Vitessa A2

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pauld111

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I now have a Vitessa A2, which I am having great fun with (waiting for a lens hood which I bought separately, think it will make a huge difference). I was hoping someone would explain to me how to use the manual parallax correction on the viewfinder. Is it only to be switched on either critical shots made at 3 feet or infinity, or does the switching making a difference on shots made on distances in between make a difference?
 
Another question I have is with regard to the lens hood which I just received in the post. It is a 125/20 push on lens hood. Which seems to be the correct one noted in the manual on the butkus site. But when I try put it on, it is too loose, there are gaps between the lens and the hood and there does not seem to be anything for the hood to grab onto. Maybe I am just doing this incorrectly. An help would be appreciated.
 
I have a later Vitessa A with automatic parallax correction, so I cannot help there. Also, my version takes 310/32 hood, but I assume all the hoods fit by the same friction method. Perhaps the tabs on the hood could be bent outwards slightly to make it fit tighter?
 
Maybe mine also takes the 310/32. I was only going by what it said in the manual available online and I think it was for later models......
 
That could be the case. I could only find online manuals for the metered Vitessa’s. My 310/32 is 34mm. It also came in a nice leather case with a yellow filter. Check eBay Germany for these. I got mine from there at a nice price.
 
Pictures look good. The 50/2 Ultron was definitely one of the best lenses of its era. Regarding the hood, the one I have fits inside the lens filter ring. I believe the one you have is meant to be fitted on the outside of the lens.
 
Unless you’re focusing at a distance of under three metres I would use the infinity view for all other images. If you’re in the habit of focusing at very close range and need to know exactly what you’re going to get, I suggest setting a tripod up above an easily accessible, fixed location, and taking a series of images with the lens fully stopped down at minimum focus, two metres and three metres, and infinity. On developing the images, set the camera on tripod at the precise location the images were made from and, using the parallax adjustment, compare the difference between the finder and what is actually on film. This will inform precisely what you should expect.
 
Hi Brett, this is sort of what I thought but you expressed it better than I ever could. So in other words for general stuff set to infinity and for precision, close up set to 3 feet. Thank you so much.

Peter - I have returned the lens hood for a full refund and will get the correct one (one like yours) shortly. Thanks for you help.
 
Sarcophilus Harrisii said:
On developing the images, set the camera on tripod at the precise location the images were made from and, using the parallax adjustment, compare the difference between the finder and what is actually on film. This will inform precisely what you should expect.
Click to expand...
How can you be sure to "set the camera on tripod at the precise location the images were made", after taking out the film, and developing it?? Any deviation will waste the whole exercise.

Why not set camera on tripod, with back open, in front of a wall, and have an assistant position markers (with putty) on the walls where they fall at the corners, as seen through the film gate. A ground glass is not absolutely necessary, one can look at the aerial image in the plane of the film gate.

And that is assuming you have a v/f with projected framelines (e.g. Albada); old v/f's of simple construction often have a fuzzy boundary.

I handle the "parallax" issue as follows: frame the pic as intended, then move up by an amount equal, on the main subject, the distance between taking lens and v/f. Easier done than explained.

No amount of correction will correct the fact that the v/f and the lens are looking at the scene from different vantage points; accordingly if the scene has depth, a given foreground point will project onto different points of the background. Only a reflex/view camera (or a paramender for Mamiya C series) will take care of that.
 
BernardL said:
I handle the "parallax" issue as follows: frame the pic as intended, then move up by an amount equal, on the main subject, the distance between taking lens and v/f. Easier done than explained.
Click to expand...

That'll work with the camera mounted to a tripod. Minolta offered for its Autocord TLR a parallax adjuster that did just that.

I guess you could try this approach with a tripod to try to get a feel of how much space is needed between the top of the viewfinder and your subject @ distances of 1 and 2 meters.
 
BernardL said:
How can you be sure to "set the camera on tripod at the precise location the images were made", after taking out the film, and developing it?? Any deviation will waste the whole exercise.

Why not set camera on tripod, with back open, in front of a wall, and have an assistant position markers (with putty) on the walls where they fall at the corners, as seen through the film gate. A ground glass is not absolutely necessary, one can look at the aerial image in the plane of the film gate.

And that is assuming you have a v/f with projected framelines (e.g. Albada); old v/f's of simple construction often have a fuzzy boundary.

I handle the "parallax" issue as follows: frame the pic as intended, then move up by an amount equal, on the main subject, the distance between taking lens and v/f. Easier done than explained.

No amount of correction will correct the fact that the v/f and the lens are looking at the scene from different vantage points; accordingly if the scene has depth, a given foreground point will project onto different points of the background. Only a reflex/view camera (or a paramender for Mamiya C series) will take care of that.
Click to expand...

A particular fixture near a window. Aligning the camera with a wall fence or other stable right angle. Noting precise corner references for re-alignment. Leave the tripod where it's set until the pics are available. It's really not that hard if you use your imagination or a little initiative.

The Vitessa in question does not have a bright line finder. It's rectangular with well defined edges of the viewing area.

Using a ground glass to compare the view through the lens could certainly be helpful. But it will be easier to see the precise coverage from images, if absolute precision in close distance adjustment is needed, because they can be enlarged. Personally I wouldn't worry with this, I rarely use my own Vitessa at close range. If I did I'd simply be generous with my framing on the left side and ensure anything critical will be included. But I'm not the OP. If there are particular reasons why absolute precision is needed in parallax adjustment my suggestion will work, if applied with a modicum of intelligence.
BernardL said:
How can you be sure to "set the camera on tripod at the precise location the images were made", after taking out the film, and developing it?? Any deviation will waste the whole exercise.

Why not set camera on tripod, with back open, in front of a wall, and have an assistant position markers (with putty) on the walls where they fall at the corners, as seen through the film gate. A ground glass is not absolutely necessary, one can look at the aerial image in the plane of the film gate.

And that is assuming you have a v/f with projected framelines (e.g. Albada); old v/f's of simple construction often have a fuzzy boundary.

I handle the "parallax" issue as follows: frame the pic as intended, then move up by an amount equal, on the main subject, the distance between taking lens and v/f. Easier done than explained.

No amount of correction will correct the fact that the v/f and the lens are looking at the scene from different vantage points; accordingly if the scene has depth, a given foreground point will project onto different points of the background. Only a reflex/view camera (or a paramender for Mamiya C series) will take care of that.
Click to expand...
Not all reflex cameras are immune from parallax/perspective issues at closer focusing distances. A twin lens reflex for instance will still be affected by this (unless the camera position is compensated, of course, but that's beside the point). I suspect you actually meant "Only a single lens reflex/view camera..." above.
 
Paul,

Sincerest apologies, but I've steered you down the wrong path on the hood. This thread inspired me to take my Vitessa out and use it, but the hood DOES NOT fit! I haven't used this camera in a while, so I'd forgotten that I'd been using the 310/32 on a different camera. If I can find out which one does fit, I'll post it.

Again, I'm very sorry for giving you bad info on this.
 
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