Wista RF adjustment

[Ari]

Hi,
I have a Wista RF and a Nikon 150 for it, and it seems the rf is in need of a calibration.
Before I send it off for repair, I was wondering if anyone has successfully adjusted the rf mechanism on the camera by themselves.
Right now, I have set the infinity point with the 150mm lens, but the rf image does not correspond; in fact, I get the same image when I rotate through the 135, 150, or 180mm focal lengths.
Is there a simple way to deal with this?
I couldn't find anything online.
Thanks in advance.

[evan clarke]

Are you looking through the focusing viewfinder? The big finder is for composition..the little tube next to it is for focusing..evan Clarke

[Ari]

Evan, yes, I'm looking through the focusing vf; they are out of sync with the GG image, and stay the same regardless of which focal length I select with the knob on the right of the camera.

[ic-racer]

You had the extension track all the way in when you turned the knob to set the cam? The front edge of the upper track and the extension track are aligned in the front?

[Ari]

You had the extension track all the way in when you turned the knob to set the cam? The front edge of the upper track and the extension track are aligned in the front?

Yes to both questions; thanks.

[evan clarke]

Geez, mine set very easily. Sorry to hear you are having trouble..it's a great camera..Evan Clarke

[Ari]

Meh, I never use the RF function, and probably won't do so very much, even if it were to work.
But thanks, Evan, and yes, it's a fantastic camera.

[Ari]

Here's a photo of the area in question; bellows and front standard removed.
Another member was kind enough to provide some instructions, but based on memory alone; hopefully the photo will help.
I'm trying to figure out how to adjust the rangefinder, so it falls in line with the image on the GG at infinity.
Thanks

http://i43.tinypic.com/mhpok3.jpg

[cdholden]

Ari, how about a shot of the adjustment arm? Does it go from top to bottom, on the left (looking at it from the front)? If not, it may be the Busch Pressman I'm thinking of with the adjustment screw down toward the bottom.

[Ari]

Chris, the adjustment arm is clearly visible on the left-hand side of the camera; it covers most of the length of the camera.
If you need a better photo, I'll put it up tomorrow.
Thanks.

[cdholden]

Chris, the adjustment arm is clearly visible on the left-hand side of the camera; it covers most of the length of the camera.
If you need a better photo, I'll put it up tomorrow.
Thanks.

Ari,
My laptop screen is not known for being the best quality view.
Do you see an adjustment screw down toward the bottom? Line up the view in the rangefinder so that you see a sharp image... no "double vision". Once you can get that, set your extension to where it shows on the bed (mine was a Nikkor-W 135mm). Once you've got that set, adjust the arm until you can focus (with a loupe, preferably) at infinity. Once you've achieved this, your rangefinder should be aligned with your lens. While you can change lenses, you can only calibrate the rangefinder for one at a time.
When I had mine, I found this to be a nuisance, so mostly just focused with the ground glass since most of my landscape shots weren't too active. I always had time to focus. If you're into shooting something else, you may need the rangefinder more than I did.
Sorry I can't be of more help. It's been about 7 years and I may be confusing the Wista with the Busch Pressman's Kalart finder, mounted on the side.
Let me know if I can be of any further help (if I've been any at all).

Chris

[Ari]

Thank you very much, Chris; it's a big help.
I'll look tomorrow, and let you know.
Thanks

[photobymike]

Ari i have a Wista rangefinder also... easy to calibrate.... set the knob to 150 on top.... loosen the front stops, set rangefinder on infinity, then focus lens on infinity... set the stops with a small screw driver..... the secret is to bring the lens out when unfolding to hit the stops.... if you are having problems from there ... you might have a cam problem.... the lens knob only like to be turned one way... if you turn the other way it messes up the focus cams... i have a PDF manual that describes this in detail i can email to you if you like

michael http://www.mikepic.com

[Ari]

Mike, thanks, I'd love to have one.
I'll email you today.
I've calibrated the rf before, but it appears now to be misaligned somehow.
I'm trying to find out if there's a simple procedure to re-align the rf before I'm forced to send it for repair.
Thanks

[Ari]

I'd like to thank everyone who helped me with their suggestions and experience, you were very kind.
And we were all wrong :)

I found how to adjust the rangefinder, should it ever go out of whack.

In the attached photo, the white arrow points to a screw.
Unscrew that, get a tiny flathead driver, and find the screw inside the rf casing.
That screw will adjust the rf while you look through the vf (the one on the far right) and line up things.

I'm just glad I saved myself the cost and time of sending it in for adjustment.
Thanks again, Chris & Michael!

[Bob Salomon]

Just to be safe. The instruction book for the RF says that you must:
First compress the focusing track (34) till it completely stops at the back. Do this by rotating the focusing knob (30). Then rotate the cam change dial (41) towards the arrow mark on the dial and match the focal length of the lens (42) to the index (43). At this time the overlapped images in the rangefinder must coincide at infinity.

Mount a lens with the same focal length (Nikon) as the cam and then lift the infinity stop (45) on the upper track whose color is the same as the focal length index of the lens being used and squeeze the pull out knob (38) and pull out the lens standard until it meets the infinity stop.

Did you do it this way when you set the camera up originally?

The rangefinder focusing range with the 150mm lens is infinity to 3.64'.

[Ari]

Just to be safe. The instruction book for the RF says that you must:
First compress the focusing track (34) till it completely stops at the back. Do this by rotating the focusing knob (30). Then rotate the cam change dial (41) towards the arrow mark on the dial and match the focal length of the lens (42) to the index (43). At this time the overlapped images in the rangefinder must coincide at infinity.

Mount a lens with the same focal length (Nikon) as the cam and then lift the infinity stop (45) on the upper track whose color is the same as the focal length index of the lens being used and squeeze the pull out knob (38) and pull out the lens standard until it meets the infinity stop.

Did you do it this way when you set the camera up originally?

Yes, I did, Bob, and thank you.
I've had the camera for over a year, and I'm familiar with how to calibrate a lens to the rf; the problem this time was that after following the steps, as you described above, there was no alignment. This made me think that the rf was out.
I had to open the rf assembly to see where the adjustment screw is, and sure enough, that was the problem.
And I now know that re-alignment, should it be needed again, is a very simple procedure involving the removal of one screw, and the adjustment of a second.
Now everything works as it should.
Thanks again.

[adrianlambert]

In the attached photo, the white arrow points to a screw.
Unscrew that, get a tiny flathead driver, and find the screw inside the rf casing.
That screw will adjust the rf while you look through the vf (the one on the far right) and line up things.


I don’t suppose you could repost the image that you’re referring to? Or maybe explain the screws in more detail please? I have just received a Wista RF in great condition but the rf aligns about 2mm before the focus bed is fully retracted. I’m assuming that the images should align at the exact point that the bed is fully retracted.

[HalideReducer]

This is quite the thread revival, but I too am looking for help with a seemingly errant rangefinder on my Wista 45 RF.

No matter what cam I select, I can get sharp focus on the ground glass but the image in the rangefinder will approach but won't fully align with a subject ~3m away. When focused at infinity on the ground glass the rangefinder does not agree. The manual states that the coupler for the rangefinder should be able to focus from infinity to 1.11m with the 150mm lens.

The seller reported the rangefinder was functional and aligned when it was sold (serviced by a local camera shop).

In my case, I have a couple of challenges.


I'm new to this camera, though I'm pretty sure I'm following the instructions correctly per the manual and various discussion threads.
The labels on the cam indicator spin freely, so I'm not sure what cam is selected.
A small black screw fell out when I first opened the camera. I haven't figured out yet where it came from.



I PM'd Ari so maybe they'll swing by and share some thoughts.

[Ari]

I'm sorry but no longer have the photo I referred to in the above posts, nor do I remember much about what the inside of the rangefinder looked like. Yikes, is this really 8 years old already?

All I can say is that if a dim bulb like myself could work it out, you guys should be in like Flynn.

There's no danger in opening the casing of the rf, and it will better show you how the whole thing works, which in turn will show you how to calibrate and adjust it.

Keep in mind that recommended lenses for rangefinder focusing were Nikon 135, 150 and 180mm lenses. If you're working with other lenses, your calibration may be uneven: perfect in some spots, and off in others.

Good luck, I wish I could be of more help.

[adrianlambert]

This is quite the thread revival, but I too am looking for help with a seemingly errant rangefinder on my Wista 45 RF.

No matter what cam I select, I can get sharp focus on the ground glass but the image in the rangefinder will approach but won't fully align with a subject ~3m away. When focused at infinity on the ground glass the rangefinder does not agree. The manual states that the coupler for the rangefinder should be able to focus from infinity to 1.11m with the 150mm lens.

The seller reported the rangefinder was functional and aligned when it was sold (serviced by a local camera shop).

In my case, I have a couple of challenges.


I'm new to this camera, though I'm pretty sure I'm following the instructions correctly per the manual and various discussion threads.
The labels on the cam indicator spin freely, so I'm not sure what cam is selected.
A small black screw fell out when I first opened the camera. I haven't figured out yet where it came from.



I PM'd Ari so maybe they'll swing by and share some thoughts.

Not sure that this will be of any help given the lose screw but I had a slight misalignment when I received my wista rf from japan late last year. I found there was a small cam on the bed at the bottom of the linkage that when I adjusted it, it brought the rangefinder into good alignment (as best as I could tell). I’ve not searched extensively for this adjustment but I hadn’t seen anyone mention it - all references to calibrating the rf the seemed to be about turning screws inside the sealed rangefinder unit itself and that those adjustments were best handled by an experienced service technician.


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[adrianlambert]

Pics of said cam...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200616/a8472fa4f7c030de20b59081207c0d01.plisthttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200616/bd1d76fe55ed47a33afc8901acbfbbc7.plist


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[HalideReducer]

Interesting - that could be a missing piece to this puzzle. On my camera with the Nikkor 150mm, correct infinity stops set, and with the extension tray aligned to the front of the focus bed, I can see the arm engaging that cam for only part of the full focusing range.

I'm not quite sure what normal looks like though. Could you describe how the normal movement looks like?

I will hopefully have time to get in there with a screwdriver this weekend.

[edit: 150mm, not 300mm]

[adrianlambert]

The movement on mine sounds like yours, once the bed is extended to a certain point the rf doesn’t continue to focus, probably because it’s simply not accurate enough. The rf isn’t designed to accommodate a 300mm lens of course and your bed extension is possibly going to be a way out for infinity focus let alone near focus so I’d not put too much stock in this experience. Once you have an appropriate lens you may find it’s working fine. Make sure to follow the instructions regarding closing the camera so as not to damage the rangefinder coupling though. Fingers crossed that your excess screw was one that was dropped and overlooked the last time the camera last had some work done. As the rf is sealed maybe it came from elsewhere?

[adrianlambert]

The movement on mine sounds like yours, once the bed is extended to a certain point the rf doesn’t continue to focus, probably because it’s simply not accurate enough. The rf isn’t designed to accommodate a 300mm lens of course and your bed extension is possibly going to be a way out for infinity focus let alone near focus so I’d not put too much stock in this experience. Once you have an appropriate lens you may find it’s working fine. Make sure to follow the instructions regarding closing the camera so as not to damage the rangefinder coupling though. Fingers crossed that your excess screw was one that was dropped and overlooked the last time the camera last had some work done. As the rf is sealed maybe it came from elsewhere?

[HalideReducer]

I'm sorry - I've got the Nikkor 300mm in my mind as I'm shopping for one. I have the correct, supported Nikkor 150mm lens mounted and the correct infinity stops set per the instructions.