RF viewfinder alignment - critical?

[HCEarwicker]

I've just got the first roll of film shot on my recently-bought Oly 35RC back from the lab. I used to have a Nikkormat SLR, so I'm not used to the RF viewfinder. I've always been very fussy about getting horizons and uprights level and straight as I compose in the finder so I'm disappointed to see that quite a few of my pictures are very noticeably wonky/tilted.

It looks to me like the angle of the camera - side to side and/or forward and back - has a critical effect on how straight and level horizontals and verticals are. Is this a well-known issue with rangefinders, particularly small ones maybe? Will things get better with practice? Or coud there be something wrong - maybe the camera got dropped and something's out of alignment? Focus, BTW, seems fine.

 

[HCEarwicker]

PS - READ FIRST!

OK. I've taken a closer look through the finder and it's clear that the marked frame in the finder falls away to the right.This is clearly visible if I put the camera on a flat, level surface and compare the actual frame of the finder with the markings. So when framing a picture I've been raising the camera up on the right, to line up with the markings, causing the pictures to tilt down.

This has gotta be fixable...?

 

[KoNickon]

Should be, yes. Take a look through the camera repair archive and see if you find anything on this. Or maybe just an internet search will yield the right info.

Of course, someone here may be able to help.

 

[HCEarwicker]

Thanks, Nick. I'm searching.... Would be sweet if someone were to find me first!

 

[HCEarwicker]

Here's a link to a photo showing the RF and VF, with the markings screen

.

Question is: Can that screen be re-seated, level? Or would it have to be re-cut? I guess that's the question(s)...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/105343797@N08/12970270885/



(Photo taken from http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/Oly_RC.html - I couldn't embed my Flickr upload of it for some reason.)