Make a correction table for your rangefinder.

[mburns]

This is advice that I read, but that I have not found here.

The rangefinder cameras available to me indeed do require this attention. They are all accurate at infinity and at 1.5m. But the correction for for my Yashica GSN is -2ft at 15ft and 30ft. The correction for my FED 2 is -.3m at 6m and 9m. And the correction for my Moskva-5 is +.5m at 6m and 12m.

 

[Sparrow]

... its usually irrelevant at those distances due to DOF and operator error

 

[j j]

I agree with Sparrow. If it were me the moment would have passed by the time I had consulted a table and adjusted my camera.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Stick with the ground glass on a 4x5. It's quicker.

Also, how on earth do such tiny errors show up at 12m (40 feet)? How do you measure the discrepancies in the first place?

Cheers,

R.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

sold my M8.2 and bought a nice X-E1: no problems anymore with front or back focussing lenses at any distance

 

[sevo]

But the correction for for my Yashica GSN is -2ft at 15ft and 30ft. The correction for my FED 2 is -.3m at 6m and 9m. And the correction for my Moskva-5 is +.5m at 6m and 12m.

That is well below the limits of DOF and operator error. Besides, if you investigate further, you will probably find out that only part of that will be consistent offset - the other part is play, i.e. variable in intensity and direction, so no table can correct that...

 

[mburns]

The corrections were actually easy to measure by comparing marks on a tape measure to the readings from the distance scale on the camera. Except for the Yashica at 30ft, there was no difficulty in the precision of readings with the rangefinder.

The corrections at their maximum are easily larger than the repeatable precision of using the rangefinder. They are smaller than the official DOF by some factor, up to 1/2 for the Moskva-5, and up to 1/4 for the FED 2. But I can readily see how a landscape and product photographer would want to make these corrections.

 

[Doug]

The correction table might go 3D as another dimension is added to deal with changes of focus distance as the aperture is changed. "Focus shift" in other words.

 

[Archlich]

The corrections were actually easy to measure by comparing marks on a tape measure to the readings from the distance scale on the camera. Except for the Yashica at 30ft, there was no difficulty in the precision of readings with the rangefinder.

The corrections at their maximum are easily larger than the repeatable precision of using the rangefinder. They are smaller than the official DOF by some factor, up to 1/2 for the Moskva-5, and up to 1/4 for the FED 2. But I can readily see how a landscape and product photographer would want to make these corrections.

A landscape and product photographer would use SLRs.

 

[squareshooter]

DOFS and Operator Errors are one thing.
There's little telling on how these thing might work in the real world.

 

[Scrambler]

Who said the distance scale was that precise? I think more testing is required.

Not to create what you are suggesting but to determine RF compatibility I did a short-distance test with 4 lenses and a Leica-standard camera. At 1.44m, one was correct and 3 said longer (1.55-1.6m). But two focussed correctly. At 1m, 2 of three were correct on distance scale but only 1 of 3 was correctly in focus (the 4th lens had a longer minimum focus distance).

I would only rely on photographs or enlarged inspection of ground glass at the focal plane. I would NOT rely on the distance scale of a FSU camera or lens.

 

[FrankS]

Or perhaps the focus error is idiosyncratic on a camera to camera basis?

 

[mburns]

I think it is easy enough to see that this phenomenon is intrinsic to rangefinder design.

 

[Stdon]

A rangefinder isn't rocket science nor a very hi-tech piece of equipment. One could make tables I suppose but IMO they'd be chasing their tails. They were mostly made to be shot stopped down where it isn't that critical like it would be for my 1.4's and 1.2's wide open. I just look at RF's as
yesteryears P&S's. They are what they are.

 

[Kent]

sold my M8.2 and bought a nice X-E1: no problems anymore with front or back focussing lenses at any distance

LOL. That's right.

I also bought an X-E1 (What a cam!!) but I've kept my M8 (it still is very special to shoot with an M). I sold the NEX-7 instead. 😀