Q. about: Focus to infinity (R3A and Nokton 40mm f1.4)

[RikNik]

Hi, today I shot my first roll with my new R3A and Nokton 40/1.4. Rangefinder is a new experience for me, and I found it to be really challenging, in a good way 🙂
However, I have a question regarding focusing. When I focus to infinity I need to get the focus wheel back about 1-2 mm in order to get the perfect alignment. I can live with that, but I just want to know if it's something I need to worry about.
Thank you!

 

[Lflex]

Expired - removed

 

[markrich]

To infinity and beyond! 🙂

 

[RikNik]

Thanks for your answers.

On closer examination it seems that the vertical alignment is also is a bit off, very little so I´m not sure it will affect anything. Also, when I move my eye around the viewfinder the vertical alignment changes.
However, the horizontally alignment definitely needs to get fixed :-( It´s sucks that I apparently need to open up my brand new R3A. Since Sweden don´t have an certified CV dealer/repair shop I need to send it back to Cameraquest in order to keep the warranty. Unfortunately that is not an option since I plan to use it on a 5 week long holiday soon. I think I can do it myself following this guide: http://www.arransalerno.com/blog/bessa-rangefinder-calibration/
or alternatively ask a local Leica dealer to fix it. Hmm, i need to think about that.

I seems to be a quite common problem, even on new rangefinders. I don´t get it, it´s like buying a new car where the steering is a bit off. Ok, you probably won´t get killed with bad RF alignment, but still ;-)

It will be really interesting to see if I manage to nail the focus on one single shot on the 2 rolls I will develop tomorrow. I was super picky with the alignment when shooting.

 

[joeswe]

Thanks for your answers.

On closer examination it seems that the vertical alignment is also is a bit off, very little so I´m not sure it will affect anything. Also, when I move my eye around the viewfinder the vertical alignment changes.
However, the horizontally alignment definitely needs to get fixed :-( It´s sucks that I apparently need to open up my brand new R3A. Since Sweden don´t have an certified CV dealer/repair shop I need to send it back to Cameraquest in order to keep the warranty. Unfortunately that is not an option since I plan to use it on a 5 week long holiday soon. I think I can do it myself following this guide: http://www.arransalerno.com/blog/bessa-rangefinder-calibration/
or alternatively ask a local Leica dealer to fix it. Hmm, i need to think about that.

I seems to be a quite common problem, even on new rangefinders. I don´t get it, it´s like buying a new car where the steering is a bit off. Ok, you probably won´t get killed with bad RF alignment, but still ;-)

It will be really interesting to see if I manage to nail the focus on one single shot on the 2 rolls I will develop tomorrow. I was super picky with the alignment when shooting.

First, don't waste your time at a Leica dealer. Leica will not handle Voigtländer repairs. If you feel confident, do it yourself with the linked instructions (worked for me) or if you feel better leaving this kind of work to a pro, find a local independent camera guru and show him/her the instructions, just in case they have never worked on a Bessa. The rangefinder is easy to calibrate once you know which screws you have to turn.

 

[DRDDR]

Hi RikNik,

I'd wait for the first film to come back before pulling your new camera apart.

When I got my first range-finder camera (a Zeiss Ikon), I was paranoid about the alignment having read so many horror stories on the net. I'd check and double check the alignment by focussing on the moon or any bright stars and end up convincing myself that there was a misalignment, despite the fact that moving my eye around the viewfinder could easily change the amount and direction of the apparent error. I was even more horrified when I discovered that my shiny Zeiss Sonnar lens rotated (maybe) 1mm past the centre of the infinity marker and that this was beyond the 'optimum' infinity focus.

But after wasting time and frames of film searching for a problem, I've never had an out of focus shot that wasn't directly attributable to me being a ham-fisted idiot.

Since then, I've learned to relax a little, there may be a subtle alignment problem, but it's clearly so small that I can't see it in prints - and ultimately that's what matters.

Cheers,

Daniel

 

[joeswe]

I agree with Daniel, a little bit of horizontal offset at infinity may not be noticeable in the results. Most people probably stop down when shooting objects at infinity ... So do some close range wide open test shots to see if the adjustment is good in practice. This is much more important. On the other hand, a vertical offset can make it really annoying and difficult to use the rangefinder, so personally I think I probably would like to sort that out...

 

[john_s]

The link above is good. One thing to add: to remove the cover plate, Cosina recommend that instead of prying it with a thin tool, some adhesive tape can be used to lift it up and back. I used ordinary sticky tape as used for paper etc.

 

[Landshark]

Make sure you really focus on infinity - it is further away than you may think. The moon is a good target.

Actually photographic is closer than you may think. 500 X focal length is good. Or the water tower/power lines a couple of blocks away

 

[segedi]

Even my Leicas exhibit the same behavior in regards to focussing past infinity, but I'd have to agree that infinity is pretty far away in that regard. More than 18 meters for sure. And with the Bessas, yes the horizontal alignment does change based on how far off-center your eye is in the VF. I thought mine was out vertically as well, but it turns out I was off!

 

[RikNik]

Many thanks for your answers.

I will pick up the 2x36 film tomorrow and hopefully the shots will turn out ok, if not, I will do the adjustment myself. Excellent tip with the adhesive tape by the way 🙂

/Rikard

 

[RikNik]

Ok. I just received a cd with the my first two rolls and the photos looks great considering I never used a rangefinder before.

 

[RikNik]

Here are some small samples from these rolls. I shot with Portra 400 and a Hoya Skylight 1b filter.

[/url] CV Bessa R3A, Nokton 40/1.4, Portra 400, Hoya skylight 1b by RikNik2011, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url] CV Bessa R3A, Nokton 40/1.4, Portra 400, Hoya skylight 1b by RikNik2011, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url] CV Bessa R3A, Nokton 40/1.4, Portra 400, Hoya skylight 1b by RikNik2011, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url] CV Bessa R3A, Nokton 40/1.4, Portra 400, Hoya skylight 1b by RikNik2011, on Flickr[/IMG]

Thanks again for your help. 🙂

 

[RikNik]

I decided to give it a try to adjust the alignment following the guide I linked to in my second post. The hot shoe cover plate was super easy to remove thanks to the advice of using tejp.
The horizontal alignment was also easy to adjust. However, the vertical alignment just won't adjust, I can turn the screw counter clock wise but nothing changes, clock wise it won't turn at all, it feels like the screw reached the bottom.
Anyone got a piece of advice?

Thanks.

/Rikard