how do I adjust diopter on Fed-2 ?

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mnmleung

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Apologies for a very simple(ton) question. Who does one adjust diopter? What do we focus our eyes on? And how do I know if my eyes are too bad to use the rangefinder? Thanks from Ming
 
Thanks BSchall
I mean what do I do with my eyes, apart from keeping them open? :) Do I focus on something inside the view finder? Or on what I want to take a photo of? How do I know I need to adjust diopter? Thanks from Ming
 
Looking thru the viewfinder you should see a small round yellow patch . Focus that patch on an object with a contrasted edge and move the diopter lever til it appears clear.
The Fed 2 VF is small, dim, and one of the poorest especially in a dim lighting setting. Only the Barnack Leica`s are worse IMO.
John
 
thank you John.
And I was looking in okvintagecamera.com + fedka + alex-photo for a Zorki (1) tonight ... maybe not such a good move until I have sussed the Fed-2 eh? Ming
 
A Fed 2 with a clean rangefinder (internally cleaned) is plenty bright enough for inside shooting that would take say 400 ISO at f4 and 60th. But for some thing that would take 800 ISO at f2 and 60th, it is dim enough I have to struggle to use the rangefinder.
 
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mnmleung said:
thank you John.
And I was looking in okvintagecamera.com + fedka + alex-photo for a Zorki (1) tonight ... maybe not such a good move until I have sussed the Fed-2 eh? Ming
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Ming, I certainly don`t want to discourage you from the Fed 2 . I have one and it works fine in good light but if your eyes are not excellent it could dissapoint when using indoors unless it`s well lit.
John
 
moving_electron said:
A Fed 2 with a clean rangefinder (internally cleaned) is plenty bright enough for interior shooting that would take say 400 ISO at f4 and 60th. But for some thing that woudl take 800 ISO at f2 and 60th, it is dim enough I have to struggle.
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How does ISO, aperture ,and shutter speed effect the viewfinder?
Maybe I`m missing something here?
John
 
I think the reference refers to the amount of light that is available at these settings. I can understand the difference between the shots described.
 
giovatony said:
Looking thru the viewfinder you should see a small round yellow patch . Focus that patch on an object with a contrasted edge and move the diopter lever til it appears clear.
Click to expand...

IMHO it is easier to move the diopter trying to get a sharp image outside the focusing patch. When the image around the focusing patch looks sharp, the diopter is adjusted. It is time then to use the patch to focus the lens.
I made a small mark with a felt-tipped pen on the camera top plate at the point where the diopter lever is adjusted for me. Even when the lever moves, I can quickly put it in the right position.
chers
Joao
 
I mentioned earlier that I was interested in getting a Zorki (like the Fed 1) once I have got used to the Fed-2. What is the difference between a collapsible Industar 22 and a collapsible Industar 50? I understand that I probably won't want to swap lenses because the old Zorkis were different and probably won't focus too well except with the lens that came with the body. Thanks from Ming
 
mnmleung said:
I mentioned earlier that I was interested in getting a Zorki (like the Fed 1) once I have got used to the Fed-2. What is the difference between a collapsible Industar 22 and a collapsible Industar 50? I understand that I probably won't want to swap lenses because the old Zorkis were different and probably won't focus too well except with the lens that came with the body. Thanks from Ming
Click to expand...
The Industar 50 is meant to be a sharper lens but I've not noticed any difference in normal use. As far as swapping lenses is concerned you shouldn't have any problems except with the very earliest FED 1 and Zorki 1 models. The pre-war FEDs had a slightly different mount thread pitch and early Zorki/FED models came with a matched lens. I've used other lenses on 2 Zorkis and a FED 1g without issues but I have a FED NKVD that will not take other lenses at all.
 
leicasniper said:
It doesn't effect the viewfinder, just indicates how dim the lighting is where the shooting is going on. I love the Fed-2, but the finder is too dim for really low light.
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Interestingly, I have 2 FED 2s. The earlier model has a dim VF and the later one is far brighter. I'm not sure if they improved the later ones or if it's just that soviet variation at play here. The early one is great for outdoors, sunny day, because of the dim finder. For poor light/indoors it's not much use though.
 
Thanks for the hint about adjusting dioptre. It makes a big difference! Ditto for my Nikon D50 which I use with manual focus lenses. Ming
 
How do you Fed-2 users keep the diopter lever in place once you set it? Mine is quite loose and easy to move unintentionally. Is there some way to lock it down or do I have to keep jamming shims under it to keep it from moving?
 
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