Help repairing Yashica Electro 35 rangefinder

[GGfpc]

Hey! I came across a working Electro 35 at a good price. When I got it I noticed that the rangefinder calibration was a bit off because it wasn't aligning at infinity.
I opened up the camera to adjust the screw but I ended up making it even worse. This is what I see through the viewfinder

I think my screwdriver slipped and broke the movable rangefinder lens in this image.

I still have the lens, but I don't understand how it attaches. In the picture below you can see that it is larger than the holder, but in the manual image it looks like it's the same size.




Another question I have is regarding the adjustment screw. In the video below you can see that it oscilates and the plate it's attached to moves if I wiggle my screwdriver. Is that normal? The manual doesn't seem to mention it.



I don't have any experience fixing cameras, but I'd like to learn. If there is a more general resource that could provide useful insight let me know. Thanks!

 

[Dan Daniel]

The lens element looks as if it presses into the frame from the back side. Center it on the frame, hold the frame very stable, maybe a thin wood or carboard on the front side, and push the lens?

The video shows a basic cam adjustment in action. And this cam adjuster is sitting on top of the rangefinder cam arm. The rangefinder cam arm is what reacts to the lens moving in and out, moving this lens which causes the viewfinder image to move. The cam motion is for centering the lens. It may be related to basic centering or may be related to setting infinity, I don't know.

You'll find rangefinder adjustment is what can be called an iterative process. One change affects previous adjustments, etc. Patience. And thought trying to determine which adjustment seems it should go first.

The Yashica is a nice camera to start on. It is common so I bet there is info out there. It is well-done without being expensive. And if you can get it to work, it has an amazing lens.

Preparing a box and some large bags if you are going to learn camera repair. There will be a few cadavers along the way. Bag them up, put them in the box, and save them for parts.

 

[monopix]

I'm 99% sure you have the lens backwards but I'd need to pull a camera out of the depths of my storage to check. Why have you removed the condenser lens?

 

[GGfpc]

I'm 99% sure you have the lens backwards but I'd need to pull a camera out of the depths of my storage to check. Why have you removed the condenser lens?

I removed the condenser lens so I can have easier access to the small lens.

Yes, I do think it's backwards in the shot, at least according to the picture in the manual.

I'll try to snap it in like the first comment said, but I'd be surprised if it works, the lens seems much bigger than the frame. Maybe it's glued in place? I couldn't see any glue residue

 

[GGfpc]

I ended up gluing it in place but as if my luck wasn't good enough, the screw broke in the advance lever and now I can't put it back together. Oh well, at least I learned something

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I ended up gluing it in place but as if my luck wasn't good enough, the screw broke in the advance lever and now I can't put it back together. Oh well, at least I learned something

Would you like to show a photo of what the current situation is there?

 

[GGfpc]

Would you like to show a photo of what the current situation is there?

I didn't post because I don't think it's salvageable. Here's the pictures. Looks like screw attached to the endcap of the advance lever broke inside the camera, so now it's not possible to screw it.