j-3 on CL

[40oz]

I mounted a newly acquired J-3 on my Leitz CL, and the rangefinder won't "focus" at infinity. Is this normal when using an LTM lens with an LTM to M adapter? I can't turn the lens far enough to line up the rangefinder patch on distant objects. Is this affecting the focus at every distance, or what?

I guess I need to know if my lens is faulty or not so I can address the issue with the vendor in a timely manner. I just got the lens yesterday, and haven't had time to finish a roll and develop it yet. What kind of test could I shoot on the remaining frames to learn anything useful?

Thanks in advance. I didn't know where to post this (M forum, LTM forum, FSU?), so if there is a more appropriate location, mods please move it.

 

[lubitel]

set the lens to 1 m, set an object 1 meter away from the camera (measuring from film plain) the RF should be correctly aligned. And the resulting photo should be sharp. do the same for 2 and 5 meters. I think my j3 doesnt quite align at infinity, but I havent had a problem with unsharp photos.

 

[ferider]

The lens is at fault, most likely. Somebody disassembled it and put it together wrong.

Sorry,

Roland.

 

[clarence]

I guess DOF will help cover up for infinity focusing anyway. I've never tried it, though.

Clarence

 

[40oz]

just tested with a tape measure, and a 1 meter object shows 1.5 meters on the lens barrel when the rangefinder is aligned. Not sure what this means yet, but I'm developing the film tonight. I tested it against a J-3 on my Kiev, and the 40/2 that came with the CL, and both of those agree that the distance is not what the LTM J-3 says 🙂

 

[Spyderman]

If the error is that much (0.5m) then the lens is probably mis-assembled. Try to return it, or go see http://pentax-manuals.com/repairs.htm on how to assemble it correctly...

 

[w3rk5]

Yup.........I would check out the link Spyderman put up. Kim's instructions helped me out more than once.