Whateverist
Well-known
I'm using a IIIa with a Jupiter 8. Focus looks okay on prints, even at f2, but when I focus on a distant object the lens reaches infinity (and stops turning) before the RF patch lines up.
Is this expected? Or does something need adjustment?
Is this expected? Or does something need adjustment?
photomoof
Fischli & Weiss Sculpture
Only you can answer that question. When you shoot photos at infinity are clouds and distant subjects sharp?
Many lenses under or over shoot infinity in the rangefinder. Racking a lens to infinity is not something one should really do very often. Better to focus on "distant" objects when possible.
Many lenses under or over shoot infinity in the rangefinder. Racking a lens to infinity is not something one should really do very often. Better to focus on "distant" objects when possible.
Whateverist
Well-known
You're correct, it looks like it's the lens. I tried a different one and that focused on a distant object neatly at the infinity mark.
Whateverist
Well-known
For future reference in case someone else searches this problem: the 'LTM' J8 is apparently built to a Zeiss spec which is slightly off from the Leica spec. It'll mount but focus is approximate.
Particular
a.k.a. CNNY, disassembler
This is why J8s are often shimmed to work with Leica bodies. It is not that hard to do yourself. There are lots of old threads that describe what to do, and tutorials floating around the Internet. With the J8 there are two things going on. There is the particular focus distance that is adjusted to be most accurate, and there is the effect of focus shift. An ideal lens would be 'correct' at infinity, and would then be accurate over the whole focus range. Typically the J8 is shimmed to be most accurate wide open at a short distance, say 1m. Wide open, infinity will be off. When you stop down focus shifts back, and at say 5.6-8 infinity will be accurate. At these apertures depth of field covers the short range accuracy. You end up with a great lens that focussed well in all situations except wide aperture long distance. It's a worthwhile trade off in most situations.