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Haig Hovaness

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Posted on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 08:14 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Does anyone know how to adjust the infinity focus stop on a Ricoh 35? This is the RF Ricoh with the clever folding trigger advance.
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WernerJB

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Posted on Thursday, June 15, 2006 - 05:17 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Haig, if the camera you have is one of the later 35 models (like 35 L, selenium metered, film advance at the bottom, cf http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~rd2h-ari/RICOH_LIST2.htm) infinity adjustment is made by several very thin brass and aluminium shims where the shutter assembly is fastened to the body with one retainer ring (lens barrel can be removed as a whole, this central ring is accessible from the film chamber). Infinity stop is via a stop screw (looks like a small silvery metal cylinder) that sticks out from the shutter housing; while focusing the lens it runs along inside a cavity with two definite stops at the beginning and the end of its travel. On all Ricohs I know this screw was broken off and rattling around in the camera because previous owners had forcibly turned the lens beyond infinity. I put them back where they belonged by means of a type of metal super glue which I got from my car repair experts, it sticks like mad, gets hard like metal and even threads can be reshaped.
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Haig Hovaness

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Posted on Friday, June 16, 2006 - 11:47 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Thanks for the input, but I think my Ricoh is an earlier design. It is a Ricoh 500, part of the series of models with a wind trigger that folds up next to the front of the lens when not in use.

By the way, what is the name of the super glue product you referenced? I could use something with those properties.
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WernerJB

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Posted on Friday, June 16, 2006 - 01:00 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Towards the end of next week I'll probably be able to find out about the brand name, will then either send you an e-mail or mention it here, W.
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Dan Mitchell

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Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 12:53 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I don't have one of those at hand to look at, but from what I remember there is an access hole either in the front or the top that is covered with a screw. I think there was more than one version of the camera and the location of the hole was moved on later versions.

If you need to remove the top cover, there is a trick. You have to pull the plate over the accesory shoe off to reach some of the screws holding the top cover on. Then remove the rewind crank (it unscrews) then the "cup" the rewind sits in has to be unscrewed as well.
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WernerJB

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Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 01:23 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

"Access hole"? Are we talking of infinity focus stop of the LENS or the RANGEFINDER?
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Dan Mitchell

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Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 09:07 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I was thinking you meant on the rangefinder.

I remember now that I couldn't see anyway to adjust the lens focus position. All of the screws that affect the focus lever ring are behind the shutter. You have to have the shutter and lens off to access them. It may be that you can only adjust the focus by adding and removing shims, or moving the helical to a different thread. That's just speculation, though. On my cameras the lens focus was OK.

I don't know if this will help or not, but I found some pics I took while working on the camera. This is what the focus mechanism looks like with the shutter out of the way:
http://daniel.mitchell.name/cameras/ricoh500/front09.jpg

I don't see any way to adjust that either. Sorry.
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WernerJB

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Posted on Sunday, June 18, 2006 - 03:21 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Dan, thank you for this picture, as it perfectly illustrates what I was trying to explain in my above entry; the sop screw is the one in the "long hole" towards the bottom of the camera.

Haig, maybe what Dan's photo shows is "your" camera, but the design is basically the same as in the later models (35L, 520M), W.

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