Voigtlander Superb - Oldie and goodie

Luddite Frank said:
I think I'm out of ideas... unless someone tried to transplant a Heliar on to a Skopar body???


The video was interesting - this is the first Superb I have seen with a bright-nickel trim-ring around the lens - all the ones I see are painted black with nickel lettering.
Click to expand...
That was my thought also, it's so stupid that it would damage my faith in humanity. If only Claus Prochnow still was alive, he would most likely have an idea.

Same here, not even the Voigtländer Report lists a chrome one.
 
I think that you have a standard (for this kind of lens) focus calibration issue. The front element focusing design need not be off by much distance to put the focus so far out of adjustment.

I found it to be fairly easy to do focus calibration on the Lubitel and Ricoh Superflex models that I experimented with. No deep tear-down is needed, simply the correct meshing of the gears and the distance scale. Any removal of the lenses or the front elements by unscrewing them from the front or even the rear will destroy the calibration.
 
I had the Ricoh Superflex with a green grease freezing the focus, so that the entire lens rotated on its mounting thread instead of the front element rotating on its focusing thread.

So, if the whole lens moves to focus on your camera, then the number of cogs to shift is much greater, but the principle of calibration is the same.
 
mburns said:
I had the Ricoh Superflex with a green grease freezing the focus, so that the entire lens rotated on its mounting thread instead of the front element rotating on its focusing thread.

So, if the whole lens moves to focus on your camera, then the number of cogs to shift is much greater, but the principle of calibration is the same.
Click to expand...
I've experimented with changing the distance of and between the front two groups and while it changes the focus just a bit it's not even close the have enough effect to calibrate the misfocusing. It never even comes close to the normal minimum focus distance.

The only thing left is the rear group that I can't find an easy way to adjust, direction of an element or a bad change of elements in the camera.
 
There is no need for internal adjustments to the lens, but only the meshing of the gears. The distance scale is accurate relative to the viewing lens you say, else that would need adjustment via the set screws. So only the meshing of the gears between the viewing and taking lenses remains.
 
mburns said:
There is no need for internal adjustments to the lens, but only the meshing of the gears. The distance scale is accurate relative to the viewing lens you say, else that would need adjustment via the set screws. So only the meshing of the gears between the viewing and taking lenses remains.
Click to expand...
It is highly improbable though as the taking lens helicoid pretty much moves all the way in and all the way out without even reaching close to even the 0.8m focus distance when at infinity. There simply isn't enough range left for the focusing to get in the correct range.

WP_20150226_01_43_06_Pro.jpg WP_20150226_01_43_23_Pro.jpg

It looks pretty much exactly as this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMyyXymPoeM

This is what beats me.
 
So the helicoid has the taking lens about 8mm too far from the film plane. This seems too small of a problem for missing or extra elements in the lens. And it also seems too big of a problem to result from reversed elements. But the principle of front element focusing could work in your favor; smaller adjustments that reduce the separation of the front element from the second would work.

Your pictures show the gears between the lenses to be almost disengaged. It is easy to think that there has been relative slippage between them.
 
mburns said:
So the helicoid has the taking lens about 8mm too far from the film plane. This seems too small of a problem for missing or extra elements in the lens. And it also seems too big of a problem to result from reversed elements. But the principle of front element focusing could work in your favor; smaller adjustments that reduce the separation of the front element from the second would work.

Your pictures show the gears between the lenses to be almost disengaged. It is easy to think that there has been relative slippage between them.
Click to expand...
You mean between the taking and the viewing lens? That linkage is fine, you cannot even see it without removing a tiny lid but I've checked it.
 
But various kinds of disassembly of the camera will cause miscalibration of the focus when the camera is reassembled. The gear to gear meshing is responsible for this.
 
mburns said:
But various kinds of disassembly of the camera will cause miscalibration of the focus when the camera is reassembled. The gear to gear meshing is responsible for this.
Click to expand...

I was thinking along these lines: not unlike an automobile engine "going out of time", when the timing belt / chain / gears get out of sync.

I just pulled-out my junker Superb, and removed the little cover plate between to the two gears: there are no additional idler gears, just the two big gears around each lens mount.

I do not know how the gears are secured to the camera-body, but if someone were messing around, and got enough free-play in one of the focusing gears, that it could lift about 2 mm, it could go out of mesh, and then get misaligned by any number of teeth.

I do not know if there is an internal stop in each lens mount, or just one or the other...

But it seems to me that it is quite possible for the two gears to get taken out of factory alignment, and that causing focus discrepancy.


Here's another possible check for proper alignment: on all three of my Superbs, if you set the shutter-speed ring to "T", then run the focus to Infinity, the focusing tab should just about line-up with the 1/2 second mark on the shutter speed dial.
 
It could be any number of problems. Without being familiar with the Superb which is a peculiar camera, I could guess the issue could be do mismatched helicals, out of sync gearing, missing or improper shim behind the shutter, or under the focus screen.

I take it the taking lens is focusing on a point closer than the viewing lens?
 
Luddite Frank said:
Here's another possible check for proper alignment: on all three of my Superbs, if you set the shutter-speed ring to "T", then run the focus to Infinity, the focusing tab should just about line-up with the 1/2 second mark on the shutter speed dial.
Click to expand...

I tried this on my one this morning and it lines just as you describe it when focused on infinity.
 
As an update it now is at the repair shop but he is as confounded as I'm now, the lens simple can't focus. It is as if got wrong elements or something.
 
Frank Marshman has tried to do everything with the lens but something is mismatched with the elements.

"Hi Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. I've also been on ebay looking. I pulled the shutter assembly and checked the lens and can find no SrN on the rear element. Again, none of this makes any sense unless the cells are mismatched. My answer is that if you want this camera to work you need to find a set of lenses that are matched so if there is one that is not too crazy in price go for it. The camera is ready, cleaned, shutter adjusted and focusing well. Just need glass."

Now I need to source replacement glass at a reasonable cost incl shipping. That won't be that easy.
 
VisualDarkness said:
Frank Marshman has tried to do everything with the lens but something is mismatched with the elements.

"Hi Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. I've also been on ebay looking. I pulled the shutter assembly and checked the lens and can find no SrN on the rear element. Again, none of this makes any sense unless the cells are mismatched. My answer is that if you want this camera to work you need to find a set of lenses that are matched so if there is one that is not too crazy in price go for it. The camera is ready, cleaned, shutter adjusted and focusing well. Just need glass."

Now I need to source replacement glass at a reasonable cost incl shipping. That won't be that easy.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about that. Instead of finding a replacement lens from another Superb, would it be possible to get a set off an old Brillant TLR or Bessa folder instead? If that works it would certainly be cheaper I think.

regards,
nathan
 
nhchen said:
Sorry to hear about that. Instead of finding a replacement lens from another Superb, would it be possible to get a set off an old Brillant TLR or Bessa folder instead? If that works it would certainly be cheaper I think.

regards,
nathan
Click to expand...
I've been thinking about it and I doubt it, that may be how the current lens "was sourced". I might just end up paying for even more useless stuff. :bang:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom