Fujica V2 rangefinder adjustment question

[Väinö Louekari]

Hello all
I just got a Fujica V2. Nice camera, but the rangefinder is off, for example shows 2 meters when the real distance is 5 meters. Not good Can anyone advice me on how to adjust the rangefinder? If it is not very difficult, I would like to do it myself rather than send it back. Here if Finland there is very little professionals left who do this kind of work. Thank You and wishing all a good new year.

 

[blee1996]

Maybe you can check one thing first: does the rangefinder agrees with film plane? You can put a small ground glass or matte plastic on the film plane to check. Sometimes it could be just the focus wheel/scale is not properly attached.

Those fujica rangefinders from the similar era are very similar in construction. I have worked on my 35EE/SE and 35ML, although not the V2. Removing the top should be very similar. Once the top is removed, you can check the rangefinder adjustment screw. Also check if the half silver mirror is loose or not, but don't clean it other than air blower.

You might search youtube for the other models, if you cannot find a good repair video on the V2.

 

[Väinö Louekari]

Maybe you can check one thing first: does the rangefinder agrees with film plane? You can put a small ground glass or matte plastic on the film plane to check. Sometimes it could be just the focus wheel/scale is not properly attached.

Those fujica rangefinders from the similar era are very similar in construction. I have worked on my 35EE/SE and 35ML, although not the V2. Removing the top should be very similar. Once the top is removed, you can check the rangefinder adjustment screw. Also check if the half silver mirror is loose or not, but don't clean it other than air blower.

You might search youtube for the other models, if you cannot find a good repair video on the V2.

Many thanks for Your answer. If I put matte plastic on the film plane, what should I see of do, how exactly I check if the rangefinder agrees with film plane? The focus wheel seems to be in order: when I focus the whole lens moves back and forth and the lens movement synchronizes with the focus wheel: the extreme position of the focus wheel is also the extreme position of the lens. But as I said, when I focus at a lamp with my other cameras, their rangefinders show 3 meters but the rangefinder in Fujica shows 2 meters. And so on. I might open the camera but I would not know which one would be the adjustment screw. Inside the camera there is a screw above and beside the film port...

 

[MattKing]

Maybe you can check one thing first: does the rangefinder agrees with film plane? You can put a small ground glass or matte plastic on the film plane to check. Sometimes it could be just the focus wheel/scale is not properly attached.

Agreed.
If the rangefinder indicates the image should be focused, and the image at the film plane is focused, it means that it is the indicators on the focus scale that are off, not the rangefinder itself.

 

[Väinö Louekari]

Right, thank You MattKing. So, if the rangefinder indicates focus and the image is focused at the film plane (I have not checked that yet), then I just ignore the distance marks at the focus wheel? In that case, will I not at least lose the infinity focus?

 

[MattKing]

Right, thank You MattKing. So, if the rangefinder indicates focus and the image is focused at the film plane (I have not checked that yet), then I just ignore the distance marks at the focus wheel? In that case, will I not at least lose the infinity focus?

You will lose the ability to rely on the distance scale, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you will lose infinity focus. It depends on whether the displaced distance scale is inhibiting full travel of the focusing mechanism.
Usually, that sort of issue comes from either a physical shock that displaced the scale or, more likely, someone has attempted to service the camera and put it back together incorrectly.

 

[Väinö Louekari]

Thank You MattKing. I will try to find some matte plastic and do some testing and report when done

 

[Väinö Louekari]

Now I have done some testing. When focus wheel (the wheel is in the camera body, not in the lens) is set to, say 5 meters ( or 3 or whatever), then the camera really is focussed to 5 meters but the rangefinder is not. So the focus wheel and the lens are syncronized. Now I will have to find a way to adjust the rangefinder.