Focus issue

[chrispiper]

Hi,

I'm a new M3 owner and it's my first Leica. The camera came with a collapsible Elmar 50 2.8. I bought it pretty much on faith and have run two rolls of film through it so far. The camera is smooth, shutter speeds seem accurate, the viewfinder is bright and the rangefinder patch seems to line up well when focusing. Everything I expected after reading about the M3.

But, I was surprised to see a number of my shots well out of focus when I got the film developed. There doesn't seem to be any consistency to the missed focus. Some appear to be back focused (focus behind subject) and others seem to be fully out of focus (foreground and background). Other shots seem acceptably sharp and correctly focused. I shot mainly at f8 and smaller, outdoors in bright sunlight to keep things simple. Shutter speeds were 1/500 and faster (film is Tri-X 400). The lens seems to focus well and I didn't have much problem finding discreet edges and lining up the images. While I'm not an old hand at rangefinders I have an Olympus XA and a Cannonet GIII that give me no problems. I assumed that there would be no difference in operating the Leica lens.

So, my questions:

1. Is there a special technique for focusing the Leica and/or the Elmar lens?

2. Are lenses supposed to be "mated" or calibrated to the camera?

3. Can lenses be corrected if they appear to be misfocusing?

4. Do focus issues originate in the camera, lens or both?

5. Do I have to resort to shooting charts and the like to figure out what and where the problem is? I would _really_ like to avoid this.

Thanks in advance for whatever help you might offer. I can attach samples if it would be helpful.

In my other photographic life I shoot a Canon 1D Mk II and so far I really enjoy the contrast the M3 presents.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[FPjohn]

Hello:

The Elmar must be fully extended and locked.

Pull the lens firmly out and turn it counter-clockwise (viewed from above, camera back facing you).

yours
FPJ

 

[chrispiper]

>>
The Elmar must be fully extended and locked.
<<

Can you elaborate? Is there a set or detent that I can feel when extending the lens? I thought I had it fully extended but maybe that explains why some series are in focus and others aren't.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[FPjohn]

Hello:

Gently but firmly extending the lens and turning it counter-clockwise til it stops is all you need to do. Push the lens back, it should not move. You are ready to take photographs.

The f stop setting dot will be opposite the diamond on the distance scale.

Summars etc have markings for this, my Elmar does not.

yours
FPJ

 

[chrispiper]

Hello:

The Elmar must be fully extended and locked.

Pull the lens firmly out and turn it counter-clockwise (viewed from above, camera back facing you).

yours
FPJ

Well well, mystery solved. Many thanks for your help. I just took the camera out and tried it. I can extend the lens and then turn it until it locks and cannot be pushed back into the body. It's amazing that I had any shots in focus as I had no idea that you had to lock the lens in place.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[FPjohn]

Great combo - enjoy it.

yours
FPJ

 

[chrispiper]

One more question if I may - can I expect all M mount lenses to focus and operate correctly? I.E. If one lens focuses correctly, should they all? Does the body ever need to be calibrated and how would I know when this is the case?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[FPjohn]

One more question if I may - can I expect all M mount lenses to focus and operate correctly? I.E. If one lens focuses correctly, should they all? Does the body ever need to be calibrated and how would I know when this is the case?

Thanks,
Chris

As a general rule, all M lenses will focus correctly on a M body if one does. i.e. if the body and rangefinder are OK.

A quick check of a lens/body combination is to focus on a distant object at the horizon. A single image for the rangefinder patch at the infinity setting indicates all is well. A more critical test is to photograph a ruler at an angle for a given distance and look for fore or back focus.

There are lenses that exhibit focus shift at large apertures, such as the 50mm F1.5 Sonnar, and these are sometimes individually calibrated.

yours
FPJ

 

[ampguy]

gently jiggle it outwards, then twist to lock

gently jiggle it outwards, then twist to lock

If it doesn't do this smoothly, as a collapsible cron I bought last week, you'll have to have it cleaned and overhauled.

>>
The Elmar must be fully extended and locked.
<<

Can you elaborate? Is there a set or detent that I can feel when extending the lens? I thought I had it fully extended but maybe that explains why some series are in focus and others aren't.

Thanks,
Chris