Zorki 3M full CLA, part 6

A short series on fully servicing a Zorki 3M.
This episode is about the rangefinder and how to minimize the diopter adjuster lens wobble, as well as the final steps of the reassembly process.
#camerarepair #shutterrepair #apxvintagecameras #camerarestoration #cameradisassembly

[@atf2940]

I agree with your roundup of Russian rangefinders. I have CLA'd -- in most cases almost down to the last screw -- multiple specimens of all types up to the Zorki-4. Leaving the very different Kievs aside, the Zorki-3 is the finest. The shutter can be brought quite close to Leica-like operation, except for the long speeds escarpment which is rough and iffy. Good early Zorki-4s (or 3Cs) are pretty much like the model 3 but I don't care for the bulkier design. Zorki-1s from the same production period as that of the 3 can also be quite nice. The best user is IMHO the FED-2. Simple to maintain, long rangefinder base, good form factor and weight, reasonable viewfinder. // I am curious about your measuring the flange distance. I have tried various methods available to the hobbyist repairman but found with all of them that the margin for measurement errors exceeds the tolerance value. I had to give up on that and now only test with a matte screen and a lense that I know to be good at infinity. BTW a camera without flange shims (I never had one) is very likely a camera with shims lost at some stage.

[@AlinCiortea]

Measuring the flange distance is a tricky subject and I'm using the focusing screen on the film rails method whenever I can as well. For the Zorki 1 I found that doubling the springs behind the pressure plate gives me enough pressure to counteract the spring tension of the depth caliper. Out of three Zorki 6 cameras I serviced so far, neither one had shims. And the flange distance was actually bigger than the specifications without shims in one or two of the cameras. Manufacturing sloppiness I assume.