rf out again!

[back alley]

my dropped canon p is proving to be a bit of a pain.

the rf went out again!

this morning, after breakfast by the bay, i hauled out the p for a few quick shots while my friends finished their coffee. the rf was a bit out at infinity.
i fear this may be the norm from now on, for this body, as my other cameras have had no such affliction.

the good news is that i can now adjust the problem quickly and without the former fear that accompanied this small act of repair.
but it's also kinda sad as this is my favourite p and i'm wondering with the advent of my 3rd p coming soon if this one will be relegated to a back up position.

i know it's not a big deal...

joe

 

[taffer]

w... wait, are you saying that I've been out a couple days and meanwhile you've got ANOTHER P !?

Oh my ! When I come back from holidays in september I may find you've even got married again ! 😀

 

[SolaresLarrave]

So this is the one whose RF you fixed back in mid June? Can you use some tricky chemical on the small screws so that they don't move... like lock-tite?

Just wondering...

Although, now that I think about it, with LT it'd be a pain to readjust. Maybe you want to put this body to test, in order to find out what is it that gets the RF out of alignment. I know that in one of my Leicas, I did the deed by trying to insert the Hexanon lens I have a bit too forcefully.

Don't worry... it's disappointing, but it's not terrible. You both will survive this glitch in your relationship... 🙂

 

[Nikon Bob]

Maybe you could try a dab of nail polish on the adjustment screws if they are moving to cause the mis alignment after adjustment. It may be easier to undo than lock-tite to make further adjustments. Depending on which lock-tite product you use it can be very permanent.

Bob

 

[djon]

... the lens mount might be out of whack...I wouldn't trust that body until I'd mounted a very fast lens and shot at both accurately measured shortest focus distance and infinity at full aperture (to minimize DOF) on TWO bodies, scanning and comparing both at very high magnification on the monitor...

I think it's easy for a tech to re-adjust the lens mount...but...hey, please don't put that thing on EBay, I might buy it by mistake 🙂

 

[taffer]

In any case, let us know. If the problem is caused by a moving screw, the nail polish method may be enough. I also have a bif of vertical misalignment on my own P, maybe was produced during shipment or maybe it was already there, but anyway I've learned to live with it and it's not a real problem.

 

[back alley]

oscar,

i don't have another p just yet, but soon. it will be my 3rd.
i'm buying it from chuck who sold me my first p.


as to lock tite or nail polish, this screw in under another screw that needs to be removed first. the actual adjustment screw is kinda hidden so i don't think it would work well.

and djon, first let me say that i would never knowingly screw anyone on a camera/lens deal.
and secondly, this is a minor irritant and i think you would be lucky to have such a fine p as this. it handles and feels just great in my hand.
unfortunately, i dropped it awhile back and since the repair it seems to go out of adjustment with just regular use.
but have no fear, i will not sell this or any other p body i have.

joe

 

[taffer]

You could always stick the 28/3.5 on it and use it as a street snapshooter, not even external finder but scale focus and shoot almost walking by.

If a 35 works well that way a 28 should be even better 🙂

 

[back alley]

oscar,

i have been doing that with the iv sb and loving it.
except for the other night when i think i loaded it improperly. when i went to rewind the film it took about 3 turns on the crank to get it all back into the canister.
too bad, i had some nice crowd and friend shots from the james taylor concert on that roll.

i'm not too worried about this p, it takes seconds to adjust the rf and i have found the perfect little screwdriver for the job.
my biggest concern is that the canon lll might not get much use now. the finder is dim and the 28 is perfect for it. maybe i'll seek out the canon 19 or maybe the 25 for it.

ah, lovely choices...

joe

 

[taffer]

sweet pain ! 😀

 

[jlw]

I'd agree that the first thing to check is the flange-to-film-plane distance, to make sure the drop didn't damage the body casting, backdoor, pressure plate, etc. This distance should measure 28.8mm, plus or minus a little depending on the thickness of the film you use (Erwin Puts has a whole mini-thesis on this dimension!)

The most direct way to check it is with a depth micrometer, but not everyone has one of those. (Am I the only person on RFF who does own a depth micrometer?) If you don't have one, I suppose an on-film test might help -- just be aware that you also might inadvertently be testing lens field flatness, tripod perpendicularity, carpentry accuracy of your house (if you mount the test target on a wall) etc., etc., etc.

Assuming you CAN localize the problem down to the rangefinder mechanism... hmm, let's see, it's been a while since I looked at the insides of a P rangefinder, but I think that tiny infinity-position adjusting screw is held in a block that's actually a split fork, tightened down by another screw. If the whack your camera took happened to loosen up this fork-tightening screw (it's hard to get at, so feel free to call it a "forking screw") then you can adjust the infinity position until it's perfect, and then have it wander out again in a very short time.

I wouldn't put sealer on the infinity-adjusting screw, since you need to be able to adjust it from time to time, but the forking screw (if present; again, I'm going from dim memory here) definitely ought to have some sealer on it.

Another thing to consider: As you probably know, the vertical rangefinder adjustment on a P is via a rotating prism on the rangefinder's round window, and this adjustment changes the horizontal adjustment as well. Is it possible that your vertical adjustment is the one that's loose? If it's a bit off, then your horizontal adjustment will migrate likewise.

Oh, well, just a few thoughts...

 

[back alley]

thanks jim.
this did all start with a need for a vertical adjustment but the prism did not seem overly loose.
i doubt i have the skill or nerve to start taking this p apart, if it persists i will send it off for a pro to look at. with another p on the way it wont be as personally traumatic to send one off again.
i'm really looking forward to the 3rd p, as it has been described to be in very nice shape, comes with a nice leather case also.

joe

 

[djon]

Joe, sorry for the attempt at humor (re: Ebay ) ..it was ill-timed in your trying situation. I'm suffering my own doubts, related to my L1's golden viewfinder (it ain't no P). But I'll see some C41 exposure tests today Vs my P ... hopefully that will make me trust it...and it does have a 25CV on the way...

 

[back alley]

no problem john, sorry if i sounded harsh.

joe