Horseman VH-R

 

6x9 Press Camera.

By Jo Lommen

Japanese Professional Press and Studio Camera

Characteristic looking medium format press camera showing its bright viewfinder between the two rangefinder windows on top of the 6x9 housing.
This double extension bellows camera with interchangeable lenses was produced by the Komamura Corporation established in 1947.
The company has been an important player in the international professional camera business for more than 60 years.  
Komamura Corporation developed and marketed the Horseman Professional Cameras product range for medium and large format film.

In General

The Horseman VH-R is a Japanese look-a-like of the American Press camera of the fifties and sixties of the last century such as the Graflex, Busch, Beseler, Burke & James and the British MPP.
Characteristic of these cameras was the drop bed, which in closed position also serves as a camera door.
When the front door of the camera is in open position you see the focusing track and rail guide.
The lens standard and bellows are still folded safely inside in the back of the camera house.
The inside of the door now serves as a gangway for the rail guide, focusing track and lens standard.
The standard can be drawn out of the housing by squeezing both front standard locks together while pulling out the standard over the focusing track firmly against both of the infinity stops.

These infinity stops have a pop up hinged stop.
Depending on which stop has been set, the standard will stop and will be focused automatically on infinity for the particular lens. 
Unlike the other press cameras there are more than the usual two or four infinity stops.
The Horseman camera VH-R is standard equipped with 5 pairs of them which can be used for 5 different lenses.
From the back to the front we see a pair of white ones followed by red, green, yellow and finally orange.
The white stop should couple the 75 mm lens, the red stop 105 mm and 90 mm and so on. Each lens has it own cam.
The cams are marked with the corresponding lenses and the colour indicates the infinity stops to be used with them.

The Horseman Lenses

In order to couple the rangefinder, the cam, lens and infinity stops must be used in a set.
That means: orange150 mm cam, orange infinity-stop set upwards as a constant reference to the infinity distance and orange cocking-lever on 150 mm lens.
The camera is now ready for focusing on infinity or nearby distances by the use of the focusing knobs at the front of the drop bed.
All lenses are mounted in the Horseman 4 way lensboard measuring 80x80 mm which is exclusively prepared and equiped with a safety lock.
There are several lenses available for use with this exclusive camera:

  Lens Cam Colour- Infinity stops
Wide Angle Super Horseman  ƒ = 7          65 mm White
  Professional Horseman ƒ=5,6  75 mm White
Standard Super Horseman  ƒ= 5,6         90 mm Red
  Prof Horseman ƒ = 3,5          105 mm Red
  Professional Horsem ƒ = 4,5   105 mm Blue
  Super Horseman ƒ 5,6           120 mm Green
Telephoto Super Horseman  ƒ= 5,6        180 mm   Green
Long focal Super Horseman  ƒ = 5,6       150 mm Orange

 

   
             

From left to right: Cam storage slot for 2 cams,
cam in position and
lensboard placed against infinity stops.
If orange/yellow cam has been mounted - the 150 mm yellow dotted shutter should be fitted which is visible
on shutter cocking lever lang="nl">- and lens standard has to to be drawn against orange infinity stops.

The Horseman Camera.

Many desirable features.

The body section

Revolving back for portrait or landscape mode.

Revolving viewfinder frame for landscape and portrait and an automatic revolving all viewfinder frame parallax compensation mechanism which can also be used with wide angle lenses.
The camera body is finished in a black hard coat layer applied over a basic construction of light alloy die cast.
The camera body contains the finder and the lens standard mechanism.
The finder section on top of the camera house contains the rangefinder and viewfinder.
The viewfinder can be turned in landscape or portrait mode or any position in between matching the position of the revolving back.
Parallax correction is automatically achieved when focusing.
The lens board is sturdily built and it features a reinforced design to safeguard against distortion and reflection.
The important camera bed extension mechanism which is made up of the focusing track and rail guide features an oil-less finish which is specially processed.
In order for the camera bed to be opened 90° or 105° from the camera body and for it to be secured, the bed braces are L- shaped for easy movement when wide angle lenses are being used.
There are two focusing knobs at each end of the camera bed and a focusing lock is provided at the left.
The whole of the camera bed serves as a front cover for the camera and the focusing knobs double as a mechanism that locks the front cover.
Tilt, swing, shift and slide lens movements have been provided to make the camera suitable for studio or architecture work.

 

Revolving back with ground glass and viewing hood. On the right camera in drop bed mode for use with wide angle.

Revolving back with roll film holder mounted and on the right the open back ready to mount the 6x9 film holder or the ground glass assembly.

The finder section

The rangefinder magnification is 1:1.
The big bright viewfinder framing 90-105-150 and 180 mm lenses can be turned freely either horizontally in landscape as well as vertically in portrait mode
to match the revolving back while parallax is automatically corrected with all of the Horseman lenses.
All together a great feature.

Bright view through the view finder.
The big eyepiece allows you to focus with both eyes open.
The smaller eyepiece of the rangefinder which is coupled to the focussing mechanics offers you a bright image to focus.

Lens Board section.

The 4x4 cm lens board is designed for easy but safe mounting into the U shaped lens standard.
Lens changing is a matter of seconds and it will fit in all 4 ways.
The U shaped lens standard itself looks very sturdy and feels very dependable when sliding it over the rails setting it in its demanded position.

 

Rangefinder adjustment-prepare your camera

Make sure that the rangefinder cam
matches with the lens and is placed inside the
Rangefinder drop bed guide post.
Check your ground glass if it matches with the rangefinder.



To interchange cam

If lens is changed the cam should be changed as well and it should match with the focal length of the lens.
Yellow engraved infinity stop must match with yellow dotted lens!

1) Push the lens standard all the way into the body.
2)Extend the focusing track by turning the focusing knob until the cam in the bed is completely exposed.
3) Loosen the screw and slide out the cam that should be there.
If there is no cam you should find one, because without cam, the rangefinder would not work at all.

4) Slide the replacement cam into position with the engraving marks up
5) Push the lower part of the cam first in, against the spring tensioned guide post.
6) with the cam snugly in position all the way in, tighten the locking screw.
When lenses are interchanged the cams must also be interchanged.
Without its proper cams placed, a lens will not work in coupled action with the rangefinder.
7) slide the focusing track back into the camera body by turning the focusing knob
and raise up the correct infinity stop matching the lens to be used.
 

Trouble!
My images are out of focus
What's wrong?
 

If your exposures are out of focus and they have been taken with the help of the rangefinder, there could be a problem with the rangefinder.
If both rangefinder images are visible but if they do not coincide you may try to solve this problem by placing the camera on a tripod.
 Aim the camera on a far away object by turning the focusing knob until the track is back into the housing.
If you followed the previous installing advices the distance is set automatically on infinity. when turning the focus knobs all the way back.
 Check the image on the ground glass with wide open front lens on T and as said, diaphragm wide open.
The ground glass image of a far away subject should be needle sharp. Check the image on the ground glass with a magnifier.
If the image is not sharp than take care of that first by checking if the infinity stops are corresponding with the lens and cam.


If the rangefinder is off
or is not working at all.
Repair suggestions

 

My camera came with four cams:  90, 105, 190 and 150 mm.
Unfortunately with no lens, but I was lucky to find an original and mint Super Horseman 150 mm in Seiko SLV shutter.
Having the camera complete then I wanted to go off and take photos with it.
Once the lens was mounted I found out that the rangefinder was out of focus.
The distance needle in the top of the rangefinder house was out of range and the rangefinder itself as well.
The double image didn't move at all when turning the focusing knobs.
Despite close inspection of the camera-house and drop-bed there was no sign of adjusting screws or any thing that could be used to adjust the rangefinder.
The only thing that obviously was part of some adjustment could be found inside the camera house on the bottom of the left side seen from the front.
 I found no way to get a closer look of it to see the working without having to dismantle the camera completely.
After hours and hours I gave up searching.
The internet wasn't helpful either and I placed the camera on the shelf and decided to get back to it at due time.
I use to do this very often to give myself the opportunity to relax and wait for inspiration.
After all, the factory workers who did assemble the camera, surely had to adjust the rangefinder as being the last handling.
So there must be a hidden "something".
A couple of days later I grabbed the camera from the shelf and felt with my fingers along the leatherette on top, front and back and along the rangefinder housing.
On the back of the lower part on the right side of the top housing, seen from the back, I felt an irregularity.
Carefully I peeled off the leatherette and found the hole from which the adjusting screw could be set.

 

                                                                                      

Photo A left: Hidden under the self adhesive leather on the left top side of camera, this hole gives access to the vertical adjustment.
A long good fitting long screwdriver is needed to search in the inside of the housing for the adjustment screw.
Photo below shows the inner part of the camera top rangefinder housing inside.


On both sides of the rangefinder housing you'll find two screws that keep the top cover to the camera house.
The top cover hides the fine and vulnerable rangefinder mechanism including the prism and the mirror.
So if it is not necessary, it would be a good idea not to take the cover off.
However replacing the leatherette is not such a great problem if you take good care when taking it off.
Mostly the leatherette is self adhesive which very often can be replaced after cleaning the underground thoroughly.

The oval hole can be found under the leatherette strip shown on the right photo B which gives access to the distance adjusting screw I mentioned before.
To find the oval hole.
Easy does it if you use your finger and go with it along the strip. At the end of the strip you must feel the hole beneath the leatherette.
The hole itself becomes visible by peeling off a small part of the strip on the bottom of the camera.
You can see the head of the screw which penetrates in the housing and controls a chrome bar inside
the housing which in turn controls the distance metering (red) needle visible in the small window on top of the camera.
 

To work on this you first have to place the camera on a sturdy tripod.
Always make sure to have the single leg pointing in the same direction as the lens. It prevents that you would stumble over this leg.
Do not underestimate this advice. These cameras are too heavy for use with a cheap, thin and lightweight tripod.
Turn the focusing knob backwards as far as possible. Check lens and matching coloured cam and infinity stops on the drop bed.
This is the infinity setting. Aim the camera on a far away object like a high building.
The peep hole window on the right side from the centre window should show the rangefinder adjustment.
One or two images are visible. If there is one image visible, the rangefinder is calibrated just fine.
No further action is necessary.
However, if you can see two images the rangefinder is off focus and should be recalibrated.


Calibrating the rangefinder.

Now we have come to the rangefinder itself.
If the two images of the far away subject in the rangefinder do not coincide than turn the screw next to the round window very, very carefully until both horizontal images coinside.
This can also be achieved by turning the screw using the hole in the top cover.
 If the images do not coincide vertically, than adjust it with the vertical axis adjustment screw as shown on photo below.
Horizontal alignment can be obtained by turning the infinity adjustment screw as shown below.
This also can be achieved through the hole in the top cover which makes it a bit easier.

 





For better understanding:
This photo shows the vertical adjusting screw inside the top camera housing.


Having done that successfully you may correct the vertical coincide by inserting a fitting screwdriver inside the hole on top of the rangefinder.
Sometimes it is a bit troublesome to find the scre. In that case it is better to remove the cover off the camera huosing.
Try to find the adjusting screw by the feeling and when found it turn it clockwise.
If the difference between both images is getting wider than turn it anticlockwise until the images coinside.
Fix the leatherette and enjoy working with this amazing camera.

Questions

Jo Lommen Classic Cameras