Vertical adjustment screw has no effect on R-D1s

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ferdinandshen

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I removed the hotshoe to adjust the vertical screw this weekend. First, I found the screw to be remarkably tight, so tight it bent my screwdriver. Second, turned it clockwise for 90 degrees does not move the RF image even a bit. Not even 0.00001 mm. Maybe it is the time to sell it.
 
I also have this problem - but I managed to make the screw move enough to get the vertical adjustment almost perfect.
But the screw was extremely hard to move, and I'm not sure if it was rotation, or possibly just downward pressure that had some influence on the vertical alignment.

I have no idea why Epson changed this from the previous design - it seems the most strange thing to do.

Right now I'm happy about the alignment, but I'll review the situation after my vacation, when maybe I have time to send the camera to be repaired. I wrote to Robert White a few weeks ago asking their advice, but unfortunately they never answered. Maybe they're tired of adjusting Epson rangefinders mechanisms...?

Incidentally, so far this is the only thing that I'm unhappy about with the camera. Knock on wood, in every other respect it is by far the nicest and most film-like digital I've ever used!
 
mani, did you do the adjustment with topplate removed or just the hotshoe? The amount of force and angle involved in this "adjustment" making me feel unsafe to do it via the hotshoe.
 
Just through the hotshoe. But you need to get the very narrow screwdrivers used for electronics or jewellery.

One more piece of information - I managed to help the alignment by turning the screw anti-clockwise. I'm still kinda dissatisfied with this one screw though - mostly because otherwise the camera is so wonderful!
 
ferdinandshen said:
I removed the hotshoe to adjust the vertical screw this weekend. First, I found the screw to be remarkably tight, so tight it bent my screwdriver. Second, turned it clockwise for 90 degrees does not move the RF image even a bit. Not even 0.00001 mm. Maybe it is the time to sell it.
Click to expand...

Hmm, are you shure you catched the right screw? The very right one, seen from the back side of the body - the screwdriver must be hold quite angular for catching it. I could imagine you catched the middle one, which has no influence on the vertical alignment. The vertical adjustment, if done by the right screw, should work CW -> move patch down, CCW -> move patch up. Maybe there was a lot of locktight. Or you broke the screw? Another question, if you decide to sell it, will the buyer know about that issue?

Didier
 
I am 100% sure it is the right screw. Yes, it is very angled -- that's exactly why I bent my screwdriver, which is only supposed to be used for fine jewlery but not for a brutal task like this. I turned it CW for 90 degrees but has no effect at all.
I'll just open the top plate for s**ts and giggles. We'll see.
 
If you open the top plate, could you take some pictures of the rangefinder mechanism, possibly close-ups? This would be interesting and could help to determine if the rangefinder is really different from the R-D1 or not. I could provide some pics of the R-D1 to compare them.
 
I just (like, two minutes ago) finished realigning my RD-1s. Initially I had a lot of trouble with the horizontal alignment screw, because it didn't seem to do anything - then, I tried the adjustment while looking through the finder, and it turned out that the screw was very very sensitive, and I was actually overturning it every time and returning to the starting point. Perhaps you may also have this problem?

And yes, the vertical alignment screw is rather badly placed. I was quite worried I wouldn't be able to use it but mine worked fine.
 
While i'm reading all this troubles on aligning i hope i never have to do it. My R-D1s is new and for the moment everything seems to work fine. Touch wood!
 
I think the biggest problem with the the RD1s is worrying something's going to go wrong! 😉

As far as the focus adjustment is concerned, it really is very easy to do - and right now I have perfect adjustment on the patch. The only thing is I feel I'll have to take the screwdrivers with me on holiday - just in case!

Certainly the RF mechanism in the Epson is not rock-solid, like the M6 or M7. And I know many prefer the 1:1 of the RD1 view, but when I look through the M7 the patch and framelines are razor-sharp.

Can't have everything! 🙄
 
efkbl said:
If you open the top plate, could you take some pictures of the rangefinder mechanism, possibly close-ups? This would be interesting and could help to determine if the rangefinder is really different from the R-D1 or not. I could provide some pics of the R-D1 to compare them.
Click to expand...

You may find such pictures on Rich Cutler's R-D1 pages, and some more informations here and there
Didier
 
My RD1 has been through a lot of banging around, and jarring. I have had none of the many troubles that seem to be abound out there. I only once adjusted the vertical screw, and everythig else workd perfectly.
Don't buy all the gloom and doom talk out there; unless you run into an issue, don't worry. Use the camera and enjoy it.
 
santi-u said:
While i'm reading all this troubles on aligning i hope i never have to do it. My R-D1s is new and for the moment everything seems to work fine. Touch wood!
Click to expand...


Good to hear that! I was not as lucky. Mine had verticel alignment problem and had to take it back to CS. They changed two "rubber tapes" in order to fix it.
 
Hi, sorry to put back to life this very old thread, but it seems I "screwed it up", literally.

Basically yesterday I opened the hot shoe, and fiddled with the vertical alignment screw on my RD1s (yes, the big right one, above the other two, can't be wrong on this).

Screw was very loose, and I turned it CCW in order to get the patch a bit up, but at the beginning nothing happened.

then I think I somehow overshoot it and got the screw turning too much, now patch is like more than double its height ABOVE the subject.

Trying to close back the screw turning CW only make it go till the end when it's tied up, but not changing the patch position any more.

What happened exactly? 🙁
 
As the owner of three Epson R-D1's, I congratulate you on the outcome of this adventure. So far, I'm OK...none of them show any rangefinder patch shift. One problem that has occurred: the SD card slot on the R-D1-s is getting 'sticky'.
 
analoged said:
Nice work! I had to adjust the rf on my R-D1 when I got it as it was a little off vertically.
Click to expand...

Yeah, having studied the mechanism, I do wonder HOW the vertical alginment actually stays in place in other issues of this camera.. 😛

Btw, an interesting fix might be to put a small o-ring in the shaft of the screw so as to place the fork between the bezel and this o-ring, hence allowing to actually "lock" in place the fork, so that once you screw-unscrew, the fork is forced to move accordingly.

Maybe next time I have to open it.... 😉
 
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