Vertical rangefinder adjustment on a Bessa T

[mr_phillip]

Does anyone know of any resources on adjusting the vertical alignment of the rangefinder on a Bessa T? Mines gone out just enough to drive me nuts. It's usually a simple fix, but I'd like to avoid any pitfalls before I dive in with the screwdriver 🙂

 

[xayraa33]

the vertical rf alignment on the T should be similar to a Leica LTM rf.
unscrew the rf window trim ring, the one closest the shutter speed dial.
turn the rf window lens till your vertical is spot on.
you may want to make a special spanner to fit the slots around the rf window from a copper penny.
replace trim ring.
double check the horizontal alignment also.

 

[gho]

The vertical alignment on my Bessa T is slightly off also. I unscrewd the trim ring, but do not see a way to turn the underlying window without a special tool. The slots are so tiny and I do not want to damage anything. So for now I guess I have to live with the misalignment. What a pity for such a fine rangefinder.

 

[f16sunshine]

Resurecting this thread in hope of help arriving? The trim ring on mine does not even move. SHould it. If yes then what?

 

[racou2]

Resurecting this thread in hope of help arriving? The trim ring on mine does not even move. SHould it. If yes then what?

Since there doesn't seem to be any info regarding this online. Let me share my personal experience figuring it out on my own.

Just as a warning to anyone who is thinking of attempting this instead of taking it to a professional repair shop, this can permanently damage your camera if you mess up. Damages could range from cosmetic to rendering the camera inoperable. Proceed with a healthy dose of caution and at your own risk.

For the vertical alignment. You do have to unscrew the trim ring on the window closest to the shutter speed dial. Mine was extreamly tight and I ended up using a c-clip remover plier to GENTLY grasp the trim ring and loosen it. I'm sure there are purpose built tools for this but if you are gentle, you can get away with improvising.
Once you have the trim unscrewed and removed, you will see 4 notches located around the glass element. You will need to get a high quality lens spanner wrench that can close down fairly small. A lot of them only go down to 10mm and that will not be small enough. Try to find one that will go to 0mm. If your spanner wrench is not high quality and is loose/wobbles around even a little when tightened, I would advise you stop here as one slip can scratch or potentially crack/break the rangefinder lens.

Now for how I adjusted it. I just took some painters tape and placed it on the wall in a + pattern, focused my lens until the horizontal was in line, then proceeded to adjust the vertical. You will set your spanner wrench to where it firmly slots into two of the notches and turn clockwise a very minute amount and check your alignment. If it diverging more than before, then counterclockwise is the direction you need to go. If it is getting closer to alignment, you are on the right track. You should not have to turn the lens more than say 10-15 degrees of rotation, and if you are turning it a lot, then you could potentially be damaging things. Small adjustments with frequent checks is the name of the game. Once you are happy with the alignment screw back on the trim piece by hand. Do not over tighten or use tools as the treads are made of polymer and can be stripped easily.

 

[ahoysailors]

Just wanted to comment that racou2's suggested fix worked for me. My vertical alignment was just a hair or two off so it didn't take much to resolve.

After unscrewing the trim ring, I used the smallest screwdriver bit I had (P2 Pentalobe) to gently lift some of the rubber washer. I firmly pressed into one of the exposed notches. I tried applying a bit of pressure to attempt to rotate it but it didn't seem to do anything. However, I kept trying and it must have moved just enough to push it back into alignment. I probably did this 10 times before I was able to suddenly get it.

I would definitely caution anyone attempting to do this. If I had slipped when applying pressure I could have easily scratched the element. I will likely not repeat this process without using a more appropriate tool and safety precautions in the future.