Iskra 6x45 Images, And Kitchinette Lens Test

[Krosya]

Ruben, Could you please tell what f stop were your photos shot at? Sorry if you did post it and I missed it.

 

[NickTrop]

Ruben, these are absolutely wonderful captures, and a very interesting overall post. My Iskra seems sharp at infinity, but I'm not mechanio-optically inclinded enough to perform Mongo's test. I'm happy I think I finally fixed the weird light leak that plagued two or three random frames per roll. I just foamed it up and used black electrical tape at suspect points (it definitely wasn't the bellows, which are good on these cameras).

I "just" shut a frame with my Iskra - a posed snap of my son, logged in here to find your interesting post. Karma. I loaded it up with some Acros not 1/2 hour ago. Been itching to shoot her.

Mine too has a working film counter and a coupled rangefinder. Bliss.

 

[mongo141]

Ruben, these are absolutely wonderful captures, and a very interesting overall post. My Iskra seems sharp at infinity, but I'm not mechanio-optically inclinded enough to perform Mongo's test. I'm happy I think I finally fixed the weird light leak that plagued two or three random frames per roll. I just foamed it up and used black electrical tape at suspect points (it definitely wasn't the bellows, which are good on these cameras).

I "just" shut a frame with my Iskra - a posed snap of my son, logged in here to find your interesting post. Karma. I loaded it up with some Acros not 1/2 hour ago. Been itching to shoot her.

Mine too has a working film counter and a coupled rangefinder. Bliss.

Nick, treat it gently, the frame counters were the weak point. As far as performing those tests , you have to be nutz, (says my wife ) or be obsessed with making sure your less than perfect pictures cannot be blamed on the equipment.😀 . Regards, Dave

 

[mongo141]

I am not sure yet about the exact place you are talking about, but I have disassembled my 4 Iskras and never seen a shim. Some day kindly post a pic, or use any one from the internet to point the place you are talking the shims are found

The other interesting thing I learn from you is that there is no RF alignment for short distances. I thought I still had to look for.

Cheers,
Ruben

Here you are Rubin, these are between the focusing helical and the lens assembly. I have worked on about 7 or 8 Iskra"s and they all had shims of various thickness.. Regards, Dave

 

[mongo141]

I am not sure yet about the exact place you are talking about, but I have disassembled my 4 Iskras and never seen a shim. Some day kindly post a pic, or use any one from the internet to point the place you are talking the shims are found

The other interesting thing I learn from you is that there is no RF alignment for short distances. I thought I still had to look for.

Cheers,
Ruben

Hi Rubin, Here is a somewhat out of focus shot of the backside of an Industar 58 lens assembly with a couple of shims and the front of bellows/standard assembly showing the focusing helical. This is one of a couple of "parts" cameras so I didn't have to pull a good one apart to get the picture. Regards, Dave

 

[ruben]

Many many thanks Dave.

Of course I know these spacers, I just never thought they serve as shims. Good to know it.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[ruben]

Ruben, Could you please tell what f stop were your photos shot at? Sorry if you did post it and I missed it.

I really don't know.

The pic of the girl was done under sun, so we can bet for an f/11. All the others I would bet were done at f/stops of f/5.6 and wider, as I am a shutter priority folk.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[mongo141]

Many many thanks Dave.

Of course I know these spacers, I just never thought they serve as shims. Good to know it.

Cheers,
Ruben

Those are what was used to to correct the INF focus, I have a small assortment so if you need some and can give me the thickness required I will try to help. The best way I have found is to take most of the shims out and start checking the focus by moving the focus lever away from INF. until it is focused and then start adding shims until it is in focus just as the lever hits the INf. stop. sounds harder to do than it really is but does require removing and remounting the lens assembly several times. Regards, Dave

 

[wupdigoj]

Hi Ruben. Your Iskra performs very very well, but I think this is quite common for well adjusted Iskras 🙂. Mine is very sharp also. I think the lens at f8 or f11 is as sharp as many 35 mm standard lens. In the two Iskras I have owned there were shims between the lens assembly and the helical. For checking the focus, as I stated in another post, I use a developed film, scocth tape, a hole in the backing paper, and a holed back. Nevertheless, in my experience, using a ground glass in the film reels is equally accurate in the Iskra (not so in other folders).

Javier

 

[ruben]

Many many thanks Dave.

Of course I know these spacers, I just never thought they serve as shims. Good to know it.

Cheers,
Ruben

This reminds me that many years ago, without any knowledge or experience I started to disassembe a Fed-2 mount. There I found some strange pieces of a thin metal, some of them double bended. I thought they were just some trash within the mount, and accordingly throwed them to the trash basket....

:angel:

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[Ernst Dinkla]

Hi Ruben. Your Iskra performs very very well, but I think this is quite common for well adjusted Iskras 🙂. Mine is very sharp also. I think the lens at f8 or f11 is as sharp as many 35 mm standard lens.

Javier

That's what I think too. The limitation in image quality is probably more in the scan.

One of the images I based that on is one I made some years ago:

http://www.pigment-print.com/tijdelijk/iskra-and-Monitor2.jpg


Ernst