correctly calibrated at the same time! When infinity focus is correct close focus is out by a long way (with the double image knocked to the left) and when close focus is correct infinity focus is way out, with the double image knocked miles to the right). I must have spent 4 hours yesterday trying to get it right, but with no joy at all. :bang: Do you have any tips for overcoming this?