Why do people lose the eyepieces?

[luketrash]

I just bought (and recieved) a Bessa R2A that was a week old for the seller. It's got a serial number 66 cameras away from my 2005 model R3A though.

The darned eyepiece is missing! How do people lose these? The one on my R3A has always been on tight and never loose.

Also, where can I get a replacement cheaper than 25 freakin dollars? I've got a bid out on a Nikon +0 diopter eyepiece, but it doesn't look identical, even though it'll fit.

If these are prone to just falling off, what do you folks reccommend I do to seal it? I've got red threadlok in the garage, but that'll mean it never comes off 😉

 

[Disaster_Area]

ditto here... I bought an R2A used and it's eyepiece was missing too.. I got a good deal so I'm not really pissed at all, but still its a pain in the ass since I wear glasses and I'm afraid they're going to get scratched up. Yeah.. the Nikon Fm2 and FE2 screw on eye peices will fit..but I havent found them for less than $30 either.. since they're getting kinda rare now too. Anyone have a cheap alternative.. or know a good chinese knock off that will work?

 

[jbf]

Heyo luke...

You know what you could do... is apply some loctite or whatever onto the threads of the diopter... let it dry completely... then screw it on.


It wont be permanent, but should provide enough friction to keep it on I think.



Similar thing happened to me with my 28 Ultron. I lost the focusing nob late one night while shooting with some friends. It was cold and the damn nob contracted just enough to losen itself.

Oh well.

 

[luketrash]

My ebay seller just bought the camera 'new' on ebay a week prior from a camera store in Seattle. He said the eyepiece was missing when he got it. Maybe the camera was a store demo or something.

I wound up getting +0 Nikon eyepiece for $4.95 one bay (plus another 5 shipping)

We'll see how goofy it looks on the camera.

Meanwhile, my R3A that I've sold sits here in perfect condition with it's eyepiece. Maybe when I'm feeling especially rich in upcoming months, I'll get the real part from Stephen.

 

[giellaleafapmu]

If these are prone to just falling off, what do you folks reccommend I do to seal it? I've got red threadlok in the garage, but that'll mean it never comes off 😉

Die you try either Loctite (not the glue!) or PTFE tape?

GLF

 

[kully]

A little nail varnish, added bonus is that it will come apart when you want it too. Two windows in my house now open and close without the need for spoons and knives with this applied to some strategic screws.

As for it getting lost - I think it's when it rubs against you when you carry it on your shoulder/whatever. I lost my first one that way but I learnt not to go it again.

 

[kalokeri]

Lost the first one, too. 😡

I believe Kully is right. I assume I lost the rubber ring after changing from landscape to upright format and back a couple of times during a few hour walk. Maybe the rubber ring rubbed on my glasses or my clothes, I don´t know. That day I didn´t even know I could lose this ring.

Anyway, it was an expensive experience. Now I take care of the rubber ring more than I care about the rest of the camera.

🙄

Thomas

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I lost another one last week.

Every day I check it after losing two previously, but...

I returned to bars where I'd been the night before and asked (in bad Portuguese) "I think a small circular part may have fallen off my camera in here yesterday, did you find it?"

No.

I CSI'd the streets.

Then bought another new one from Robert White.

Previously they have been sent in a padded envelope, but when I saw this box I thought they'd sent me an Ultron lens instead. But no, just a very generously-sized box for a small part.

 

[c.poulton]

I have'nt lost mine as yet from of my R3A, but I looked closely the other day to find that the rubber has warn away at the top of the eyepiece. Not too much of a problem so far but if it wears down any more I may consider getting a replacement from Robert White next time I buy a new lens or filter off them.

BTW, before I go out shooting I always have a quick check to make sure the eyepiece is fully screwed on tight.

 

[Roger Hicks]

If you buy a custom eyepiece; fit it; and put the original 'somewhere safe'; the chances are you'll never see it again. Then you decide to sell the camera; remove your custom eyepiece...

With Nikons, you also have the possibility of eyepiece magnifiers and screw-in right-angle finders to help you lose the original eyepiece. And yes, occasionally they do fall out, too. I've had this more than once with Nikons and once with Voigtländers.

As for replacements, $25/18.50 euros/GBP 12.50 doesn't seem like a fortune, given the cost of stocking and shipping the part. Sure, we'd all like it to be one-half or one-third as much, but although that's high, I wouldn't call it out of sight.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Sonnar2]

I've lost the eyepiece of my Bessa R too... it's screwed with just one screw as far as I remeber. I did a quick repair with duck tape. At least, this one was screwed...

The rubber of my R3A eyepiece was gone some day. Not great if you look through the finder wearing eyeglasses!

What is really bad is I lost the rewind crank of the Bessa R3M (that useless Pseudo-Leica knob that get stuck in every tight case you put the camera in). This knob isn't secured with a screw, it's just screwed on the axis! I have about 50 cameras with a rewind crank, some of them 50 years old. Noone so far lost their crank, except with the newest of all these...

I'm really, really not amused with this...

 

[fawate]

Curiously, I also see cameras missing the plastic protectors in the strap rings and the PC contact flash cover.

 

[luketrash]

Yeah, my R3A is missing it's PC socket plug (was never there when I got it) but the R2A has it.

I had to hunt near and far to get a little plastic TTL flash jack plug for my Hasselblad 503cx a while back.

The R2A suffers no usability issues without the eyepiece. I wear glasses and I don't rub the camera against them. But it just feels a bit naked when you know what is supposed to be there.

I have to stick with 0 diopter because I'm nearsighted in both eyes to the tune of a -7.5 and I'm not aware that anyone makes diopters out of coke bottle lenses 😉

 

[luketrash]

I got my Nikon eyepiece off of ebay. It came with an extra metal ring which I have no use for.

You'd have a hard time telling this piece from the OEM part. It's even multicoated and has that bluish green reflection to it like the Voigtlander part. It fits night and tight just like the one on my R3A did. Here's some photos of it installed.

 

[kshapero]

I keep a six pack in the fridge.

 

[Hates_]

Gah, put my R2A to my eye this morning and realised mine had disappeared in the last 12 hours 🙁

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I lost my first on the staircase of my building.

A kind neighbor found it and left it on a ledge where I could see it.

Since then they have just jumped off at random, and Robert White has a steady business selling replacements.

 

[sepiareverb]

And folks complain about the M eyepiece not being able to come off...

 

[Hates_]

£14 for my replacement from Robert White 🙁

 

[dingadingdang]

yeah, mine went too, I'd been walking with the camera on a neck strap and I think the constant rubbing loosens it off until you lose it. I'd found it loose after walking with it round my neck before and thought I'd tightened it enough to keep it here.

What's the disadvantage of not replacing the diopter, anything?