Focussing a collapsible lens

[Lauffray]

As the title suggest I'd like to verify something about how to focus a collapsible lens. I'm using the Heliar 50mm f2, I just got back 2 rolls of film from the lab and 68/72 pictures are not focussed properly🙁. I mean I can miss 1 or 2, but not all of them, which leads me to think there's something fundamentally wrong with the way i focus.

Does the lens need to be popped out to focus correctly? Can it take pictures when it's collapsed?
Thanks !

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Never collapsed, although I have not even seen one of those in my life...

 

[Rogrund]

I have only used a collapsible Elmar 50/2.8, and it has flanges that need to be locked in the correct position.

My advice is: dismount the lens from the camera body and check from the back of the lens how it works.

No, you can't take pictures with the lens collapsed.

 

[payasam]

Pull the lens front away from the camera body and turn it clockwise as far as it will go. You are then ready to shoot. Collapsed, the lens cannot focus on the film.

 

[agreenspan]

I have the same lens. It does not collapse very far, so it's probably best to leave it at its extended position all the time. It must be extended to work.

 

[Tom A]

If you like Bokeh - leave it collapsed - all bokeh, nothing but bokeh!!!! I never bother collapsing it - just leave it out and locked in. The collapsing feature on the Heliar f2 is a bit of a curiosity rather than a practical function.
With some of the old M 50's - the f2.8, 3.5 and to same extent the f2 Summicron it truly made the camera more compact - the Heliar f2 not so much.
Great lens too - when locked in extended position!

 

[pvdhaar]

If a collapsible lens is not properly extended, you'll consistently focus beyond the subject.. And you can trust me, because I'm an expert in this field 😱

 

[Lauffray]

If you like Bokeh - leave it collapsed - all bokeh, nothing but bokeh!!!! I never bother collapsing it - just leave it out and locked in. The collapsing feature on the Heliar f2 is a bit of a curiosity rather than a practical function.

Yes that's exactly what I have, 2 rolls of nothing but bokeh. Ah...had I known....well I guess you only learn from your mistakes
Thanks a lot for your all your answers 🙂

 

[degruyl]

With some of the old M 50's - the f2.8, 3.5 and to same extent the f2 Summicron it truly made the camera more compact

My collapsible 50 Summicron is much more compact than my rigid. Although my rigid is not the first generation rigid, the comparison is probably valid. I think is it about two centimeters (well, somewhere between 1/2 and 1 inch) of extension. I could measure it at home. It makes a difference in getting the camera into a jacket pocket.

For that lens, I worry too much to leave it extended all the time. Which is why I bought the rigid in the first place.

What I would love to see is a pancake 50 M. I doubt it will be forthcoming, from either CV or Leica.

Oh, right, just exactly what everyone else is saying with respect to shooting: extend first, then focus, then shoot.

 

[ampguy]

I'm curious about those 4 that are "in focus". One of the benefits of a collapsible lens is to have some soft focus all the time. Sharpness is over rated.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

I'm curious about those 4 that are "in focus". One of the benefits of a collapsible lens is to have some soft focus all the time. Sharpness is over rated.

🙂 I guess most of us thought about those ones in focus... To be honest, the first moment I read the OP I thought he was kidding when he asked if it was necessary to extend the lens... Then I really smiled, and remembered my first day with a rangefinder, when on my negatives my fast 40mm 1.4 Nokton didn't look so fast... Then I learned how dangerous in RFWorld caps can be!

That, and the yellow filters with slides...

Another confession: when Cuban musicians from Buena Vista Social Club came to Barcelona maybe 10 years ago, I met them in a bar, they were so friendly, and they gave me some tickets to bring people to their concert the next night... That next night, they saw me at the entrance of the concert, and let me in with them to make some shots (with a Nikon SLR) before the show. I was very happy after shooting all of them making jokes one to another, and playing each one the instruments of the others... Great people... When the concert started my girl asked me why I was crying, “is the song too beautiful?”, “was the wine too much?”... I just held her and said “this stupid camera should not allow shooting before placing the roll film in!”


I wish I could have now those shots, even in “just bokeh” 🙁

 

[BTMarcais]

I think all of us who use collapsible lenses go through this. Generally more than once. :-/

I just took a couple shots on my way home from San Francisco saturday night, hopped on BART, looked down, and realized my lens (collapsible summicron) was still collapsed. *sigh*

At least my collapsible elmar 9cm locks the focus at infinity until it's extended and locked.
Which didn't stop my from hitting the softie a couple times so far and getting a nice circular negative, just full of bokeh. 🙂

-Brian

 

[degruyl]

I think all of us who use collapsible lenses go through this. Generally more than once. :-/

I have a push on lens cap on my collapsible lens. If I remember to take that off, I remember to extend the lens.

I can only think of one time that I was taking pictures with the lens cap on. I can think of several where the camera took a picture in my pocket, though (Leica M6: no shutter lock).

 

[Lauffray]

Yes you got it right, it is the first time I use a collapsible and it was only the 3rd/4th roll through the new rangefinder. 🙂
Though so far I have evaded the most common trap with rangefinders, shooting with the lens cap on. 😛
I thought that I could shoot with it collapsed, otherwise what is the point of it being collapsible besides being able to fit in jacket pockets? (which is great for me )
But then Austerby asked the opposite question, which makes more sense, what is the point of being able to extend it then?
As for those 4 pictures in focus, I think I remember extending it completely because I had more than a split second to spend on the picture, as opposed to the usual "shoot-and-run" street photography that I do

nikonhwebmaster, completely agree with you. Most of what I know about rangefinders, cameras and photography in general I learned from here and the internet, when I went to buy the actual camera I knew more about it then the store owner !