Question about a 135mm Hektor on an M8

[deirdre]

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Just got a Hektor, which a lovely old lens in nice condition, but it's got a quirk.

 

When I try to do rangefinder focusing on an item 3 meters away, the images don't overlap until the lens is set to 4 meters. The picture's out of focus if I take it then, but if I set the lens to 3 meters, it's perfectly in focus wide open.

 

In other words, the rangefinder is apparently "off" by exactly the amount of the crop factor. I haven't tested the extreme ends of the ranges (it is night, after all), but I expect I'll find the same as I've tested three different distances.

 

Haven't had this happen on my other old lenses. This lens seems to be rangefinder coupled except for that one quirk.

 

Am I missing something? Or should I just become accustomed to adjusting for this lens/camera combo?

[doubice]

How does the lens behave when you try focusing on a subject that is at 'infinity'? Just a word of caution here - infinity is not a house across the street; best is to try an object at least 1 - 2km away, even better would be the moon.

 

I don't recall how the focusing cam works on the Hektor, mine is at home and I am still in the office. With the lens off the camera, try moving the rangefinder cam in and out, with the lens set to the closest distance (6' or 1.5m). If the RF cam works the way I assume it does (I will find out when home), it should move in and out freely, without any binding. Sometimes dried up grease prevents the cam from moving easily.

 

But - the most important item to check is infinity focus; that is where I would start with diagnosis.

 

Good luck,

 

Jan

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[doubice]

Another thought - I assume that you have an M mount lens and not a Thread Mount with an adapter? That 'may' bring another variable if the adapter is damaged and the lens is not seating correctly.

 

Best,

 

Jan

[deirdre]

Oh, good point about the adapter. It is actually a thread mount lens.

 

It's cloudy tonight and was already dark, so I'm waiting until daylight to see what infinity brings. I think I'll carry the lens along with me for a couple of days and do some shooting. The distance scale on the lens seems accurate.

[jaapv]

It is actually quite a good lens, well worth having DAG or Sherry Krauter set it up properly. I would use a 90 adapter for it to bring up the 90 mm framelines, which are quite usable once you get used to them.

[deirdre]

I think I'm going to get to know DAG and Sherry quite well over the next couple of years, and I've only had a Leica for about six weeks (which, frankly, still strikes me as incredulous given how much it seems a part of me now).

 

Sadly, I forgot to put the 135's case in the daily camera bag, so I didn't get to test it today, either. If I can find my warm hat, I might take the lens and tripod out to some hilltop and do a few night shots, though.

 

Oh, and my adapter's a 135mm frameline one, which, naturally, the M8 doesn't have. I wasn't sure what framelines I was actually getting (not one of the things I was paying attention to given that I realized focus was off first thing), but I do have a little finder for it (which, of course, isn't accurate for the M8 anyway).

[deirdre]

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How does the lens behave when you try focusing on a subject that is at 'infinity'? Just a word of caution here - infinity is not a house across the street; best is to try an object at least 1 - 2km away, even better would be the moon.

 

So I went out tonight (only a couple of degrees above freezing, which is very cold for the San Francisco area) and took a photo from a hill. One thing I didn't realize until taking this photo: you can see across the bay from there. I'd always been up at exactly the wrong time.

 

Nearer trees are about 1/2 km; farthest are 2-3km. Beyond that is the bay (you can see the reflections of the building lights in the water) and the main cluster of lights is probably 30km. The blown-out highlights are Oakland airport.

 

This was taken with a fairly brisk wind using a lightweight tripod that could have been stabilized better. So with all that, the lens seems fine at infinity. The picture below's at about 6/10 actual size but links to a 100% crop.

 

[doubice]

Deirdre,

 

That seems as sharp as one can get. I assume that the rangefinder image coincided at infinity and the lens distance scale was also at infinity. If both assumptions are correct, please check the rangefinder cam on the lens itself.

 

As I mentioned in my first post - with the lens off the camera, extend it to its closest focusing distance. Grab the rangefinder cam that is protruding from the rear of the lens and pull on it - you should feel very little or no resistance. When you let go of the cam, it should spring back to its starting position. This last step is important - if there is any hesitation in the cam's backward movement, that is what would cause inaccuracy at close distances.

 

The cam's guide rails would need cleaning - this is acually quite simple. The whole guide rail can be removed, cleaned and oiled but, this may be beyond a mere mortal's capabilities. Simpler will be to put some lighter fluid and/or light oil onto the two screws that can be seen in the middle of the guide rail, inside the lens mount. You can also try moving the cam in and out repeatedly, this may also free-up the mechanism.

 

Good luck,

 

Jan