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on Mar 10, 2014 22:11:48 GMT
Posted: Mar 10, 2014 22:11:48 GMT
Hello everyone. I am completely new to not only rangefinders but Yashica's. Bought my MG-1 two weeks ago and i have a FR-1 on its way that I plan to fix.
My question is this. The camera works fine. I made my own battery solution and all the lights work. Problem is that all the pictures come out blurry. Could this be a camera issue or is it a i don't know how to use a rangefinder issue? Any and all help will be appreciated you guys. Thank you.
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on Mar 11, 2014 3:24:25 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 11, 2014 3:28:44 GMT by ridgeblue99
Welcome to the forum, and the wonderful world of rangefinders.
The basic principle of rangefinders is a secondary image that is projected onto the primary image in a way that when the two line up, the lens should be in focus.
If you look at the front of your MG-1, you will see a small diamond shaped opening, then frosted glass, then the rectangular opening for the viewfinder, all inside the chrome framework. Light enters the diamond (rangefinder port), and is directed in a right angle by a swinging mirror towards the viewfinder. There it meets a semi-silvered mirror sitting at a 45 degree angle (designed so that you look through it while the secondary image is projected on its surface), which reflects the rangefinder image towards the rear finder eyepiece. As you rotate the focus ring of the lens, a mechanical linkage from the lens turns the rangefinder swinging mirror ever so slightly, moving the secondary image back and forth across the primary image. When these two line up on your selected subject, the image at the film plane should be in focus. There are also bright frame lines projected on the primary image to help you align your shot.
Factors that can interrupt the proper functioning of the rangefinder are: sticky old lubricant on the mirror lever; out of adjustment horizontally or vertically; the focusing lever is not properly situated in its travel slot; the lens was worked on, and improperly reassembled; bad coating on the semi-silvered mirror.
I haven't adjusted the focus on an MG-1, and I just realized my usual method won't work as there is no B setting for the shutter. After looking at the guts on mine, the secondary image mirror does not move. It projects through the center of a larger mirror which is reflecting the bright frame lines. Then, a lens mounted on a swing arm controlled by linkage to the lens moves fore and aft inside the rangefinder chamber to move the diamond shaped secondary image onto the semi-silvered mirror in the viewfinder. There is an adjustment screw inside the viewfinder chamber.
One check you can do is to first set the lens at infinity, then look through the viewfinder to see if the two images line up while looking at an object more than 100 feet away, such as a large pine tree (they make good targets for this with all the nicely defined branches in year round foliage). If that looks good, then set your camera on a tripod, and get a movable object such as a traffic cone or a discarded floor lamp to use as a focusing target. Measure from the film plane of the camera (that little o with a line through it on the top of the camera) out to 20 feet, place your target there, then set your lens at the same mark on the focus ring, and check to see if the viewfinder images are lined up. Repeat this at 10, 7, 5, 4, and 3.5 feet (you can use the meter scale instead if that's the system you are familiar with). The two images in the viewfinder should always line up if your system is in good shape.
Another way you could be getting blur is camera shake. Try not to punch the shutter button, just an easy push should do.
Like I said before, I haven't worked on an MG-1, other than to tear one down for purposes of taking photos of the guts for reference. Just one of those projects that have fallen by the wayside. Hope you can figure out what is going on with your camera.
PF
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