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HalideReducer
30-May-2019, 20:39
I just picked up a Wista RF from the big auction place, specifically for the rangefinder.

I'm new to the Wista cameras, but I have the PDF manuals from Butkus that explain operation of the rangefinder. I believe I'm using it right.


I have the Nikkor 150mm lens, which should work with the rangefinder.
The labels for the cam change dial have come loose, so it's hard to tell whether it's set on 135, 150, or 180. I've tried all 3.
I left the upper track even with the lower track. The instructions say to extend it for the 180mm lens but makes no mention of the position for the 150mm. I've tried it both ways.
The manual states that the coupler for the rangefinder should be able to focus from infinity to 1.11m with the 150mm lens. Setting the camera on a tripod and focusing on an object ~3m away, I can't get the rangefinder image aligned regardless of the settings.



The seller reported the rangefinder was functional and aligned when it was sold. When I received it, a small black screw fell out when I opened the camera. Visual inspection doesn't show any empty screw holes.

Operator error? Issue with the rangefinder?

Oren Grad
30-May-2019, 21:26
When you set the cam (third page of the manual), does the RF coincide at infinity?

Have you set the infinity stops for the 150?


I left the upper track even with the lower track. The instructions say to extend it for the 180mm lens but makes no mention of the position for the 150mm. I've tried it both ways.

The Japanese half of the instructions says to use the same extension for 135 and 150.

Bob Salomon
30-May-2019, 21:37
I just picked up a Wista RF from the big auction place, specifically for the rangefinder.

I'm new to the Wista cameras, but I have the PDF manuals from Butkus that explain operation of the rangefinder. I believe I'm using it right.


I have the Nikkor 150mm lens, which should work with the rangefinder.
The labels for the cam change dial have come loose, so it's hard to tell whether it's set on 135, 150, or 180. I've tried all 3.
I left the upper track even with the lower track. The instructions say to extend it for the 180mm lens but makes no mention of the position for the 150mm. I've tried it both ways.
The manual states that the coupler for the rangefinder should be able to focus from infinity to 1.11m with the 150mm lens. Setting the camera on a tripod and focusing on an object ~3m away, I can't get the rangefinder image aligned regardless of the settings.



The seller reported the rangefinder was functional and aligned when it was sold. When I received it, a small black screw fell out when I opened the camera. Visual inspection doesn't show any empty screw holes.

Operator error? Issue with the rangefinder?

Call Bob Watkins at Precision Camera in Skokie, IL for part, service and questions!

HalideReducer
30-May-2019, 21:55
I flipped up the red stops which correspond with the 150mm lens. I am assuming the infinity stops are in the correct place since the seller reported it was fully aligned and functioning.

Thanks for the confirmation that the 150 and 135 extension are the same.

I haven't tried focusing at infinity, but at around 10-15 meters I was able to get the RF to coincide where the ground glass showed good focus.

Oren Grad
30-May-2019, 22:08
I haven't tried focusing at infinity, but at around 10-15 meters I was able to get the RF to coincide where the ground glass showed good focus.

What I was getting at is that per the instructions, the first point at which you check whether the RF coincides when you point it at a far-distant subject is after setting the cam selector dial but before extending anything or mounting a lens. Have you done that initial check?

HalideReducer
30-May-2019, 22:20
I have not. I'll do that and see if that can help me verify I have the cam selector set right.

Oren Grad
30-May-2019, 22:31
Think of it as a check of whether something is out of adjustment internally with the rangefinder mechanism. The implication of the instructions is that with the bed tracks fully retracted the RF prism should be in a position that will give a coincident image when a subject at infinity is sighted through the RF window. If that's not true, it will suggest that something is out of whack.

EDIT: If you do run into a dead end, I'll second Bob Salomon's recommendation of Bob Watkins as an expert technician to consult.

HalideReducer
31-May-2019, 08:29
What I was getting at is that per the instructions, the first point at which you check whether the RF coincides when you point it at a far-distant subject is after setting the cam selector dial but before extending anything or mounting a lens. Have you done that initial check?

The RF does coincide when focused at infinity, but when I try to focus closer (~3m), the two images in the RF come close to coinciding but then stop moving before closer focus is achieved.

Per the manual, this behavior should only occur when outside the range of the coupler, but the manual also says it should be able to couple down to 1.11m.

Oren Grad
31-May-2019, 13:34
The RF does coincide when focused at infinity, but when I try to focus closer (~3m), the two images in the RF come close to coinciding but then stop moving before closer focus is achieved.

Afraid you're still jumping ahead, so I can't tell exactly what you are seeing. One step at a time! Many apologies if I seem to be belaboring the obvious, but this is the only way I can be sure that I am correctly understanding what you're reporting.

Did you verify that the view through the RF window coincides at infinity with the cam selector set but the focusing bed fully retracted? This isn't focusing anything, and you're not looking at the ground glass at this stage - the lens hasn't yet been mounted.

If you did that, and the alignment is as expected, then you lift the infinity stops for the 150mm lens, mount the lens on the camera, and pull the front standard out along the upper track until it runs into the infinity stops. Take care not to move the focusing bed as you do this - make sure it's still fully retracted after you've set the front standard against the infinity stops. Now you check whether the view on the ground glass is in focus with a far-distant subject. What do you see?

If the GG is in focus and the RF is aligned for infinity, then it's time to look at closer distances. ~3m is a reasonable test distance for a first check. If you have indeed done the prior two steps and what you're reporting now is that infinity is fine but 3m is off, the obvious thing to check would be whether you have the correct cam set. What happens when you test the other cam settings? Be sure to retract the focusing bed all the way before you change the cam setting, then verify infinity focus, then if that's OK check at 3m again.

HalideReducer
31-May-2019, 15:50
No worries about belaboring. I appreciate it! I will do a step by step validation and report back.

I'm not sure if the can selector is working. Since the 135/150/180 label spins freely I also can't tell what is indicated. I'll try all 3 settings.

Oren Grad
31-May-2019, 16:02
Sounds good - will look forward to your findings.

HalideReducer
2-Jun-2019, 15:15
Did you verify that the view through the RF window coincides at infinity with the cam selector set but the focusing bed fully retracted? This isn't focusing anything, and you're not looking at the ground glass at this stage - the lens hasn't yet been mounted.

Fully retracted, the image doesn't quite coincide. I had to extend the focusing bed by maybe 1mm for perfect alignment.



If you did that, and the alignment is as expected, then you lift the infinity stops for the 150mm lens, mount the lens on the camera, and pull the front standard out along the upper track until it runs into the infinity stops. Take care not to move the focusing bed as you do this - make sure it's still fully retracted after you've set the front standard against the infinity stops. Now you check whether the view on the ground glass is in focus with a far-distant subject. What do you see?

Good infinity focus. I checked it both fully retracted and extended ~1mm (at the point where the RF was perfectly aligned). Focus seems sharpest when extended slightly, confirming the position of the focusing bed per the RF above.


If the GG is in focus and the RF is aligned for infinity, then it's time to look at closer distances. ~3m is a reasonable test distance for a first check. If you have indeed done the prior two steps and what you're reporting now is that infinity is fine but 3m is off, the obvious thing to check would be whether you have the correct cam set. What happens when you test the other cam settings? Be sure to retract the focusing bed all the way before you change the cam setting, then verify infinity focus, then if that's OK check at 3m again.
The RF images move closer as I focus in on the closer objects, but stop before I get good focus on the ground class. I seem to be able to focus on objects that are no closer than 4 or 5 meters.

I then repeated the close focus test with all 3 settings on the cam dial. The behavior was the same. I would have expected different cams to have different close focusing limits. That was my hypothesis at least. That didn't happen, however.

Does this narrow it down to an issue with the cam selector?

Oren Grad
2-Jun-2019, 17:34
OK, it sounds to me like something is substantially out of adjustment. The "intercept", at infinity, is very close, but the "slope", the rate at which the RF moves as the bed is extended, sounds way off. In principle with rangefinders that could mean a wrong cam is being used, or there's some other linkage that isn't tracking the bed motion in a properly proportional way. But I don't know enough about the Wista's rangefinder mechanism to speculate beyond that.

This is the point at which it might be a good idea to contact the technician of your choice, share your test results, and ask for advice. Good luck - I hope it's something easily fixed.

HalideReducer
2-Jun-2019, 17:44
Dang. Sounds like it.

I don't have a technician in the rolodex. I'll go with Bob Watkins at Precision Camera in Skokie unless someone has a west coast Wista technician they really like.

ic-racer
3-Jun-2019, 06:24
I know it was mentioned by Oren above, but just to make sure you are setting the cam correctly:

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HalideReducer
3-Jun-2019, 07:35
I know it was mentioned by Oren above, but just to make sure you are setting the cam correctly:
Yes - with the focus bed retracted. Thanks for reiterating.

When I turn the cam selector, it puts up some initial resistance, then drops into the next setting. It feels like it's doing something but the behavior on the RF doesn't change no matter what cam I'm set on. This is why I'm suspecting a problem with the cam selector.

Bob Salomon
3-Jun-2019, 09:08
I want to see examples of work on this equipment.

Work done on it or work done with it?

ic-racer
3-Jun-2019, 17:16
I want to see examples of work on this equipment.

Like this... soaking it in water to clean it?

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HalideReducer
3-Jun-2019, 20:21
I'll try and hose it off and see if that helps.