Focusing with non-coupling lenses

[stric]

Hello,
Can someone explain to me how focusing works on Vogtlaender 15/4.5 Heliar wide-angle lenses. These lenses are not coupled to rangefinder. I see that this lense comes with a finder that's attaced to hot-shoe. How cn one then focus the image with this lense?
Thanks.

 

[VinceC]

Basically, depth of field is SO DEEP that you just dial in the approximate focus using the distance scales. I don't have a 15mm, but I routinely use distance scales on a 21mm 4.5 Biogon instead of it's coupling. At that width, the main thing I'm concentrating on is deciding the front and rear limits of depth of field. I'd guess with the 15mm lens that it would be hard to have anything out of focus.

 

[Fred]

On the 15 there is a clear depth of field scale. Use the hyperfocal scale next to the focu ring. Just dial the infinity mark against the f stop number to the right of the focus marker and everything will be in focus from the same f stop number on the left of the focus marker to infinity. The smaller the aperture, the larger the DOF, the shorter the focal length the larger the DOF. The closer the subject the shorter the DOF.

A very good lens as well although at its best below f11 and above f5.6

 

[Toby]

All the above are correct. Basically this is not modern foolproof technology -you have to shoot a test roll and get some practice in, it's pretty simple stuff but has a different ethos to your normal AF fodder but that's why your here right? With minimal practice you should have this down pat. 😀

 

[pvdhaar]

It's not only the 15mm that is not coupled, the same goes for the 25mm. Still, you'd have to have the focus setting pretty far off to get out of focus shots. Besides, it helps that it has three clicks, at 1m, 1.5m and at 3m. They're easy distances to distinguish.

 

[Doug]

In the past, a rangefinder mechanism was a luxury, and having it actually coupled to the lens was getting fancy. 😀 People got good at guessing distances, and/or carried a string with knots every so often. The Minox came with a chain for spies to measure how close to the classified document or secret bombsight the camera was. One just then set the distance on the lens and took the shot.

No reason we can't estimate subject distance nowadays, and set it on the lens... a good skill to develop. It's easier, or rather errors are less noticeable, with the lens stopped down, with wide-angle lenses, and long distances, but it's still possible when things are more critical, if you're careful.

 

[RML]

Well, since hte DOF scales goes a bit like .3m - .4m - 1m - 00 (infinity) I don't think you'll have much trouble focussing. At f4.5 and the scales set at 1m you'll have EVERYTHING in focus. 🙂

edit OK, the DOF scale is a bit different but you catch my drift. 🙂

 

[sockeyed]

I use the uncoupled 25mm CV lens and focusing it is as easy as eating pie.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Kidney pie, sockeyed, or key lime pie?

 

[sockeyed]

Blackberry. Mmm, mmm, good.

 

[peter_n]

{snip} A very good lens as well although at its best below f11 and above f5.6

Would that be f8 then Fred? 😉

 

[hoot]

This seems like a good place to ask... when focusing with a _coupled_ rangefinder, does the RF patch show me the distance to the film plane, or the distance to the lens? I realize this is only a few cm difference, but sometimes it matters.

 

[Doug]

... when focusing with a _coupled_ rangefinder, does the RF patch show me the distance to the film plane, or the distance to the lens?

To the film plane, Hoot! On the top deck of many cameras there's a -O- symbol to show where the film plane is, for measuring with a tape measure, for instance. The lens focuses its image on the film plane, so the distance from there to the subject is the issue. For macrophotography it gets a little weird, and there the magnification ratio of the subject at the film plane is the important matter.

 

[Goodyear]

For interest, the CV 21/4 is coupled. I focused it using the RF for one frame when I got it for the hell of it, and haven't done that since. It's not difficult.

f/8, hyperfocal, point and shoot 😀

 

[hoot]

On the top deck of many cameras there's a -O- symbol to show where the film plane is, for measuring with a tape measure, for instance.

Thanks for your response. I only ever saw that on SLR cameras, hence my question. It would be a much more useful feature on RF bodies, because the focus can never fall out of alignment on an SLR.