Horseman ER-1 Rangefindercam trouble

Hello everyone.

I am in need of some help.
I just got me a Horsamn ER-1. A sweet little camera, but I have some trouble with the rangefinder in it.
It have a 90mm lens horseman Topcor lens on it. So when i click op the red infinity stops, and pull out the lens, it is focused on infinity. No problem there.
The trouble is the rangefinder, or more correct the cam for the rangefinder. I dont seem to be able to get it to work.
It is the correct cam. The red with super f=90mm written on it. But when i pull the slide all the way back, it does not engage the rangefinder mechanism.
I have tried to push the rangefinder mechanism with my finger and it works. I can see it work in the rangefinder window, the dial/meter turns, and it even works in the universal zoom finder.
And it seem to be accurate too.

Am I doing something wrong. (That would be not be the first time)
Is there something missing.
Is it broken.
Can it be fixed.

I have attached a picture to explain my trouble.


1: When the slide is all the way back as in infinity mode. the cam barely touches the rangefinder mechanism. Not enough to make a difference.
3: There is a knob under here that slides on the cam, but it only goes half way and doesnt use the whole cam. It barely goes up the curve of the cam.
4: There is a stop knob here preventing the slide to go further back.

To me it looks like there should have been a knob under arrow 2, so the whole of the cam would be used. But there is nothing. And when looking under, it does not look there have ever been.

I hope somebody can help me. It would be a shame not to be able to use the rangefinder on this fine camera..

A cry for help from Berlin
Pedro Zacapa

Follow the instructions for the VH-R http://www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/horseman_vh-r.pdf as the ER is a variation of it.

I have done as shown in the manual for the vh-r.
I still have the same problem.
When I looked closely at the photos in the manual, it looked like there is a small tap under the focussing in the same position as in my picture by arrow 2.
There is no such thing on mine. Perhaps there should have been. I have taken the track off and looked under. There is no mark that have ever been one!

Other ideas?

Try turning the cam 180°?
What lever operates the RF that is closest to the cam operating surface?
If none something is missing.
One that does nothing is not connected.
Do other cams work?

The cam is installed correctly.
In the picture you can see by arrow 1 where the cam with the Plate under engages the rangefinder lever. But it barely touches the lever. And the focus rack is all the way back.
At arrow 3 there is a small tap, that is used as a stop to avoid the focus rack off the camera when focusing really close. It is this tap that make the cam with camplate engage the rangerfinder lever. But is only move it about one millimeter. I dont think this one is supposed to be used to focus.
Under arrow nr 2 i believe there should have been something to push the cam, but there is nothing.
Do you know of somebody who have a VH, VH-1 or er-1 who could send me a picture from their camera?

humor me and rotate the cam 180°.

tried that didnt work.

I have found a video on Vimeo for a Horseman 985. http://vimeo.com/22200320
1:40 in the video he shows he the focusing rail.
It looke like there are screws the same place as the arrow 2 and 3 in my picture. But on my camera there is only a screw by arrow 3.

The same can be seen in the instruction manual for the vh-r on page 12 picture 6.

What happens with the lever at the rear of the cam plate when the cam is removed and the rails operated their travel limits?
As the cam is in the picture the hole in the cam is toward the lens, a straight edge is against 3 and a machined edge is to the left.
Did you try it with the hole toward the front of the bed and the machined edge toward 3?
Can you provide a picture with the front standard raised enough to clearly show the mechanical linkage for the RF lever?

I can't tell from the picture, but if you have no hole at #2 in the picture, then your camera probably has the focus track from the Horseman VH, which is a non-rangefinder camera. Can you get your money back?

I didn't think that it could have been a track from another camera. But you might be right.
I could get the money back, though I didnt pay much for it.
So maby I wil find a instrument maker in my area and have them to make a slot and fit a pind in it.

thank you ic-racer.

Strange that it might be a track from another camera, because the camera doesn't look like it has been used very much. My guess would be less than 10 times. There are no scratches on the body. No marks where you would put the rollfilm holder. Even the universal zoom finer have no marks on it. It is definetly not used enough so the track could have broken. Maby a mistake from factory?
But I will try to get som german precision mechanic to fix it. Maby i could get a label with "Made in japan. Made better in Germany"

Maby i could get a label with "Made in japan. Made better in Germany"

Click to expand...

Made in Japan, improved in Germany.

Does the cam plate move freely and operate the RF lever to its extremes?

the cam plate moves freely, and can onperate the rangefinder mechanism freely if the only would have been a small tap to do it with. Luckily I live in Berlin, so there are plenty of options to have a german precision mechanic to fix it.

There should be a wheel on the cam side of 3 that is most likely missing, could have broken off. Something I could fix if I had it in my hands but being on the other side of the planet from you it would be impractical to send it to me.
The piece may be there and installed incorrectly.