Rangefinder focus shadow discrepancy

Question

The rangerfinder patch in my Yashica Electro 35cc is has to be shifted at a position that is diagonally upper-rightwards to create a genuine focus in the final image. Is this a fault of the camera itself, or can this be fixed by a film camera technician?

If the rangefinder "shadow" is perfectly aligned vertically (e.g., the sides of a cheek), the upper part of the shadow remains displaced upwards (e.g., there are two eyebrows created by the focus patch).

Finally, at infinity (e.g. landscapes), the shadow patch remains displaced diagonally upper-rightwards.

Is it DIY-able? Thanks for any help.

Answer 1

What you describe is a misaligment of the beam splitter (which, despite its name, in this case combines or overlays the image from the moving mirror or prism in the RF over the straight-through image in the main viewfinder).

Correcting this is possible in almost all rangefinders, and fairly routine for an experienced technician. Be sure you mention it when you drop off or mail in the camera for servicing. I'd recommend also having the shutter and advance/cocking mechanism serviced at the same time; it saves shipping cost and downtime compared to having to do them separately, and for a camera that old (40-50 years), both most likely need service.

That said, many self-repairers have performed this kind of adjustment -- I would, however, recommend starting with a camera that doesn't have metering and flash wiring under the top cover, as those complicate the process of accessing the rangefinder and closing up after the work is done.