Bad, Bad Fed

[lubitel]

Well I finally got my first prints back from my Fed 5, and they are all out of focus, with the exception of 2 (probably by accident).

Now I did do some rangefinder adjustment (as best I could) before I put the film in.

At some point by shot 15 or 20, I realized the adjustment was way off again. Don't know why or how it could come to that, so I adjusted it again. I was thinking, that at least a half of those fotos would come out sharp. Now that they are all out of it, I have not a slightest clue what the problem could be. My inability to adjust the rf? something else? :bang:

 

[pshinkaw]

Before I make any rangefinder adjustments on a Soviet camera, I always shoot a test roll using the distance scale. Infinity, 10 meters, 5 meters. and 1 meter; high f-number and lowest f-number that conditions permit.

Most of the time, the flange-film distance needs to be corrected first. When I have the flange set to the proper distance then I set the rangefinder. (LTM flange to film distance should be 28.8mm plus or minus 0.02mm)

My theory is that the paper shims on these Soviet cameras may have compressed over the years throwing the flange-film distances off. A quick fix seems to be have been to readjust the rangefinder to allow the lens to focus without actually fixing the shim problem. When the rangefinder is adjusted immediately after purchasing, the problem is only exacerbated rather than fixed.

-Paul

 

[Nickfed]

Have you tried ignoring the rangefinder and using the focus scale instead? If you still get bad results, it doesn't mean the RF is innocent but if the results are fine then it is pretty certain that the RF is guilty.

 

[lubitel]

Well, at least one shot came out pretty sharp as a result of guessing and setting the distance, but who knows may be I was way off on my estimate and thats why it came out sharp.

The first time I adjusted RF I was focusing on 1 m distance, but I think the infinity was also fine. The second time I was adjusting only for infinity. Does it make a big difference? whats better?

How do you correct the flange distance?

I guess I need to burn another roll. 🙂

 

[Nickfed]

I don't think you should address the flange distance except as a very last resort. I know you hear stories about bad flange distances but I wouldn't believe any of them until you have irrefutable evidence in your own hand - and then you think twice about it.

On reflection, I am now thinking that flange distance only has a bearing on the infinity setting, and the scale settings accuracy. And on the former, even that has to be slight. In view of the fact that the distance between the rangefinder and the film in fixed, and if there's a problem, the RF is adjustable, the only thing that counts is the position of the lens barrel to the RF cam. In short, when using the RF, the position of the lens flange is hardly material.
Millimicrons of shims cannot amount to much. A 50mm lens travels 2.63mm in the range 1m to infinity, and you only have to glance at the focus scale to see that half of that is spent in the first metre.
So, if you want to get slick with the screwdriver, I submit you are better off checking the rangefinder mechanism for sticky shafts, loose cam followers, weak springs etc etc. One of the great things about the FSU RF community is that there is a raft of information to help you do this.

 

[pshinkaw]

Flange-film distance is adjusted by removing the lens flange and either removing or adding paper shims. If a shim is already present, simply copy it onto a piece of paper and cut it out. Different kinds of paper will yield different thicknesses.

When you only adjust the rangefinder to compensate for an incorrect flange-film distance, you may solve your immediate problem, but you may have trouble interchanging lenses. Other lenses such as an 85mm will be less tolerant of the compensation "dialed in" to a 50mm adjustment. Also, if you ever shoot by simply twisting the lens to the infinity stop and shooting, your infinity stop may not actually result in an infinity setting.

Also, I am not advocating taking the camera apart first. I am suggesting that the flange-film distance be checked first. That is a simple measurement taken with the lens removed and a piece of waste film placed over the pressure plate to protect against scratches. If the distance is OK, don't take anything apart at all. If it is not OK, it is still your decision to fix it or live with it.

-Paul

 

[xayraa33]

I found that the rf on my Fed 5 b or c, have to be adjusted more frequently than any previous FSU camera, the were not well adjusted all that well when new, and when adjusted ,the red shellac (nailpolish?) seal. is broken and the vertical and the horizontal adjustment, will now go out even more thru vibrations and such. The solution was to apply a bit of shellac or nail polish to the vert. adj. prizm window & the horizontal adj. screw after both were correctlly adjusted.

 

[lubitel]

Nail polish what exactly does it do to the screws? Can you still change the adjustment afterwards after applying these things?

 

[xayraa33]

Yes, just a small drop of nail polish at the screw head , or at one edge of the vert. adj. prizm window. If you need to readjust or loosen a screw, a bit of torque on the screwdriver or the vertical adj. tool(you can make one of these by filing a foreign coin) will usually break the seal. If too much nail polish is used, you will need nail polish remover or acetone.

 

[dll927]

Lubitel, you ask if it makes a difference focused at 1m or at infinity. Yes, because at inifinity you have a deeper depth-of-focus than you would at 1 meter. Therefore, more will be in 'acceptable' focus. This would be true even at a fairly large aperture setting, and even more so down at f/8-11 or so.