Fed 2 focusing issues

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goncalofonseca

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Hello guys !
I just got a Fed 2 and shot my first roll trough it and i'm not happy with the results .
Before I loaded the film, i realised that the RF was unaligned , and so, i proceded to align it with a tiny screw driver .
It all seemed okay, but the photos still came out blurry : http://www.flickr.com/photos/goncalofonseca/sets/72157627794806582/

Is it my poor focus ? or has the camera have some sort of problem?
Should I take my russian friend to the doctor?

Thank you for all the help.

Cheers,

Gonçalo​
 
After a quick look at your pictures they appear to be completely out of focus which depending on the aperture set wouldn't be the case with a mis-calibrated rangefinder where you would expect to see some sharp areas but not at the point expected. This suggests a problem with the lens itself.

There was a post by one of the members here detailing the use of targets set at fixed distances to assess the focus point, if he is reading this can he or anyone post the link please.

Are you able to try a different lens? If not shine a LED torch (flashlight) through the lens and use a loup to see if the lens is cloudy. There are many posts on cleaning lenses and this can sometimes be fairly easy.
 
It's pretty easy, especially on your camera. Put a small piece of ground glass, ground side facing the lens, across the film path right where the film would lay. If you don't have ground glass use Scotch Magic tape pulled tautly. Now for the trickier part. Since the back/bottom will not be on the camera, you'll have lose the tripod mount capability, so lash it to something stable. Using a loupe, or just another lens used as a loupe, set your lens distance to a specific distance and measure that distance w/ a yardstick or tape to see if the actual distance of focus matches the distance scale on the lens. If it doesn't, adjust the distance scale so that it does by loosening those tiny screws being VERY careful and using good screwdrivers. The screws are soft and will get messed up and never come out of you aren't careful.

Now, look and see if you have a sharp image on the GG or tape. Adjust the lens so that the lens has sharp focus and the scale matches the actual distance. Now ck the rangefinder in the camera. If it isn't lined up, you'll either have to adjust the camera's rangefinder or tweak the focusing tab on the part that rides against the lens. You should to do your initial lens settings and confirmations at infinity first actually, set things aright, then double ck that all is OK at maybe 6 feet. It sounds complicated but it usually goes quickly. Maybe this isn't "by the book", but it works. At this point you've verified w/ your own eyes that the focus is correct and agrees w/ the camera's rangefinder as well as the lens distance scale. Bear in mind that these lenses and cameras often have a history of DIY repairs in their long pasts, and if you do all this and still get bad focus on your shots it's time to replace the lens or open it up and try to fix what is surely an incorrect reassembly. Here's a link that may help a little. He has links at the bottom that give a more detailed look at the lens when it's apart. Matt's a nice guy.

http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/fed_2.html
 
Last edited:
Ah, the plot thickens. The I-26 that Steve guessed is much more common on the FED-2.

OK, so excuse me for asking the obvious but did you fully extend and lock the lens? It needs a little clockwise twist (as seen from the front) after you pull it out.

If that's not it, what Steve said holds true for this lens as well. Could have been messed up by a previous owner not putting it back together correctly. Try the frosted glass (or Scotch tape) method. If nothing comes into focus at a distance corresponding to the scale, the lens is probably not in the right "groove" of the helical.

Which, fortunately, is extremely easy to correct on these lenses. Just remove the longer of the two stops (screws) and fully unscrew the lens out of the focus mount. Watch where it is when it comes loose -- should be around the 1.7m setting.* If not, you have found the problem. Find the starting point that corresponds to 1.7m and screw the lens back in from there, then put the stop back.

*1.7 is correct for the I-22. I know the FED-50 is practically identical but haven't worked on one.
 
Also keep in mind that the FED 2 needs to be adjusted for both near and far distance. The rangefinder foot is pear shaped; as the lens focuses throughout its range, the part of the foot it connects with changes. If you checked against near focus, your far focus may be off. Ditto the other way around.

To the process as I see it:

- Check to see if the lens is sharp at infinity via ground glass or a test shot. If it isn't, either the lens needs to be adjusted or the distance from the flange to the film plane needs to be adjusted (ie shimming the lens mount itself).
- Once the lens focuses to infinity on the body, you need to deal with the rangefinder. This require iteration between adjusting for near focus, checking near focus and adjusting the angle of the foot, then checking far focus again.
 
Also, bear in mind that if the lens is a pre-war model of the Collapsible FED that a seller has coupled with a post-war Fed 2, that could be the problem. But considering just how out of focus the photos are, my money's on either that or the lens not being fully pulled out and locked, especially if the OP went through the rigmarole of calibrating and checking the rangefinder before using the camera.
 
Well this is kinda embarrasing, but aparently i did not fully extend the lenses .
I will shoot another roll with the fed 2 to be certain .
I will post the results .
Thank you for the help .

Gonçalo
 
Hi,

Don't worry, we've all been there and done that. (So many of us have done it that they ran out of t shirts.) It's part of the initiation ceremony! You should get a great surprise with the next film...

Regards, David
 
David Hughes said:
Don't worry, we've all been there and done that. (So many of us have done it that they ran out of t shirts.) It's part of the initiation ceremony!
Click to expand...

Now Gonçalo's just got to forget to take the lens cap off and try to use a flash at a speed other than 1/30 and we can all start chanting "one of us, one of us"...
 
Goncalo, I was just getting ready to ask what the deal was, then I read your last post. I had clicked on the link in the first post, and there were some really nicely focused shots, so I was a bit confused about your problem. After reading all the other above postings, I'm glad it was just a simple thing like the extention lock. I got mine cocked at an angle one time, and it reminded me of those shift-tilt images you see everywhere these days. Have fun with your FED.

PF
 
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