Wista RF adjustment

[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.

1. I'm new to this camera, though I'm pretty sure I'm following the instructions correctly per the manual and various discussion threads.
2. The labels on the cam indicator spin freely, so I'm not sure what cam is selected.
3. 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.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[adrianlambert]

Pics of said cam...


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.