0.5m minimum focus. What do you do?

[marek_]

I'm just wondering - when you're looking through the viewfinder to focus, what are you looking at? When I turn the focus, the rf patch moves, the frame lines move - these tools are right in front of me and the simplest, easiest tools to use. As a few previous posts have said - when the rangefinder and frames lines stop moving (some cameras have a faint noise, others less resistance) you're at the closest point that rangefinder for that particular camera with indicate focus. If it helps make a mental note of the distance. You must also be aware and thinking about the distance you want to focus on - knowing your distance when composing a shot? I would have thought this being an important part of taking pictures.

Good luck with solving your problem.

 

[sanmich]

Could it be that those who don't find this to be a problem tend to shoot more static subjects?.
Quickly shooting a moving subject, composing and focusing while loosing/aquiring movement on the RF patch sounds nuts to me.

 

[Godfrey]

Could it be that those who don't find this to be a problem tend to shoot more static subjects?.
Quickly shooting a moving subject, composing and focusing while loosing/aquiring movement on the RF patch sounds nuts to me.

It's very rare that you're going to shoot a moving subject at sub-1m distances. If you are going to do that with a manual focus rangefinder camera, you are going to have to practice a lot, and be willing to deal with a lot of misses.

G

 

[Sparrow]

RF disconnecting under 0.7m with new 0.5m MFD lenses. What do you do?

I'm really annoyed by the 0.5m min focus.
The RF disconnects and you are left to guess if your image is still in focus or not.
I would love to buy some of the new VC offering (nokton 1.2), but this issue stops me from doing so.
Any elegant solution?

... I don't bother taking anything that close they're all just hyper-sturgeon at that range ... in fact there are few decent shots to be had under three meters

 

[Lss]

Could it be that those who don't find this to be a problem tend to shoot more static subjects?

I believe this is largely the case. One simplifies the task significantly by keeping a constant focus distance on the lens.

 

[astrostl]

Major thread necro but: I just got a CV 35/1.2 III and this annoys me on an M10 too 😛

 

[RBCAMERA]

Just found this thread and decided to drop my pennies on it.

I like to do fairly close portraits wide open in the evening or in the cafe. Being able to pull focus and be accurate is really important. Someone said close subjects are usually not moving. Well people tend to be pretty animated in conversation. I was looking at the CV Ultron 35/2 but have settled on the CV Nokton 35/1.4 II. for this very reason. Although the Ultron is sharper the hassle of messing up focus because of the .5 meter is more things to think about. I use an M9 so no live view. Yep I think it would be fairly easy to add some sort of focus stop on the outside barrel to the Ultron preventing the focus tab from reeling all the way in, as CV seem to have missed the potential for a set screw option. But I just went for the Nokton and coupled with the CCD sensor in the M9 I am happy. Why buy a problem.

 

[Beemermark]

Is there any current RF that focuses closer than 0.5 meters? Why do current lens makers make a lens that doesn't focus under .7m? Once upon a time I had a Nikon 50/2 lens that focused closer than 0,7m Lovely lens but I couldn't stand it. Trying to focus at closer distances (less than 2 meters) I tend to run the lens in and out. It always threw me a curve ball when the RF patch wouldn't move.

 

[Godfrey]

When I'm working at distances that close with a rangefinder or scale focus camera, I ignore the rangefinder entirely and pull out a tape measure. It's much more accurate than a rangefinder can be at such small distances.

Remember to measure from the film/sensor plane to the subject, not from the front of the lens.

And if I'm focusing close and the rangefinder image stops moving, I know my distance is under .7m and look at the focusing scale.

G

 

[kram]

As G said once RF Image stops moving your at 7m. From there move 20cm closer for .5m. Have guessed this foe 28mm and wider, Happy with my guess. With the ZM I have used rangefinder focus Image edge of rectange for 35mm lens, works for me even wide open.

 

[Pál_K]

If I were in a cafe or other environment where I’d be making close-in photos quickly, I’d probably just rely on the near and far DOF indicators on the lens and ignore the focus patch - use the viewfinder for composition only.

But I’d also be using fast film, an aperture of f/8 or smaller, and a 35mm or wider lens.

I’d also chant “sharpness is a bourgeoisie concept” periodically.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Old thread, same cure... I do think of what I'm doing.

If I focus with RF at close distance, I watch what is in RF closely.

If I have to snap something which is 0.5m close - it is DOF thing. As mentioned above.

No brainier, isn't it?

 

[brbo]

Leica thinks that it's good to have a tactile rangefinder disconnect feedback in lenses. Same as Nikon with Nikkor LTM lenses (the problem only being that the bump is at the "wrong" position for the rangefinder cameras younger than 50 years).

Some users think it's a good thing to have, others couldn't care less.

Cosina obviously thinks not enough users want that feature. I'd definitely buy the new Ultron 28/2 and probably the new Nokton 50/1.5 if they incorporated the "notch" at 0.7m. Instead I bought M-Hexanon 28/2.8 and will keep using the older Nokton M 50/1.5.

 

[sanmich]

Leica thinks that it's good to have a tactile rangefinder disconnect feedback in lenses. Same as Nikon with Nikkor LTM lenses (the problem only being that the bump is at the "wrong" position for the rangefinder cameras younger than 50 years).

Some users think it's a good thing to have, others couldn't care less.

Cosina obviously thinks not enough users want that feature. I'd definitely buy the new Ultron 28/2 and probably the new Nokton 50/1.5 if they incorporated the "notch" at 0.7m. Instead I bought M-Hexanon 28/2.8 and will keep using the older Nokton M 50/1.5.

I would even go with a simple mechanism to engage a hard stop at 0.7m, like a sliding thingie or a screw. Too bad, the 28mm is sure interesting...

 

[bluesun267]

I have had the Nikkor LTM 5cm f1.4 for years. I love the close focus feature and it never bothered me that it decoupled from the rangefinder at 1m.

Yet now that I have the new Ultron 35mm, suddenly it bothers me no end!

Why? Because of the short throw!

With the Nikkor you've got nearly a 360 degree throw from infinity to .5m. Very easy to anticipate the spot where it decouples, and easy to develop a feel for it, i.e. "muscle memory".

On the Ultron, the entire focus range is within a 90 degree throw. In other words, it comes up so fast that before you are aware you've lost RF coupling, you are already at the hard stop of .58m.

Really makes this lens unpleasant and I'm not sure I can get used to it.