Hi Guys,

I have a 45 Pacemaker Speed with a 127mm with which I shoot hand held a lot. Since the summer my rangefinder has become miss-aligned, I don’t know why. All summer I had been shooting hand held with excellent pin sharp pictures, but a number of pictures I shot over the Fall (hand held) have come back not precisely focused. I thought maybe the infinity stops had moved through use but since then I noticed when I focus on infinity with the rangefinder, the images (in the rangefinder) do not match up. The furthest back the focusing scale goes still does not align the images in the rangefinder. I have read in Ed Romney’s books as well as in this forum how to calibrate the top rangefinder and the infinity stops, but no where have I heard that the rangefinder can become miss-aligned on it’s own. I am usually very careful with my camera and I can’t think of a time when it may have been dropped or jostled. I have also read in the Graflex Service Booklet on the Pacemaker Crown and Speed (1965) to set the rangefinder to infinity by using a Master Cam.

I have a couple of question:

Is it common from normal use for the rangefinder to come out of alignment?
Is it essential to use a Master Cam to set the rangefinder to infinity?

I am quite comfortable adjusting the rangefinder and the infinity stops but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing any information before I started. Thanks in advance.

Zissis Parras

Take the Top Rf cover off and check the mirrors and general mechanics of the rangefinder for proper position and motion.
It is Mandatory to use or simulate a master cam at the correct rail extension as called for in the Top RF Service Manual for the RF Infinity calibration. If said calibration is not preformed as described ALL cams and distances will be off. I have only calibrated one and do not currently have a Top RF Pacemaker.

You might want to check with Mike at eastcamtech.com. He calibrated a top rangefinder Crown for me and it works fine at all distances. Price was very reasonable, too. camike@eastcamtech.com http://www.eastcamtech.com




<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: tsgrimm on 2005-12-07 08:07 ]</font>