The Secret Of Fast Focusing A Kontax

[ruben]

The essence of the secret is this: both the primary an secondary images of the yellow patch should be "rationally" near each one at every situation before you raise the camera to your eye.

To achieve it, your standby distance scale should be set all times at 3 meters. To ensure it all you have to do is to felt mark the 3m line of your distance scale so that this mark is clearly visible.

The 3m standby wiill provide you with primary and secondary images rationally near each other, for distances ranging from 1,5 meters up to infinity.

Then bringing both images to accurate superimposition will be extremely fast and easy, even at night and with the camera in vertical position. So fast that my feeling is it can surpass many of the AF cameras without you needing to take refugge in the DOF way.

Bassed on the same principle, our friend VinceC has offered a different way, which in my opinion is rather for more expert users, but worth to mention too.
His way is based too on meeting the camera with both images close each other He assesses the approx distance, set the distance scale accordingly, and fine focus.

Now back to my way, what if you use to make a lot of close ups, requiring you fast focusing, as for example photographing your kids?

Then you will need another mark at 1,5 meters on the distance scale. With it, you will have rational double images in a range from 3m up to 0,9m.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[ruben]

Thanks Ruben. My Kiev 4a arrived yesterday and can now fully appreciate the particularities of focusing a lens with such a long movement, the Jupiter 8 travels through well over 270°. I'm trying your 3 meter method and so far seems to be a worthy solution, at least with my J8 which rotates quite freely. I can rotate the focusing ring with only one finger, underneath, as if it were fitted with a tab. This is not the case with my J12 35mm which does not rotate so freely. An added nuisance is that my left thumb can touch, or even undo, the lens release button with this lens. Is this the case with you ? (I don't know if you use the J12 or not).

As a very gross generalization, the J-12 is supossed to move less freely than a standard lens. So here I will go by the acceptable or unacceptable line. If you find it unacceptably hard to focus, there is an extensive treatment explanation at the KSS.

As for you thumb easily releasing the locker of the J-12, I have no experience here. My instict tells me the internal spring of the locker needs a retightment, and this is a somewhat complex disassembly. So do it with care and be on the alert for the spring to jump into the galactic black hole.

But first of all perhaps dedicate more time to lock the J-12, observe and unlock. Perhaps you are misdoing here.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[le vrai rdu]

Thanks Ruben. My Kiev 4a arrived yesterday and can now fully appreciate the particularities of focusing a lens with such a long movement, the Jupiter 8 travels through well over 270°. I'm trying your 3 meter method and so far seems to be a worthy solution, at least with my J8 which rotates quite freely. I can rotate the focusing ring with only one finger, underneath, as if it were fitted with a tab. This is not the case with my J12 35mm which does not rotate so freely. An added nuisance is that my left thumb can touch, or even undo, the lens release button with this lens. Is this the case with you ? (I don't know if you use the J12 or not).

do you have an additionnal viewfinder for the 35 mm ?

I am thinking about a 35 mm and i think I could use it without an additionnal viewfinder 😀 ( I would like to know If you do so 🙂 )

Post some pictures as soon as you can. Use the Jup 8 at f2, the bokeh is really beautiful 😉

 

[alternatve]

Ruben, this is what I do for my camera, Kontax or otherwise.

I set my lens to a default aperture, usually f/8-11. I then estimate the distance from my target, adjust a little for human error with the hyperfocal method, aim and fire. This way, I don't have to focus much or at all and even though it's slightly out of focus with the RF, the image is still reasonably sharp due to D.O.F. It helps alot when I use cameras with dim rangefinders and dim viewfinders, the Kontax being one of them. With practice, it's really fast, being able to compete with AF motors because you prefocus first. It helps if you use a high shutter speed and take note not to swing up and down your camera too forcefully to avoid blur.

Samuel

 

[le vrai rdu]

ok

well I think i will buy the 35mm jup just coming back from holiday so 🙂


I tried it tonight, the kiev is the first caera I can us with gloves 🙂