Sorekara
Member
Hi everyone - brand new user here. I've been reading the forum for a while and really appreciate all the information and knowledge about rangefinders and photography that everyone shares.
Anyway, I have a problem with vertical misalignment of the rangefinder patch in my Ikon that I wondered if anyone could shed some light on. I just bought the camera, brand new, about 3 weeks ago, and except for this issue I love the thing.
The issue popped up two days ago. I had been shooting away and it came time to change film rolls. I loaded a new roll and put my eye to the finder and noticed that the vertical alignment in the patch was suddenly off. I was on a long weekend away and couldn't immediately take the camera in to the dealer, so I just kept shooting, trying to focus as best I could with the distraction. I shot a couple of rolls like this. Then, yesterday, I suddenly noticed that the rangefinder was back in alignment - perfectly so, it seemed. I can't recall exactly but I think this might have happened after changing lenses. This went on for a while, but then this morning I picked the thing up and the patch was off vertically again, just like before! This final change was not related to a lens change.
So I'm a bit baffled. I certainly don't baby my gear, but I don't trash it either. The ZI goes with me on my bike, it gets jostled a bit on the crowded streets, it takes the occasional bump, but I haven't dropped it or done anything else to it that seemed worrisome at the time. I thought I had to be imagining the in and out of alignment dance, but I checked exhaustively every time it seemed to change and sure enough, focusing on a dot (for example), the two dots would never converge (with the dot in the patch passing over the top of the dot in the main finder) when the finder was out of alignment. Then, for no apparent reason, the dots would align perfectly again.
I've searched the archives and it seems there have been a number of issues with horizontal misalignment (even from the factory), but not all that much about vertical problems. I did see the thread a few weeks ago showing a DIY fix, but I wasn't quite sure if it was conclusively shown which screw adjusts the vertical alignment of the rangefinder. At any rate, the camera is brand new and I'm going with it to the dealer tomorrow. But I'm a bit worried if this is going to be a recurrent problem. In others' experience, how much does it take to throw a rangefinder off? Is it a frequent occurence? And has anyone every experienced the on-again, off-again phenomenon? If what I'm experiencing is abnormal, is there something that can be done to stabilize the finder at all (e.g. apply varnish to the adjustment screw, which I've read about)? Or could this be a sample variance issue (i.e. a problem with the rangefinder mechanism in my camera specifically) that can only be solved via exchange?
I certainly don't mean to sound panicky. I can still use the camera with the vertical alignment off, it's just that it's a bit difficult to be sure I have the focus right, it's tiring to the eye, and it's a bit irritating. I still love my Ikon, and in fact I just want to solve the problem so I can use it without worry. Any advice or information is greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Ian
Anyway, I have a problem with vertical misalignment of the rangefinder patch in my Ikon that I wondered if anyone could shed some light on. I just bought the camera, brand new, about 3 weeks ago, and except for this issue I love the thing.
The issue popped up two days ago. I had been shooting away and it came time to change film rolls. I loaded a new roll and put my eye to the finder and noticed that the vertical alignment in the patch was suddenly off. I was on a long weekend away and couldn't immediately take the camera in to the dealer, so I just kept shooting, trying to focus as best I could with the distraction. I shot a couple of rolls like this. Then, yesterday, I suddenly noticed that the rangefinder was back in alignment - perfectly so, it seemed. I can't recall exactly but I think this might have happened after changing lenses. This went on for a while, but then this morning I picked the thing up and the patch was off vertically again, just like before! This final change was not related to a lens change.
So I'm a bit baffled. I certainly don't baby my gear, but I don't trash it either. The ZI goes with me on my bike, it gets jostled a bit on the crowded streets, it takes the occasional bump, but I haven't dropped it or done anything else to it that seemed worrisome at the time. I thought I had to be imagining the in and out of alignment dance, but I checked exhaustively every time it seemed to change and sure enough, focusing on a dot (for example), the two dots would never converge (with the dot in the patch passing over the top of the dot in the main finder) when the finder was out of alignment. Then, for no apparent reason, the dots would align perfectly again.
I've searched the archives and it seems there have been a number of issues with horizontal misalignment (even from the factory), but not all that much about vertical problems. I did see the thread a few weeks ago showing a DIY fix, but I wasn't quite sure if it was conclusively shown which screw adjusts the vertical alignment of the rangefinder. At any rate, the camera is brand new and I'm going with it to the dealer tomorrow. But I'm a bit worried if this is going to be a recurrent problem. In others' experience, how much does it take to throw a rangefinder off? Is it a frequent occurence? And has anyone every experienced the on-again, off-again phenomenon? If what I'm experiencing is abnormal, is there something that can be done to stabilize the finder at all (e.g. apply varnish to the adjustment screw, which I've read about)? Or could this be a sample variance issue (i.e. a problem with the rangefinder mechanism in my camera specifically) that can only be solved via exchange?
I certainly don't mean to sound panicky. I can still use the camera with the vertical alignment off, it's just that it's a bit difficult to be sure I have the focus right, it's tiring to the eye, and it's a bit irritating. I still love my Ikon, and in fact I just want to solve the problem so I can use it without worry. Any advice or information is greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Ian
