Baldessa 1b - problem with rangefinder

[bobiscuit]

Just bought one of these, and what a fab wee camera! Everything is so "different", makes it really good fun to use. Shutter/aperture/meter/etc. all work perfectly and overall it's in really good condition.

But - there's something up with the rangefinder. It's as if something is loose - depending on how you tilt the camera, the "screen" that has the frame corner markers can wobble about sit at funny angles. It seems to focus quite accurately, but it makes composition quite awkward. Also I'm sure one time the rangefinder spot disappeared, but I haven't been able to replicate that.

Any chance this is a DIY job to sort out?


ETA - oh yes, even when it's aligned properly (holding it at the "correct" angle)... The two images only align horizontally, they never meet vertically.

 

[bobiscuit]

No ideas? :shrug:

I have poked and prodded and removed any screws I can... But all I can find is a horizontal adjustment screw. I can't find any vertical adjustment and no way into the unit to fix the mirror or whatever it is that's wobbling about

 

[Ambermile]

OK, I have not opened one of these so kept out, but I should say that usually, the "screen" is a mask that sits after the rf prism and the mirror. Mostly they are metal, about as thick as a shutter blade and glued in place. If this has moved or become un-attached you will have to have the top off andtry to re-seat it. The fact that you cannot see anything though makes me think that either you do not have the top cover off, or (more likely) that the rf assembly has a cardboard cover still in place (this has to be removed then re-glued after the repair).

If the rf spot did indeed disappear then it does point to the above, you would still have got the main image but the rf image from the prism - through/combined with the screen image - would have been semi-obscured, and they are not the brightest of images at the best of times.

Note in the above the screen is at "e", prism is "b" and first mirror is "c"