Question for Olympus Pen F/FT/FV users...

[Cale Arthur]

Hi All.. so, the man in brown showed up yesterday with my freshly-overhauled Pen FV (body and lens, by Mr. Hermanson). A joyous occasion, to be sure, however i'm noticing something odd that i've never seen before: when the lens (standard 38mm f1.8) is focused to infinity, the right side of the viewfinder seems slightly out of focus (the left side is spot on), and the microprism spot is ever-so-slightly 'fuzzy' as well.

Now, i know that this lens has an exceedingly shallow d.o.f., and given the way the mirror is mounted, i'm wondering if this could be the cause? John reset the lens to infinity, and i'm assuming it was checked thoroughly after the fact. Everything checks out distance-wise when close-focused, but i don't know if that has anything to do with anything.

I'm hoping that this is just some oddball genetic defect, in which case i'll live with it (however irritating it may be). And i did just hear from a friend in NYC who uses a Pen F regularly who said, "So yours does that too, huh?". Still, i'd like some more ideas about why this is happening. I'm almost finished with a test roll, so i'll soon have the pics to determine if this anomaly is translating to the film plane. Until that time, any thoughts are, as always, greatly appreciated.. and if i've left any crucial data out, please let me know!

thanks,
Cale

 

[ferider]

Hi Cale,

congrats to a wonderful camera.

sounds like your focus screen is slightly misaligned. This can probably be fixed by a repair person.

Verify this by checking if the photos are sharp across the picture - then it is the screen. Otherwise
something is wrong with the lens or the mount, highly unlikely.

Roland.

 

[Cale Arthur]

sounds like your focus screen is slightly misaligned.

That's interesting.. i wouldn't have guessed that it would be the screen, since it's glued in, but that does make sense.. if that's the score, i can deal with that (via the 'living with it' option, not a home remedy - i know better 🙂), unless it proves super-problematic - time will tell. I really, really like this camera. ..would love to get one of the wide-angle lenses at some point. Thanks much for the assist and the congrats, Roland!

Cale

 

[ferider]

That's interesting.. i wouldn't have guessed that it would be the screen, since it's glued in, but that does make sense.. if that's the score, i can deal with that (via the 'living with it' option, not a home remedy - i know better 🙂), unless it proves super-problematic - time will tell. I really, really like this camera. ..would love to get one of the wide-angle lenses at some point. Thanks much for the assist and the congrats, Roland!

Cale

Hi Cale,

haven't touched my FT for a while, but I seem to remember that the screen is actually held
by a screwed in thin metal frame (not by glue).

I'll let you know tomorrow. Both 25mm lenses are great, BTW, I have never tried the 20.

Best,

Roland.

 

[Trius]

Cale: Send John an email and describe the problem; he is good about responding, though his replies may take a day or so, and he doesn't seem to look at email on weekends.

 

[Cale Arthur]

Just heard back from JH on this: apparently, this issue stems from the fact that the mirror isn't mounted exactly at a 45 deg. angle.. i'm getting the impression that this is somewhat 'normal' and there may be little that can be done. I guess this is a good(ish) thing, as it won't affect pics, and i *really* don't want to send it back in a second time.

Any chance i could persuade either one of you to check your Pen F's and describe how the finder looks from left to right, with respect to focus at infinity? I'd sure appreciate it - if it's something that could ultimately be improved, i may have the adjustment made at some point in the future.. for now, i'm gonna use it!

...and thank you both for your replies!

Cale

 

[furcafe]

I haven't noticed that problem w/any of my Pens (F & FV), though my 20/3.5 does have a slight built-in tilt (good thing it's an SLR!).

Hi All.. so, the man in brown showed up yesterday with my freshly-overhauled Pen FV (body and lens, by Mr. Hermanson). A joyous occasion, to be sure, however i'm noticing something odd that i've never seen before: when the lens (standard 38mm f1.8) is focused to infinity, the right side of the viewfinder seems slightly out of focus (the left side is spot on), and the microprism spot is ever-so-slightly 'fuzzy' as well.

Now, i know that this lens has an exceedingly shallow d.o.f., and given the way the mirror is mounted, i'm wondering if this could be the cause? John reset the lens to infinity, and i'm assuming it was checked thoroughly after the fact. Everything checks out distance-wise when close-focused, but i don't know if that has anything to do with anything.

 

[shadowfox]

Man, I just swapped my Pen-FT with the 35 LE in my camera bag two days ago, so I can't check it for you now. I'll be sure to do it tonight.

 

[Cale Arthur]

Many thanks, Shadowfox! I sure would appreciate that.. frankly, i have nothing to compare this situation to but my experience with other SLR's, which, as we know, isn't much of a barometer for the Pen. The fact that the microprism dot doesn't look as 'right' as it could at infinity is also a bit alarming.. am picking up pics later today, so we shall see! Thanks again, everyone..

Cale

 

[bob cole]

Question for Olympus Pen F/FT/FV users...

I just tested my Olympus Pen FT with a 20mm, a 38mm, a 40 mm and with a 2x converter and I don't see anything out of focus on any part of the viewer...

 

[Cale Arthur]

Thanks for checking, Bob and Furcafe - i really appreciate the help!

I'm really conflicted about what to do here; on the one hand, this issue is not affecting the pictures, and is only a viewing 'inconvenience'. On the other hand, i did shell out for the overhaul, and i want it to be right. Other folks have perfectly focused finders, so this is clearly not a normal occurance for this camera. The last thing i want to do is send it back and be separated from it for who knows how long, but i may not have another option.

Ugh, decisions.. did i mention that, when this arrived at my home initially (pre-overhaul), i fired the shutter about 8 times before it locked up and died? I packed it up within the hour and sent it off... good times!

Cale

EDIT: that last bit sounds a little 'boo-hoo'.. i know all of us have to deal with some form of repair frustration sooner or later. My apologies..

 

[shadowfox]

Hi Cale,

I'm sorry to report that both of my Pen-FT does not exhibit the fuzzyness across the viewfinder at infinity focus.

If I were you, I would contact John and give him another chance. If it's any consolation, my third Pen-FT (yeah, I like them THAT much 😛 ) is probably still somewhere on the interstate across US with probably the only other camera tech who knew about fixing the Pen-F series camera besides John Hermanson.

Why? He recently pick up trucking as a career 🙂

 

[Cale Arthur]

I'm sorry to report that both of my Pen-FT does not exhibit the fuzzyness across the viewfinder at infinity focus.

Yep, she's gonna have to go back in, no doubt about it. Thanks for checking, S-Fox..

Just curious: what's the scoop about long term reliability on the F series? I don't want to fall head over heals for this thing and have it be a moody p.i.a..



..Wow - repairing cameras to trucking - quite a leap. Is this Clint we're talking about? ...it is one way to see the country, i s'pose!


Cale

 

[ferider]

Yep, she's gonna have to go back in, no doubt about it. Thanks for checking, S-Fox..

Just curious: what's the scoop about long term reliability on the F series? I don't want to fall head over heals for this thing and have it be a moody p.i.a..



..Wow - repairing cameras to trucking - quite a leap. Is this Clint we're talking about? ...it is one way to see the country, i s'pose!


Cale

I checked my FT, Cale, it is also in focus and should be an easy fix for
your repair person. The screen is not glued in.

They are comparatively reliable, and I assume your rare FV is the most
reliable among F, FT and FV.

To put you back in the mood, here are some photos I took with mine:

with the 100mm:

25mm:

40mm:

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[shadowfox]

..Wow - repairing cameras to trucking - quite a leap. Is this Clint we're talking about? ...it is one way to see the country, i s'pose!

I assume you mean Clint Rumbo of Photosphere?
Nah, I wasn't talking about him 🙂

 

[Doug]

Arriving a bit late here... but none of my three (FT, FT, FV) exhibit the behavior you describe even with the 1.4/40mm. I was going to suggest, after reading the first couple of posts, that it sounded more like mirror alignment to me, perhaps too thick or too thin a foam bumper, I'm not that familiar with the inner details there.

I had a local guy who extensively rebuilt my FV, and has worked on the original FT (which was my folks') over many years (mostly CLA). Unfortunately I can't recommend him because he closed shop and retired. He hasn't much respect for the shutter-cocking linkage, as it's a right-angle gear train that he says was not designed well. This results in an often gritty feel to the film wind, and in irregular wide frame spacing for one of mine.

These are cute little rigs though, irresistable, and can put out amazingly good shots as proven above. Good lenses, good film... 🙂

 

[Cale Arthur]

These are cute little rigs though, irresistable, and can put out amazingly good shots as proven above. Good lenses, good film... 🙂

Indeed it's true, Doug.. very irresistable! I can certainly see what you're saying re: the s.c. linkage.. just feels 'odd' - i just hope the advance lever doesn't bend.. seems a bit weak.

I should have mentioned this before, but John did an amazing job on this camera - the speeds are spot on, and it generally feels like a new camera. We've communicated about this issue several times, and i have no doubt that he'll take care of it. I'll check back in when she's in-house.. Many thanks to everyone for your advice and thoughts on this.. it is very much appreciated!

And your lighthouse pic definitely explains why i need to get a wide-angle lens, Roland! Maybe even one of the 20/f3.5?

Cale

 

[Doug]

Maybe even one of the 20/f3.5?

In my experience, the 20mm f/3.5 is one of the best of the fine Pen-F Zuikos...

 

[Cale Arthur]

It's back and it's beautiful!

It's back and it's beautiful!

Hey all.. an update: John has completely fixed the issue with the focusing, and everything that was associated with the problem - he turned this camera around within 24 hours, and not only shipped it back to me in an expedited fashion, but also credited me for my shipping to him. I have to say that he has handled this in a very professional way, and communicated with me at every step. A more satisfied customer i could not be!

Reading back through this thread, i really hope that i didn't give the impression that i was in any way dissatisfied with his service, as that's most assuredly not the case. I was just confused as to the 'nature' of these cameras, as this was my only experience with an Pen F (i'd never even so much as held one before). The last thing i'd want to do is make someone look bad unnecessarily..

Many thanks to everyone for their help and support.. it is greatly appreciated!

Cale

 

[andersju]

I have a Pen FT with the 38/1.8 and the microprism spot is very slightly fuzzy at infinity, however I can't see any difference in focus between the left and right side of the viewfinder.