rolleistef
Well-known
after dismentling and rebuilding my Kiev like a mental (i now know it nearly inside out), I have a pb with the rf calibration. When it's properly calibrated for infinity, it doesn't match for one meter, and when it's calibrated for one (or three) meter it doesn't match for infinity. Any idea? (just ran a test roll through it to test the newly collimated lens that seemed to have a birth disease, knowing a spacer too big for correct collimation... let's see how it will work when the roll is finished!)
ty
stef
ty
stef
TVphotog
Television Grunt
Check the Kiev Survival Site. He has directions for doing this. It is actually quite simple. There are two screws under the rangefinder window. You need to loosen these screws and then move the glass in the window a bit and then re-check the callibration. It may take a few attempts to get it right. Check with the site
outfitter
Well-known
I'm having the same trouble with a Fed-2. I suspect its a trial and error thing to slowly move the two settings back and forth until the both just work. It may be easier on the Kiev as they are both screw adjustments; on the Fed-2 the close focus entails moving the angle of the block on RF accentuating arm - not easy to make small incremental changes.rolleistef said:
Good luck
Michael
nzeeman
Well-known
outfitter said:
about fed2 - for 1m try to adjust camera with moving the angle of the block on RF accentuating arm as you said and then for infinity fine adjustment use the little screw under a big middle screw on the front side of the camera top (big screw is just few mm upper from the lens) .
Xmas
Veteran
If the Kiev is out at close when infinity is ok then you need to jump the inner wheel a tooth. The slider exposed when the embilliher is removed (the front plate) only achieves a different concidence, if 1m is out you need to adjust the range, i.e. the position of the cam. Russ's description is pretty clear.
If a FSU leica clone is ok at infinity but out close up then you need to alter the angle of the follower on the range finder arm, until the infinity and close up coincide. Jay's site describes this.
Neither adjustment is easy and will take some time.
The Kiev ia easier as the scale is on the body and (may) be more reliable, and you can stick 3m matt tape (or glass) across the gate and confirm film plane focus, removable backs are easy.
Noel
If a FSU leica clone is ok at infinity but out close up then you need to alter the angle of the follower on the range finder arm, until the infinity and close up coincide. Jay's site describes this.
Neither adjustment is easy and will take some time.
The Kiev ia easier as the scale is on the body and (may) be more reliable, and you can stick 3m matt tape (or glass) across the gate and confirm film plane focus, removable backs are easy.
Noel
R
ruben
Guest
Hi Stef,
I am going to propose you a method based on the KSS, but altered by me. It will not spare you from opening the top casting, but after that it may spare time and desperation.
The logic of my alteration is the following. We have 4 elements adjusting the yellow patch coincidence and we will intruduce a strict division of labour for them.
One of the four, it seems to me is not mentioned at the KSS, and if it is i strongly appologize to Russ. It consists in the possibility of lateral displacement of the front square glass element, used too to adjust the vertical coincidence, but in our case the vertical issue is of no importance, unless we have a problem there too, which is unusual. We will use this square for lateral displacement too.
The possibility of this lateral displacement is built in in the fact that the holes of the square glass metal frame, are considerably bigger than the holes at the place where its screws sould be inserted.
Of course I take for granted you have removed the top casting and uncovered the long black prism.
So my logics is the following. With the "worm" arm and the screw regulating its angle of displacement (see the screw at utmost right side of first pic at http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/adjust rangefinder.html) and with the arm there bearing number 4 - we will calibrate the short distances. It will be done in a certain way that i will explain later below.
With both glass pieces, the plano convex and the plano concave, numbered at that pic as 1 and 2 - we will calibrate infinity.
This will be our division of labour and we will stick to it to death, as not to go crazy. (We will prefer to be dead and not crazy)
We will adjust the short distances coincidence first, and then the infinity afterwards. This is very important because with a good short distance coincidence first, we will arrive at a less problematic coincidence at infinity, while the contrary is not necessarily as profitable. As you know, there is much more helical displacement at the short distance than at the infinity and surroundings.
However, before we adjust the short distance, we will bring the two glasses we destinate for infinity adjustment, into some kind of "neutral" or average position. This will leave our chances of displacement open for both directions.
Now, what to do, how, and in which order.
The one meter adjustment
Here we will start by centering the convex and concave glasses to dead center position.
a) Go again to the same link of the kss, and start counting until you see pic number 8. Unscrew all 4 screws and take out the square piece.
b) Invert the whole camera, so that you can have a good view of the four egg shaped holes of the camera body, designed to adjust the concave and convex glasses.
Clean this part if it is dirty, to obtain maximum clarity. Then mark with a sharp tool the center of each hole, in order to let you realign the four screws at dead center.
c) In a few moments you will be going to re install the concave and convex glasses aligned by the screws placed in their center position. Note that at the small square glass you will have some play to lateral displacement, that we will take advantage of, but by now we align and screw everything at dead center. All 4 screws should be adjusted strongly.
d) But in order to help yourself, before reintallation of glasses, remove the selftimer lever, as it stands in your way for a straight screwdriver operation.
e) Once you have installed the main compensator including the rectangular glass, this is the best time for you to clean this glass in the best possible way. The most common error when cleaning this glass is to apply too much liquid cleaning. Home alcohol or Isopropyl alcohol are ok, but use very very tiny ammounts.
f) Before reinstalling the square glass, clean it too, re-install it, and re-install both the metal housing serving to sustain the outer glass. Install this glass to using any kind of masking tape, just to protect the cleaning you have performed on the square glass. Latter, when you close your camera with the front plate, you will remove this masking tape.
By now, it is the best moment too to clean the 4 glass surfaces of the black long prism. These surfaces are the most delicate of all, but we shouldn't be hysteric here too. If our cotton tip with which we have wet cleaned previous glasses is amost dry, this is the best for cleaning the prism glass surfaces. Another good method for these surfaces is to use soft toilet paper, sustained by our cotton tip for long circular and soft frictions.
Finnally, on the cleaning, we should clean the square internal glass face of the eyepiece, that face facing the prism. The outer circular glass face of the eye piece will be cleaned several times along our arrangements, since it is the most prong to get greasy, and finally before we close the top casting.
Bacj at our present alignment stage, what we have done is to align our plano convex and plano concave lenses at "average" center position, so to start aligning the other parts with a good start. Let's go now for the other parts.
g) Go again to the same link and start counting from top until you reach pic number 20.
h) Bring the worm, through actioning the small wheel to 1mm from the edge. This 1mm is to be measured by bare eye, but looking from above, without any lateral eye deviation.
i) Place an SLR split image screen at the film plane, camera on tripod, and a standard lens on your camera. Have your subject for metering close distances place at an accurate 1 meter from film plane, either by moving the subjec or your tripod.
Then with another 50mm lens of any kind, look through the split image screen at the film plane and adjust camera wheel for sharpness. By this we will obtain film plane accuracy. 1 meter subject is sharply reproduced at our film. Notice I am not speaking about distance scale of our camera, on purpose, upon Rick Oleson advice. But I am speaking about a split image screen, i,e, that one with an horizontal or diagonal line at center, as according to my observation the level of accuracy you gain from the split image is unsurpassed by far and large with any other substitute, but for a single exception.
This single exception comes from the SLR manual focus golden age, in which some trendy folks get used to an uncluttered clean matted type of screen, without any focusing aide at its center, annoying their photographically correct frame view. If you have been a champ of these acrobatics, with duplicated certificates in the form of your enlargements, then you may feel released from the split image screen. Otherwise you will see by yourself that any non split image substitute will leave an exaggerated range of distances being seen as 'sharp'.
j) Now, our task will be to bring range finder coincidence to match screen at film plane coicidence. For this task we will use exclusively the screw at the first pic of the quoted link, the screw at the extreme right. This screw is strongly tightened and once we achieve coincidence we will re-tighten it at maximum hand force (of course that if you are a box champ, you will use your common sense)
So by now whe have sharp rf and film plane coincidence for short distances. Eureka !
Eureka, because what is left is much much easier.
Adjusting for infinity.
a) camera on tripod, split image screen at film plane, we will play ONLY with those four screws of the plano convex and plano concave glases. But there is an order here too.
b) bring camera on tripod to the place you view a long distance subject serving you for infinity. and bring you focusing wheel to infinity. First we have to deal with the reality, i, e, the image at the film plane, i.e, the screen split image you put there should indicate infinity.
d) For the final yellow patch coincidence of infinity you will use first the lateral displacement of the square plano concave glass. Loosen them and find the direction of displacement you need. It may happen that after finding the direction you need, and mooving the piece in the whole extent of that direction, it will not be enough to have yellow patch coincidence.
In this case you will further help yourself by displacing the rectangular glass.
After you finish with vf infinity coincidence, go back to check both coincidences for short distances, i,e, film plane split image and yellow patch. They should be ok, unaltered by infinity adjustments as performed this way.
Cheers,
Ruben
I am going to propose you a method based on the KSS, but altered by me. It will not spare you from opening the top casting, but after that it may spare time and desperation.
The logic of my alteration is the following. We have 4 elements adjusting the yellow patch coincidence and we will intruduce a strict division of labour for them.
One of the four, it seems to me is not mentioned at the KSS, and if it is i strongly appologize to Russ. It consists in the possibility of lateral displacement of the front square glass element, used too to adjust the vertical coincidence, but in our case the vertical issue is of no importance, unless we have a problem there too, which is unusual. We will use this square for lateral displacement too.
The possibility of this lateral displacement is built in in the fact that the holes of the square glass metal frame, are considerably bigger than the holes at the place where its screws sould be inserted.
Of course I take for granted you have removed the top casting and uncovered the long black prism.
So my logics is the following. With the "worm" arm and the screw regulating its angle of displacement (see the screw at utmost right side of first pic at http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/adjust rangefinder.html) and with the arm there bearing number 4 - we will calibrate the short distances. It will be done in a certain way that i will explain later below.
With both glass pieces, the plano convex and the plano concave, numbered at that pic as 1 and 2 - we will calibrate infinity.
This will be our division of labour and we will stick to it to death, as not to go crazy. (We will prefer to be dead and not crazy)
We will adjust the short distances coincidence first, and then the infinity afterwards. This is very important because with a good short distance coincidence first, we will arrive at a less problematic coincidence at infinity, while the contrary is not necessarily as profitable. As you know, there is much more helical displacement at the short distance than at the infinity and surroundings.
However, before we adjust the short distance, we will bring the two glasses we destinate for infinity adjustment, into some kind of "neutral" or average position. This will leave our chances of displacement open for both directions.
Now, what to do, how, and in which order.
The one meter adjustment
Here we will start by centering the convex and concave glasses to dead center position.
a) Go again to the same link of the kss, and start counting until you see pic number 8. Unscrew all 4 screws and take out the square piece.
b) Invert the whole camera, so that you can have a good view of the four egg shaped holes of the camera body, designed to adjust the concave and convex glasses.
Clean this part if it is dirty, to obtain maximum clarity. Then mark with a sharp tool the center of each hole, in order to let you realign the four screws at dead center.
c) In a few moments you will be going to re install the concave and convex glasses aligned by the screws placed in their center position. Note that at the small square glass you will have some play to lateral displacement, that we will take advantage of, but by now we align and screw everything at dead center. All 4 screws should be adjusted strongly.
d) But in order to help yourself, before reintallation of glasses, remove the selftimer lever, as it stands in your way for a straight screwdriver operation.
e) Once you have installed the main compensator including the rectangular glass, this is the best time for you to clean this glass in the best possible way. The most common error when cleaning this glass is to apply too much liquid cleaning. Home alcohol or Isopropyl alcohol are ok, but use very very tiny ammounts.
f) Before reinstalling the square glass, clean it too, re-install it, and re-install both the metal housing serving to sustain the outer glass. Install this glass to using any kind of masking tape, just to protect the cleaning you have performed on the square glass. Latter, when you close your camera with the front plate, you will remove this masking tape.
By now, it is the best moment too to clean the 4 glass surfaces of the black long prism. These surfaces are the most delicate of all, but we shouldn't be hysteric here too. If our cotton tip with which we have wet cleaned previous glasses is amost dry, this is the best for cleaning the prism glass surfaces. Another good method for these surfaces is to use soft toilet paper, sustained by our cotton tip for long circular and soft frictions.
Finnally, on the cleaning, we should clean the square internal glass face of the eyepiece, that face facing the prism. The outer circular glass face of the eye piece will be cleaned several times along our arrangements, since it is the most prong to get greasy, and finally before we close the top casting.
Bacj at our present alignment stage, what we have done is to align our plano convex and plano concave lenses at "average" center position, so to start aligning the other parts with a good start. Let's go now for the other parts.
g) Go again to the same link and start counting from top until you reach pic number 20.
h) Bring the worm, through actioning the small wheel to 1mm from the edge. This 1mm is to be measured by bare eye, but looking from above, without any lateral eye deviation.
i) Place an SLR split image screen at the film plane, camera on tripod, and a standard lens on your camera. Have your subject for metering close distances place at an accurate 1 meter from film plane, either by moving the subjec or your tripod.
Then with another 50mm lens of any kind, look through the split image screen at the film plane and adjust camera wheel for sharpness. By this we will obtain film plane accuracy. 1 meter subject is sharply reproduced at our film. Notice I am not speaking about distance scale of our camera, on purpose, upon Rick Oleson advice. But I am speaking about a split image screen, i,e, that one with an horizontal or diagonal line at center, as according to my observation the level of accuracy you gain from the split image is unsurpassed by far and large with any other substitute, but for a single exception.
This single exception comes from the SLR manual focus golden age, in which some trendy folks get used to an uncluttered clean matted type of screen, without any focusing aide at its center, annoying their photographically correct frame view. If you have been a champ of these acrobatics, with duplicated certificates in the form of your enlargements, then you may feel released from the split image screen. Otherwise you will see by yourself that any non split image substitute will leave an exaggerated range of distances being seen as 'sharp'.
j) Now, our task will be to bring range finder coincidence to match screen at film plane coicidence. For this task we will use exclusively the screw at the first pic of the quoted link, the screw at the extreme right. This screw is strongly tightened and once we achieve coincidence we will re-tighten it at maximum hand force (of course that if you are a box champ, you will use your common sense)
So by now whe have sharp rf and film plane coincidence for short distances. Eureka !
Eureka, because what is left is much much easier.
Adjusting for infinity.
a) camera on tripod, split image screen at film plane, we will play ONLY with those four screws of the plano convex and plano concave glases. But there is an order here too.
b) bring camera on tripod to the place you view a long distance subject serving you for infinity. and bring you focusing wheel to infinity. First we have to deal with the reality, i, e, the image at the film plane, i.e, the screen split image you put there should indicate infinity.
d) For the final yellow patch coincidence of infinity you will use first the lateral displacement of the square plano concave glass. Loosen them and find the direction of displacement you need. It may happen that after finding the direction you need, and mooving the piece in the whole extent of that direction, it will not be enough to have yellow patch coincidence.
In this case you will further help yourself by displacing the rectangular glass.
After you finish with vf infinity coincidence, go back to check both coincidences for short distances, i,e, film plane split image and yellow patch. They should be ok, unaltered by infinity adjustments as performed this way.
Cheers,
Ruben
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Xmas
Veteran
Ruben
Have I been wasting my time following Russ's instructions to mark the gear wheel and move it one tooth at a time? It take me aeons...
Noel
Have I been wasting my time following Russ's instructions to mark the gear wheel and move it one tooth at a time? It take me aeons...
Noel
R
ruben
Guest
Xmas said:
Well,
As I have not tryied my method for a dozen times at least, I cannot assure you.
And I will never be tired to repeat, Russ is my teacher whom I owe everything, including those small details in which i dare to deviate.
Besides, I suspect my method has a point of weakness. It is in the personal estimation by each user of the 1mm the worm should be from the edge.
Cheers,
Ruben
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rolleistef
Well-known
hmm all this is a bit complicated, I'll try if it's really needed. For the moment it's okay. But thanks a lot anyway!
outfitter
Well-known
The problem is as I alter the angle of the follower infinity goes off. When I correct infinity with the little screw under the viewfinder, close focus goes off again. I assume there is a tipping point where both just hang in but it takes a lot of time (perhaps forever) as precise small adjustments of the angle of the follower is not usually possible.Xmas said:
Michael
nzeeman
Well-known
outfitter said:
and how much close focus goes off when you adjust infinity?
rxmd
May contain traces of nut
Sometimes quite a lot. I had to do this on a Zorki-1 where when the lens was set to 1 meter the rangefinder was focusing at 60 centimeters. It took me some hour and a half of fiddling to get it right.nzeeman said:
One thing that really comes in handy here is a laser pointer. Put the camera on a tripod 1m from the wall. (I used a clamp with a screw fixed to a table.) Set the lens to 1m. Shine the laser pointer into the eyepiece from behind. The rangefinder splits the laser pointer into two red dots; these coincide exactly at the distance of the rangefinder. If the rangefinder is accurate at 1m, the two red dots should fuse into one. That way you get a very good estimate for the accuracy of the rangefinder at close focus without having to peek through the rangefinder all the time.
Philipp
Xmas
Veteran
If you have an ok infinity but close focus is wrong then you need to mark the wheel at infinity as Russ the mad canuk scientist says and move it on one and try again. Please see the kiev survivial site for gory details.
Ruben is correct in all he says, he seems to have been lucky & got the initial cam setting correct first time, it takes ages to get the correct tooth so that close up and infinity are both ok.
I schedule all Sunday...
Noel
Ruben is correct in all he says, he seems to have been lucky & got the initial cam setting correct first time, it takes ages to get the correct tooth so that close up and infinity are both ok.
I schedule all Sunday...
Noel
R
ruben
Guest
rolleistef said:
Hi Stef,
Look I am finding this type of reaction more and more. First I do identify with the fear of jamming a camera, since i am experienced in this art.
But TWO thingS you must know. The kievs are pure mechanical cameras. Accordingly, and according to other factors inherent to the Kievs, it will make a dramatic difference for you, wether you learn and practice to open one or not.
It is my firm belief, that the perfectly working Kievs are gone from the market. Therefore, if you love these cameras you must start learning how to adust them. The problems are almost never for a Kiev being broken, and almost always with them in need of adjusments of several kinds.
Since Alex photo goods is selling parts Kievs for u$ 7, I see no reason for anyone not to learn the stuff. Nor even try.
No doubt that it will be a monstruous mistake to open your good Kiev just to save those miserable 7 bucks.
Ah, the shipment, yes. Ok. Then take the opportunity to buy a beautiful black front plate for your Kiev (specify him your model) for the miserable price of $4 each, and one or two double slotted Kiev spools, the best spools ever done for any camera. Alex combines shipment and with a total around $30 you will be endlessly happy, having got the best package ever.
The second thing I am not sure if you know is based too upon my personal experience. I am not sure, nor you can be, about your own capabilities in Kiev fixing. The fact that the KSS seems complex to you, says nothing about, as I felt the same, and have poured such tons of criticism over Russ head, that I am afraid there is no place there for a single additional gram.
On the other hand I must acknowledge that adjusting a Kiev with the help of the KSS is MUCH MUCH easier than adjusting a Yashica with the help provided by Yashica Guy.
Do you need to be a "gear-head" to adjust a Kiev ? Some people here have reported that although being able to fix several mechanical devices, they feel unable to adjust Kievs.
What qualities are needed, taking into account the existing KSS and the unfolding Kiev Project, from which no one has seen much, but some investigating threads in which I had to clarify things with some gifted minds?
I would say the following is needed: a) patience at a desk, b) couriosity c) a sense of liking research, and lastly d) a personality able to overcome failures and instead of crying or cursing, being able to back off for a refreshing pause, which can last from 5 minutes to 5days or 5 weeks - it doesn't matter.
Kindly notice that the above qualities have nothing to do with technical knowledge or practice. The KSS has already cracked the secrets and I am going to further explain it for people that never holded a screwdriver.
Of course, there are many cameras besides the Kievs, you can choose from, but no other one enjoys such a detailed explanations like in the KSS, and I hope to further enhance this achievement, as it is my aspiration the Kievs will be used as widely as possible, as active cameras.
Cheers,
Ruben
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V
varjag
Guest
Just to note, one shouldn't check RF precision at close focus with the lens. Measure with ruler from camera's film plane to object.
The reason is that a lot of lenses (notably J-8 and J-3) exhibit focus shift at close distances. Your RF might be spot on but it'll still look like it was misfocused.
The reason is that a lot of lenses (notably J-8 and J-3) exhibit focus shift at close distances. Your RF might be spot on but it'll still look like it was misfocused.
R
ruben
Guest
Hi Eugene,
I don't follow you at both of your sentences, so let's go slow and kindly find the easiest way to explain me:
Rick Olesson just convinced me not to pay the most attention to the distance scale, but to yellow patch coincidence vis a vis film plane sharpness, for both short and long distances.
If at a short distance, or around 1 meter, I do have rf coincidence AND film plane sharpness, so what is the problem ?
Sorry for myself, but although your English is perfect, I don't start to begin to understand what do you mean. Perhaps if you could detail, I may learn.
Cheers,
Ruben
I don't follow you at both of your sentences, so let's go slow and kindly find the easiest way to explain me:
varjag said:
Rick Olesson just convinced me not to pay the most attention to the distance scale, but to yellow patch coincidence vis a vis film plane sharpness, for both short and long distances.
If at a short distance, or around 1 meter, I do have rf coincidence AND film plane sharpness, so what is the problem ?
varjag said:
Sorry for myself, but although your English is perfect, I don't start to begin to understand what do you mean. Perhaps if you could detail, I may learn.
Cheers,
Ruben
rolleistef
Well-known
well, it's not a fear of jamming the camera. I really know it inside out and can reassemble it by sight just by looking at the screws 
. It's rather that for the moment, it's reasonnably focusing (according to the latest tests anyway), especially since the lens has been correctly collimated.
What varjag meant is that the rangefinder sometimes isn't really accurate, and that from 1m to 0.9 the focus shifts. The focus is OK with a ruler, but the rf isn't. So we'd better check on cellotape (not sure of the spelling - no link with the most wonderful instrument in the world) I'll try the wheel technic and tell you what's going on. Ty anyway!
. It's rather that for the moment, it's reasonnably focusing (according to the latest tests anyway), especially since the lens has been correctly collimated. What varjag meant is that the rangefinder sometimes isn't really accurate, and that from 1m to 0.9 the focus shifts. The focus is OK with a ruler, but the rf isn't. So we'd better check on cellotape (not sure of the spelling - no link with the most wonderful instrument in the world
) I'll try the wheel technic and tell you what's going on. Ty anyway!
R
ruben
Guest
Hi Stef,
Your interpretation of Varjag sounds to me contradictory, so I will still wait for Eugene to speak. You cannot focus at short or long distance without the range finding mechanism, which by its definition it is the focusing device upon which sharpness or unsharpenss will be achieved
If the mechanism will mislead you, you will must have unsharp images, no matter any master calibration with a ruler, unless you are going to use the ruler everytime for focusing short distances....
Cheers,
Ruben
Cheers,
Ruben
Your interpretation of Varjag sounds to me contradictory, so I will still wait for Eugene to speak. You cannot focus at short or long distance without the range finding mechanism, which by its definition it is the focusing device upon which sharpness or unsharpenss will be achieved
If the mechanism will mislead you, you will must have unsharp images, no matter any master calibration with a ruler, unless you are going to use the ruler everytime for focusing short distances....
Cheers,
Ruben
Cheers,
Ruben
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40oz
...
ruben, I think what varjag was getting at was that if you intend to use your body with multiple lenses, you really ought to calibrate the rf to the distance markings rather than a close focus point when a J-3 is wide open.
Because if your rf is calibrated to the J-3 close up, it might not be properly calibrated to any other lens/aperture at close focus.
On the other hand, if you know your J-3 typically focuses a bit closer than the rf and scale indicate only when wide open, but is dead-on at smaller apertures, you can deal. But if you set the rf for wide-open with a J-3, you'll have to compensate for every other aperture and every other lens.
If you want your J-3 to focus at the indicated distance on the body when wide open, it is probably better to adjust the lens at that point.
Most camera bodies don't have any distance markings on the body, so in those cases, you need to calibrate/check your rangefinder using multiple lenses at smaller apertures. But with the Kiev/Contax bodies, if you can ensure the rangefinder and distance scale is in sync, every lens at that point should be good. To be sure, one would want to verify that your lenses are focusing properly, but it's not very common that you hear of a focusing problem with Kiev lenses like you hear people complaining about LTM J-3's.
The rangefinder just measures distance. If your rangefinder is properly calibrated, you can use any lens with confidence, and deal with their individual idiosyncrasies if they exist. Once you start tying the rangefinder adjustment to a single lens/aperture, you risk destroying the camera body's ability to focus other lenses/apertures.
Does that make sense?
Because if your rf is calibrated to the J-3 close up, it might not be properly calibrated to any other lens/aperture at close focus.
On the other hand, if you know your J-3 typically focuses a bit closer than the rf and scale indicate only when wide open, but is dead-on at smaller apertures, you can deal. But if you set the rf for wide-open with a J-3, you'll have to compensate for every other aperture and every other lens.
If you want your J-3 to focus at the indicated distance on the body when wide open, it is probably better to adjust the lens at that point.
Most camera bodies don't have any distance markings on the body, so in those cases, you need to calibrate/check your rangefinder using multiple lenses at smaller apertures. But with the Kiev/Contax bodies, if you can ensure the rangefinder and distance scale is in sync, every lens at that point should be good. To be sure, one would want to verify that your lenses are focusing properly, but it's not very common that you hear of a focusing problem with Kiev lenses like you hear people complaining about LTM J-3's.
The rangefinder just measures distance. If your rangefinder is properly calibrated, you can use any lens with confidence, and deal with their individual idiosyncrasies if they exist. Once you start tying the rangefinder adjustment to a single lens/aperture, you risk destroying the camera body's ability to focus other lenses/apertures.
Does that make sense?
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R
ruben
Guest
Thank you 40oz,
Yes, this makes sense a lot and it is the weak side of Rick's method, for a multiple lens camera.
The problem is that once you leave Rick's method, you will have to deal with helical shiming and each lens shiming... All these amounting to months of our scarce free time, per camera.
So we have to think about a middle way. One posibility is to go along Rick's proposal and check film plane sharpness with all the different focal lenses we have. After this we could select among our dozen standards the most fitting one for the average.
One thing I strongly feel. If we start fiddling with shims we are going to end with no Kievs, or continue fiddling with them at the hospice.
I think so far, that it will be sensible to allow ourselves a margin of personal tolerance here. After all the difference from absolute accuracy will be always 'eaten' by not absolute accurate focusing at the moment of picture making. Sometimes one unaccuracy will add to the other, other times they wil compensate each other.
I ask myself if the guy sending his camera to Mr Scherer for perfection, will also focus his yellow patch for perfection, and will also buy perfectly shimed Contax lenses in spite of their age and particular history...
Let's no go crazy.
Cheers,
Ruben
Yes, this makes sense a lot and it is the weak side of Rick's method, for a multiple lens camera.
The problem is that once you leave Rick's method, you will have to deal with helical shiming and each lens shiming... All these amounting to months of our scarce free time, per camera.
So we have to think about a middle way. One posibility is to go along Rick's proposal and check film plane sharpness with all the different focal lenses we have. After this we could select among our dozen standards the most fitting one for the average.
One thing I strongly feel. If we start fiddling with shims we are going to end with no Kievs, or continue fiddling with them at the hospice.
I think so far, that it will be sensible to allow ourselves a margin of personal tolerance here. After all the difference from absolute accuracy will be always 'eaten' by not absolute accurate focusing at the moment of picture making. Sometimes one unaccuracy will add to the other, other times they wil compensate each other.
I ask myself if the guy sending his camera to Mr Scherer for perfection, will also focus his yellow patch for perfection, and will also buy perfectly shimed Contax lenses in spite of their age and particular history...
Let's no go crazy.
Cheers,
Ruben
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