Jupiter-12 performance at hyper focal

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lrochfort

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Hello all,

I've long had a Jupiter-8 LTM, which I love, all though not as much as the one on my Kiev 4A which I should NEVER NEVER have let go, but I digress.

I bought myself a Jupiter-12 from a reputable eBayer and took it on holiday. I'm having trouble with the rangefinder patch on the Fed 2 of late so decided to have a crack at just setting the lens on hyperfocal.

I was disappointed. It was nowhere as sharp as when I focussed on my subject, even when the subject was in the middle of the DoF. Now, is this to be expected and I just need to learn my lesson, or do you think my lens is out of whack?

Would poor exposure judgement on my part by a stop or so either way contribute?

I'll try and scan some negs when I get a change.

Thanks all!
 
There is no such thing as depth of field, only the illusion of focus. The only spot that will be sharp is the exact point of focus. Everything on either side of that will be out of focus; whether it's off enough to notice depends on how closely you look. Most DOF tables are calculated for an 11x14 print at normal viewing distances, not at 100% on a computer screen.
 
mdarnton said:
There is no such thing as depth of field, only the illusion of focus. The only spot that will be sharp is the exact point of focus. Everything on either side of that will be out of focus; whether it's off enough to notice depends on how closely you look. Most DOF tables are calculated for an 11x14 print at normal viewing distances, not at 100% on a computer screen.
Click to expand...

Indeed, that's what I'm getting at I suppose. The extent to which it's out of focus surprised me is what I'm getting at.

It was enough to notice on 6x4 prints. I've not had any scans as yet.
 
I think that most of us, used to what computers show, are much more aware of this than we used to be. I know my whole standard of sharpness and focus has changed a lot now that I can get really good feedback on both.
 
Try this - Set your focus manually at about 10' or 3m. Measure the same distance to a point on a brick wall or a picket fence. Stand pointing your camera at about a 35 degree angle the target. Take several shots at different apertures. Make notes. See what works best... you should be able to see exactly where focus point really happens.
 
newspaperguy said:
Try this - Set your focus manually at about 10' or 3m. Measure the same distance to a point on a brick wall or a picket fence. Stand pointing your camera at about a 35 degree angle the target. Take several shots at different apertures. Make notes. See what works best... you should be able to see exactly where focus point really happens.
Click to expand...

Having done this sort of exercise recently to check the RF matching (and my J-12 is spot on but my J-8 badly off) I can say that there are a few problems with the above.

Firstly, there is no guarantee that the distance scale and the RF will agree: mine didn't on 3 of 4 lenses I tested. I need to test further as two of those three the RF was accurate (and the distance scale not) but there were possible complications with one. In short, though, my J-12 was focussing in front of the marked distance scale, when mounted on a Leica-standard body. I no longer have a FSU body to compare. It was spot-on with the rangefinder, though.

Next, make sure you mark the distance along which you are looking at the fence, or whatever. Make sure you have a clear focusing target. Measure precisely the distance from your camera focal plane to the focusing target.
 
lrochfort said:
Hello all,

I've long had a Jupiter-8 LTM, which I love, all though not as much as the one on my Kiev 4A which I should NEVER NEVER have let go, but I digress.

I bought myself a Jupiter-12 from a reputable eBayer and took it on holiday. I'm having trouble with the rangefinder patch on the Fed 2 of late so decided to have a crack at just setting the lens on hyperfocal.

I was disappointed. It was nowhere as sharp as when I focussed on my subject, even when the subject was in the middle of the DoF. Now, is this to be expected and I just need to learn my lesson, or do you think my lens is out of whack?

Would poor exposure judgement on my part by a stop or so either way contribute?

I'll try and scan some negs when I get a change.

Thanks all!
Click to expand...

Hi Rochfort,

Have ye checked that the optical block is correct?

Ensure that the elements are properly aligned and set.

Check that the optical block has been screwed in properly.. Too far or not enough can cause the problems yer having.

It's almost always physical with FSU camera problems and usually the simple things get overlooked - e.g. elements reversed, in the wrong order, often after a previous owner's CLA. :cool:
 
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