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perrycas · Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 48 Location: Sydney Australia

My camera arrived. Its a top RF and it's missing the glass eyepeice to the viewfinder. Without ir you cant really see throough the viewfinder. Any suggestions as to who i might try for one of these?
Perry

bertsaunders · Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 10:21 pm Post subject:

Perry,
Is it the glass in the eyepiece that is missing, or the mirror inside? Suggest you remove the RF cover and check inside to see if the glass or mirror has fallen inside! Remove the two screws on top, just be carefull and lift straight up! Sometimes they have been assembled wrong, and the keepers are missing that hold them in place!
Bert

perrycas · Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 48 Location: Sydney Australia

Mirror? Should there be one? let me check here: I'm talking about the viefinder on the right hand (starb'd)top side. I am assuming that there should be a lense here where you put your eye to look into the viewfinder, at the other ende there is the rectangular lense held in place by a silver metal frame that accepts various view masks - not the rangefinder.
I did as you suggested and lifted off the rangefinder housing, all the mirrors etc seem to be there, but there's nothing loose in here!

bertsaunders · Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 3:13 am Post subject:

Perry,
Assumed that you were talking about the RF, most of the time thats where the missing parts are!
The rear sight on the "viewfinder"
does have a magnifying lens in it...the front lens is the same as the one used on the standard removable viewfinder! Last replacement I saw was a >RARE< packet of top RF replacement parts that was sold at auction, complete with top cover/tube w/spacers/balls for one!
Likely the best chance you will have, is to find a ??cheap??, body only parts camera at auction, and in the meantime use the RF for framing the picture or the GG! ........Bert

troublemaker · Joined: 24 Nov 2003 Posts: 715 Location: So Cal

that might be a hard part to find unless someone has a parts camera, or you decide to get one one of these days (you might need to replace the cover, I am not sure?). In the mean time, If you have a complete wire frame Sports finder, tilt up eye piece on the back of the camera, and the slide-up framing device on the Front Standard, you are ready to go... these work well, and note that there is paralax correction on the back eye piece. The frame will show you a bit smaller composition (if your lens is the 135mm Xenar or Optar etc...); the actual film image will be a littel larger area, but this is good with a little room to crop with 4x5 is good, though noted you want wide angles. The wire frame is desigend for the standard short normal lenses at 127 and 135 mm, but in actuallity offers a crop equal to my 162mm Optar. when composing landscapes, I generally have only used the GG, and only occasionally look in one of the finders for a right side up reference. Handholding the big ol things is quite fun, but I have only done it for fun whereas I shoot landscapes with more intent and then with stripped down bare bones no finder only GG cameras in 2x3 and 4x5.
Stephen

perrycas · Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 48 Location: Sydney Australia

Riiight. Ok yes i am thinking thatit isnt somnething that iwould use a lot but i will chase a viewer. I have seen a few viewfinders for side mounts, I Imagine that they are the same. It isnt really about having it to uuse it I guess its just making the machine 'complete'.
Thanks guys. Oh, any idea what the magnification would be???

troublemaker · Joined: 24 Nov 2003 Posts: 715 Location: So Cal

Oh no, the standard "Optical View finder" for the older side mount Graphics is not the same as that found on the later top RF models. Sorry, I do not have a clue what the mag would be myself on the view finder lens, someone may have a spec on it.
stephen

bertsaunders · Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 8:33 pm Post subject:

Perry,
Only the front glass is the same on the removable viewfinders....the only remedy is to get a >complete cover< to replace the one you have, you will likely never find the rear glass alone, last manufactured in >>1973<< that was a long time ago!....Bert

troublemaker · Joined: 24 Nov 2003 Posts: 715 Location: So Cal

That said, I put one of my old finders next to my newer Top RF, and it appears the distance is the same between the lenses, so the rear lens should actually work provided one could fit it or glue the disc in, but you might loose the paralax adjustment as in the older unit the entire ring turns as apposed to a sliding hole to correct. One could simply point the camera higher like we do with a TLR. For the purest on the other hand, a replacement cover would be better.
stephen

perrycas · Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 48 Location: Sydney Australia

Mid west cameras have got one! now what does it actually attach to, the housing or the silver peice inside that appears to be attached to the rangefinder?

bertsaunders · Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 11:42 pm Post subject:

Perrycas,
A complete top is up for auction on Ebay,
#7514879171...includes the batt cover! Bert