Rangefinder alignment is slightly off?

[georgebuchholz]

I purchased a new Bessa R2A from cameraquest about a week ago and got just got a lens in. It's off a hair, I could tell because I used my iphone zoomed all the way inthe viewfinder and focused to infinity on a crane 15 blocks away, and it's slightly off. Is this acceptable or should I get it repaired? It has a 1 year warranty so it's no big deal but I'm worried if I send it off and get it aligned, just getting mailed it back will knock it out of alignment again. Thoughts?

 

[heespharm]

I purchased a new Bessa R2A from cameraquest about a week ago and got just got a lens in. It's off a hair, I could tell because I used my iphone zoomed all the way inthe viewfinder and focused to infinity on a crane 15 blocks away, and it's slightly off. Is this acceptable or should I get it repaired? It has a 1 year warranty so it's no big deal but I'm worried if I send it off and get it aligned, just getting mailed it back will knock it out of alignment again. Thoughts?

Yes send it back .. Why put up with stuff you can get fixed for free right?? Plus he's a good vendor ... Or at least I've always had good dealing with him


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gone]

If you only have one lens, then you don't know if its the lens, or the camera. I don't have any faith in using an iphone to ck infinity focus either. I would use a more conventional method to ck focus, or shoot a roll and see what you get.

 

[mgb74]

When you say it's "off", do you mean both vertically and horizontally?

 

[georgebuchholz]

As far as I can tell it's only horizontal. And I wasn't aware it could be the lens as well. I also purchased the lens from cameraquest, should they both be sent back to make sure they're both working correctly?

 

[heespharm]

Yes the lens can be off too... How far off is it?

Also remember adding another element (iPhone glass) can cause focusing to be off

 

[Dr Croubie]

Unless you're going to be using your phone to focus every time, repeat the experiment with your own eyes and see if it's still off at infinity.

Also, shoot a few test frames while you're there, with your fastest lens wide open with some sharp slow film, on a tripod, from inifinity to close-up.. Then decide if there are any 'problems'.

 

[Fixcinater]

Why not learn to adjust the alignment yourself and never have to worry about paying someone to do it again?

 

[darkosaric]

Shoot one film, use the lens wide open on closest distance, medium distance and infinity, and see the results.

 

[pdeeh]

Why not learn to adjust the alignment yourself and never have to worry about paying someone to do it again?

Because Bessas are particularly horrible to align correctly and an amateur taking his brand new camera to pieces to do so is asking for trouble.

Better that he ascertains whether there really is a problem, and then if there is, return it for one that's good.

 

[mnemosyne]

Because Bessas are particularly horrible to align correctly and an amateur taking his brand new camera to pieces to do so is asking for trouble.

Better that he ascertains whether there really is a problem, and then if there is, return it for one that's good.

I agree it doesn't make sense to tinker around with a brand new camera that is under warranty.

 

[Trask]

darkosaric is right -- being off-focus will be increasing visible as you get nearer to the subject (meaning less depth of field regardless of aperture). Being slightly off-focus in the rangefinder may not be significantly visible for items at infinity, but would much more visible when focusing at close distances.

 

[Xmas]

You need to try on the moon as you as you vary eye position.

Noel

 

[georgebuchholz]

I did vary my eyes in the viewfinder as well. I'll be sending it back for alignment. maybe i don't understand something but why would an iPhone lens influence it at all? then wouldn't glasses also influence it? the rangefinder on the iPhone completely zoomed in was focused to infinity on a crane 8+ blocks away when it was slightly before actually being on infinity.

 

[resummerfield]

I don't understand how you could say the camera / lens is out of adjustment until you make some test shots on film, at various distances with the aperture wide open. Pay particular attention to the framing and keep good notes. Examine the negs and any error will be obvious.

 

[macfred]

... make some test shots on film, at various distances with the aperture wide open ... Examine the negs and any error will be obvious.

I agree !

 

[ic-racer]

Before fiddling with anything, double check to make sure you microscope slide or little ground glass that you are using to check the rangefinder has the shiny side toward you and the textured side toward the lens.

 

[John Koehrer]

You need to try on the moon as you as you vary eye position.

Noel

Fifteen blocks away is plenty.. Using Chicago blocks, that's almost two miles.
For focusing a camera lens anything over 500X the focal length is infinity.


"I don't understand how you could say the camera / lens is out of adjustment until you make some test shots on film, at various distances with the aperture wide open. Pay particular attention to the framing and keep good notes. Examine the negs and any error will be obvious.?

If the RF images don't coincide, there's a problem. Because it's got a warrantee let them fret over it.

 

[mgb74]

If - by focusing - you can get the RF image to align in one plane but not the other, than the rangefinder needs to be adjusted. It should not have left the factory that way. John is right, let them fret over it. I certainly would not attempt it myself while under warranty; there might be something wrong beyond a simple adjustment and they might very well assume your fiddling was the cause.

It has nothing to do with iphones or which lenses. At some point the 2 images need to be in alignment in both horizontal and vertical planes. When you get the camera back shoot a test roll to confirm the focus is correct at a range of distances.

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

Alright is it the vertical or horizontal plane? If the vertical is off send it back immediately for realignment.

Horizontal? Get a piece of scotch tape, a loupe, a locking cable release, and a measuring tape. Set you camera up somewhere stable, best if it's on a sturdy tripod. It's easiest to check infinity focus first. With the camera back open and a lens on set the shutter to bulb and lock it open. Carefully place a strip of scotch tape across film gate leaving a bit extra at the ends to aid in removal. Aim lens at something stationary and far, a distant building or a tower, open the lens to full aperture. Check your your scotch tape with the loupe. Is it in focus? If not, is it going past infinity on the lens? Turn the lens back a bit if it is and recheck your viewfinder and rangefinder patch. If it not even getting focus to infinity? Then there is a problem with the lens. Do the test again with another lens. Do both lens hit infinity focus but the rangefinder patch is still off? Then it's the camera. For minimum focus measure outward from the film/focal plane mark on the camera. You can use the markings on the lens or with your lens manual that would indicate a more precise number. You can also measure from any of the distances in between.

Rangefinders have this problem often. Bessas had this happen early in their batches but this was supposedly solved with using a better loctite compound on the alignment screws which are located under the hot shoe. But they are good cameras. I am lucky enough to have saved up and got deals on both a bessa r which I love and a bessa r4a which I am still adjusting too with such a wide viewfinder.

 

[georgebuchholz]

I examined the negatives and yes, it's slightly off. I contacted CameraQuest about it and he said it'll take 6 weeks. I had no idea it took that long, but oh well. Also, does anyone know if you get a warranty when buying from CameraQuest? in the email I asked to double check and he never answered but I swear I read somewhere they would repair it for free for a year.

 

[mnemosyne]

I examined the negatives and yes, it's slightly off. I contacted CameraQuest about it and he said it'll take 6 weeks. I had no idea it took that long, but oh well. Also, does anyone know if you get a warranty when buying from CameraQuest? in the email I asked to double check and he never answered but I swear I read somewhere they would repair it for free for a year.

Link to CameraQuest warranty terms & conditions

This sounds like a very long turnaround time for such a simple adjustment, almost as if the camera would have to be sent back to Japan. I thought that CameraQuest was doing repairs and service for the Bessa range in-house rather then sending them home to Cosina? Maybe the Rangefinder Forum is the more suitable place to address this particular problem, as it is run by Stephen Gandy, the owner of CameraQuest.

 

[georgebuchholz]

That's what I thought, although he said to send my lens to him as well which I also purchased from him. Hopefully it goes well, because 6 weeks is insanely long for this.

 

[mnemosyne]

That's what I thought, although he said to send my lens to him as well which I also purchased from him. Hopefully it goes well, because 6 weeks is insanely long for this.

Here in continental Europe there is no official service facility for the Voigtländer branded Cosina stuff. In the case of service or repair, you will send your lens or camera to the domestic distributor and then the distributor will send the lens to Cosina in Japan, where it will be serviced. Of course this makes for long turn around times. I was under the impression that CameraQuest had their own repair facility (see here), but maybe that has changed or they simply have a long backlog right now.

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

Can you return it for a refund and rebuy another? A 6 week wait on a newly purchased camera is ridiculous and terrible customer service.