My Hexar RF - to repair or trash it

[sockeyed]

Some of you probably recall the woes that I've had with my Hexar RF with focus problems. They are detailed HERE

To summarize briefly, this is a Hexar RF that I bought used via a RFF member in Europe who served as a middleman, knowing that I wanted one and he knew of one available. He did so, obviously, with the best intentions. Unfortunately, there is no option of returning it.

Anyway, the body never focused properly. The focusing was fine until you got within a couple of meters of the subject, then things went to heck. It stumped a local repair guy and DAG.

Ken Ruth of Bald Mountain, a Konica expert, currently has the camera and has given me this less-than-encouraging report:

Rangefinder not working due to damaged patch lens bearing plate. Super glue on: contact balls, vertical adjustment lens barrel, and intermediate finder lens. Bent patch lens carriage, loose patch prism assembly (held with scotch tape) [camera focus ok]

Repair and mitigate the mechanics of the RF module to make the unit usable for image making...but likely the image of the RF patch will remain poorer* due to a lens unit that has been glued in place slightly off. Trying to remove this lens would very likely break it. Restore damaged parts, mitigate and adjust [no work on intermediate lens]...$300

*Depending on the user vision it may not look quite as sharp and accurate focusing would require that the eye be centred to be sure of reasonable coincidence of the two images. [This camera eye lens seems to be set up for a nearsighted user].

So once I get over the fact that I'm really mad that someone sold me a camera with a wrecked and tampered rangefinder (not the RFF member who wouldn't have known), I have to decide what to do with it. Do I spend another $300US to get it functional (with an apparent flaw), or do I just bite the bullet and admire my 400 Euro paperweight (or use it like a Bessa L).

What would YOU do??

 

[rool]

Put a 15mm on it.

 

[ghost]

sell it to a repairman for parts.

and who actually sold you the camera?

 

[merciful]

I'd find someone to go over to the guy's house and explain the matter, until he understood that it was refund time.

What would YOU do??

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Yikes. Stuff like that fumes me up like you have no idea. I hate it when people sell you stuff without disclosing anything, and then, boom.

That's a dilemma. I would spend the money to get it repaired; you probably would spend much more to get a replacement. If you can't return it, that is.

🙁

 

[back alley]

that totally sucks!

if it were me, i'd leave it for the vultures.

 

[ray_g]

Sorry to hear that. In your shoes, I would not have it repaired as it would cost too much with uncertain results. I would stick to lenses 35mm and wider, using scale focus or hyperfocal distance. Dissatisfying, I know, but you can still use it for a good percentage of "street shooting."

Another option is to sell it on ebay and at least defray some of your cost.

Lastly, you may want to try getting in touch with Greg Weber. I doubt he will tell you anything different than what Ken said, but Greg may have some available parts or other suggestion.

 

[Socke]

I'd find someone to go over to the guy's house and explain the matter, until he understood that it was refund time.

Jep, time to get some concrete!

 

[Rayt]

It is certainly irritating to have to go through that. In your shoes I would either sell it if I could get most of what I paid but the better solution is get the Voigtlander 25mm for it. The CV 25mm doesn't have a helicoid anyway and a perfect match for the Hexar framelines. Leave it at f/5.6 and 2 meters and use it like a point and shoot.

 

[sockeyed]

It just so happens that I have (and love) a CV 25mm. That is definitely a workable option (voila, the most primo Bessa L ever!)

 

[ray_g]

And you won't need a finder. The entire VF of the Hexar approximates the 25mm FOV.

 

[amateriat]

A compromise solution: use the Hexar with that 25mm until you feel comfortable about parting with the funds to have it properly repaired (sounds like one hell of a DIY bleep-up on someone's part). Had this been the case with either of my Hexars, it would be high time to kneecap somebody!


- Barrett

 

[pvdhaar]

If you can't get the Hexar properly repaired for $300, then don't. There's no joy in spending that kind of money and still have a sub-par solution.

The suggestion to use the Hexar with the CV25/4 makes very good sense. The character of the 0.6x finder goes really well with it. But, I'd tape over the small RF window, so that the RF patch doesn't distract..

 

[Dougg]

I'd be tempted to sell it for parts and get a good RF, perhaps from a Konica repair person who will credit you on the trade-in. I probably should have done that with the Pentax LX my wife thoroughly used and abused, as that repair bill looks to run about the same $300, and I could get a pretty nice LX for not much more. While this one will be fixed to work well it'll always bear the scars of its use.

 

[sockeyed]

I just got off the phone with Greg Weber. He has several boxes of Hexar RF parts, shipped to him when K-M went out of business, but they are large and he hasn't had a chance to go through them (full of small parts in unlabelled ziplock bags). He may have a chance to do so in the next few months, and if he has rangefinder parts, he might be able to help me out.

He's a very nice guy, BTW.

 

[KoNickon]

Greg is the best. A real craftsman and great guy too. I think he would be the guy to fix the Rf for you.

 

[DeeCee3]

Hi, Nick!

Hi, Nick!

You can find no finer guy than Greg. If he attempts to repair it, you can be assured of a superb job. Sorry to hear of your troubles. I dropped an M2 once and went through the torment of the damned trying to get its RF back to proper working order.

dc3

 

[sockeyed]

Both Greg and Ken Ruth (who currently has the camera) have great reputations, but in the absence of parts, the best either can do is a jerry-rigged solution. The only thing that can save me, it seems, is if Greg finds the parts in those boxes.

By the way, Konica had 8 large boxes of Hexar parts set aside for Greg when they closed shop. Five of them, unfortunately, went into the dumpster before they could get sent!

 

[Avotius]

try to get a refund or sell the camera as parts and get another

 

[Issy]

By the way, Konica had 8 large boxes of Hexar parts set aside for Greg when they closed shop. Five of them, unfortunately, went into the dumpster before they could get sent!

I am assuming this is K-M U.S. closing shop... so can I infer that if I send my Hexar RF to K-M (Sony) now, it's going to Japan? They haven't stopped all repair support for the Hexar RF, have they?

(My Hexar RF was at K-M for repairs when they were bought...)