RD1's vertical is off - worth sending to UK (from US)?

akptc

Shoot first, think later
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The camera still focuses perfectly but the rf is vertically a bit off. I was told my Epson warranty would be null and void if adjustment was done outside of the Epson "network" (such that it is).

Slight vertical misalignment of the rf patch is not a big deal, I know, but it irks me visually, so to speak, as my other M-bodies have been adjusted to perfection.

So the question I ask myself is - how would anyone know if I adjusted the rf myself (or had DAG do it)? No seals to break - no traces to leave... bad idea? I have most of the warranty period left on the RD1..
 
akptc said:
The camera still focuses perfectly but the rf is vertically a bit off. I was told my Epson warranty would be null and void if adjustment was done outside of the Epson "network" (such that it is).

Slight vertical misalignment of the rf patch is not a big deal, I know, but it irks me visually, so to speak, as my other M-bodies have been adjusted to perfection.

So the question I ask myself is - how would anyone know if I adjusted the rf myself (or had DAG do it)? No seals to break - no traces to leave... bad idea? I have most of the warranty period left on the RD1..

1. You may adjust the vertical alignment (which is much easier to do than the horizontal and the close up alignment) yourself if you're a bit skilled. See a tutorial here or my personal experiences posted here.

2. If you want to have it done properly, don't send it to Epson. Some Epson service units work well, some not (my R-D1 came back with an even worse disalignment).

3. For a serious alignment job, there's no need to send it to UK, as many europeans, like me, send it to the USA to DAG. Don's very competent, friendly and recommendable.

Didier
 
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I think sending your camera anywhere is the worst thing to do. CV Bessa Rs and Epson RD-1s have basically the same RF mechanism. It is quite easily misaligned by shaking and bumping while the camera is being shipped. Maybe the technicians at Epson did a good job, and the misalignment just happened on the way back to you...

I would suggest trying to calibrate it at home.
 
Didier and Spyderman, thank you for your advice. I feel the same way (do it yourself or send to DAG) but my concern is loosing (potentially) the left-over Epson warranty. Were your R-D1’s still under warranty when you made the adjustments?
 
I did adjust it myself with a ok result, but I am still thinking of sending it to Epson UK, for some adjustments in close up and infinity focus.

When focusing in 45 degrees angle the rangefinder is kind of splitting in a curve… it is not rectangle….
Is this normal?
 
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