Problem focusing Zeiss 28 on R-D1

[squirrel$$$bandit]

This is my absolute favorite lens/camera combination, and I'm having a bit of trouble focusing close up. Infinity focus seems to be good, but at the minimum distance, there's a problem. When the focus patch stops moving, there's still a couple of millimeters of throw left. Do I need an RF alignment? And is this hard to do myself?

 

[Ed Schwartzreic]

I don't have the Zeiss 28, but do own the 25. Both the R-D1 and the M8 focus down to just under 2 meters, but the Zeiss lens focuses closer still. Neither camera's rangefinder can track in this range. There is likely no problem with your camera.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

I don't have the Zeiss 28, but do own the 25. Both the R-D1 and the M8 focus down to just under 2 meters, but the Zeiss lens focuses closer still. Neither camera's rangefinder can track in this range. There is likely no problem with your camera.

Ah, good! I should be able to judge that last few inches without the RF, then. Thanks!

 

[ZeissFan]

I believe the close focusing distance of Cosina Voigtlander Bessa bodies (which includes the RD-1) is 0.9 meters. Most of the Carl Zeiss ZM lenses, I believe, focus to 0.7 meters.

The closer you focus and shoot at open aperture, the narrower the depth of field. And if you focus the lens past the limit of the rangefinder, then you can't be assured of accurate focus.

So when focusing, watch where the secondary image in the viewfinder stops moving. It should be 0.9 meters. And don't focus past that point. That's easy to say but not always easy to remember when you're out shooting.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Perfectly normal.

The Zeiss Biogon ZM 28mm f2.8 focuses down to 0.5m, but the rangefinder on the R-D1s is only coupled down to about 0.65m to 0.7m. You just have to wing it for those last 15cm to 20cm. Same thing happens on my Zeiss Ikon body as well.

 

[ZeissFan]

Oh, that's even better than I thought. I was thinking that the Bessa bodies only went down to 0.9 meters.

 

[ZeissFan]

I probably wouldn't want to guess on that last 15 centimeters, because that's really outside the range of the depth of focus, unless the photographer shooting at a small aperture.

You could probably do it, but I think it's too difficult to tell the difference between 10 cm and 20 cm from the viewfinder of the camera or even looking at the camera.

That might explain why the original poster is getting inconsistent results in closeups.

 

[jonmanjiro]

I probably wouldn't want to guess on that last 15 centimeters, because that's really outside the range of the depth of focus, unless the photographer shooting at a small aperture.

Usually works ok as long as the lens is stopped down as much as possible. I tried it several times with a ZM 25mm f2.8 (it focuses down to 0.5m as well) and got good results, but haven't really tried it with the ZM 28mm f2.8. It's only a poor workaround compared to shooting with an SLR, though.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Yeah, I can sometimes make it work when I'm scale-focusing an uncoupled lens. Maybe half of the time.

Maybe I should design a hotshoe-mounted tape measure.

 

[hon910]

I have the same lens bought from jonmanjiro. It is the same case. I guess this is the nature of the lens & the camera focusing range.
Other than that it is a great lens