Testing focus of 90mm Elmarit M

[Deliberate1]

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Friends, I recently purchsed a 90mm Elmarit M in very nice shape. In doing my due diligence I came across serveral references to potential focus miscalibrations with this lens. I have done some seat of the pants testing but can not tell if the area out of focus is due to a real issue or just a very narrow DOF. Can someone suggest a procedure for determining the focus accuracy. And if it is off, what is the fix?

Obliged,

David

[Printmaker]

My 90 Elmarit M focused about an inch further than the rangefinder patch showed on my M8. I tested it by putting a 36 inch carpenters ruled down on a table and focusing the lens on a middle mark (18 inches). When I checked the file the 19 inch mark was in focus. I was going to have the lens recalibrated but ended up getting a M9 instead. The 90 hits focus perfectly on the M9 so it was the M8 rangefinder that was off. I didn't see much difference with my 35 and 21 mm lenses due to the DOF.

 

If your lens fails this test, you should send both the lens and the camera off to have the focus perfectly dialed in by Leica or a competent repair facility.

[Deliberate1]

My 90 Elmarit M focused about an inch further than the rangefinder patch showed on my M8. I tested it by putting a 36 inch carpenters ruled down on a table and focusing the lens on a middle mark (18 inches). When I checked the file the 19 inch mark was in focus. I was going to have the lens recalibrated but ended up getting a M9 instead. The 90 hits focus perfectly on the M9 so it was the M8 rangefinder that was off. I didn't see much difference with my 35 and 21 mm lenses due to the DOF.

 

If your lens fails this test, you should send both the lens and the camera off to have the focus perfectly dialed in by Leica or a competent repair facility.

 

Perfect. I will definitely do this test.

If it is off and I send the gear to Leica for calibration, will than affect the calibration of my 50mm Summicron or any other lens, or is the adjustment only in the lens and not in the body?

Obliged,

David

[jaapv]

Over time I have owned three of these lenses, two in the film age and one now. All of them focussed perfectly. But by all means have it checked by Leica. This lens is prone to unnoticed internal damage when dropped. Lenses and bodies are always adjusted separately to a fixed standard by Leica. The reason they sometimes ask for both to be sent in is not for adjusting, but for checking reasons.

[hoppyman]

David I would add that you should be careful in how you interpret any testing that you do and be aware of the limitations and variability of these home test setups.

Also of fundamental importance is how well your shooting eye works as part of the 'system'

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello David,

 

You might try the ruler test @ 1, 3, 5, 7 & 10 meters & also @ Infinity where you can skip the ruler & pick a sharp target like the Moon on a clear nite. Do each @ 2.8, 5.6 & 11.

 

Sometimes there is focal shift @ different distances/apertures.

 

This should all be done on a solid tripod. Handholding introduces too many variables to be diagnostic. Comparing the resulting pictures will be very instructive. You will better understand the capabilities of your lens whether or not the rangefinder is correctly adjusted &/or if there is/is not focal shift @ certain apertures or distances.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[Paulus]

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I have owned three 90mm elmarit-M lenses. The first two had no problems at all, but the last one, had serious backfocus problems in combination with the M8. ( That's what Leica/ Transcontinenta said. )

 

I had my 3 lenses( 28,50,90 ) and M8 shipped to Leica Solms. They put on 6-bit codes on each of them. In the end, the problems with the 90mm remained. It was a new lens , so Transcontinenta let me switch it for a 21/4,5 biogon Zeiss. ( wihich has other problems on a M9 )

[ho_co]

Quick and easy chart for close to medium distances: Nikon D70 Focus Chart

 

Remember when using charts like this to turn the camera vertical, as you would in real life for a horizontal target.

[Guest #12]

Hello David,

 

You might try the ruler test @ 1, 3, 5, 7 & 10 meters & also @ Infinity where you can skip the ruler & pick a sharp target like the Moon on a clear nite. Do each @ 2.8, 5.6 & 11.

...

 

...really, a ruler at 10m?

[delander †]

If you bought it used and it is not 6-bit coded send it off to Leica and they will code and adjust it at the same time. I did this with mine which was mint when I bought it, coding increases the value in any case.

 

Jeff

[jaapv]

Well, one can find the current distance to the moon on the astronomy sites as well

[Guest #12]

Well, one can find the current distance to the moon on the astronomy sites as well

 

I meant the average ruler will not work as a target at 10m.

[k-hawinkler]

If you bought it used and it is not 6-bit coded send it off to Leica and they will code and adjust it at the same time. I did this with mine which was mint when I bought it, coding increases the value in any case.

 

Jeff

 

 

My understanding is that Leica is comparatively more expensive than, for example, Don Goldberg DAG here in the US. It takes awhile though before you get your lenses back.

 

K-H.

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello #12,

 

On a solid tripod my Tele-Elmar consistently measures & then reads in the center of my rule @ F4 as well as @ smaller apertures when I do this test @ 10 meters w/ an M3. That's part of what an M3 range/viewfinder is designed to do. Same w/ my 35mm Summicron w/ Goggles @ F2 & stopped down.

 

The Moon should be a piece of cake w/ whichever lens set @ whatever aperture. As long as it is a clear nite.

 

You need a solid tripod & cable release.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[StephenPatterson]

I just got my 90 Elmarit-M back from Leica NJ after being 6-bit coded. The cost was $230 + $12.50 for shipping UPS 2nd Day Air.

 

I sent my M9-P along to have the rangefinder checked with this lens, and it received a "slight adjustment". I'm extremely impressed with the quality of the work, speed, and professionalism of Leica NJ, in this my first experience with them.

 

Without having conducted extensive tests my feeling is that the 90 Elmarit-M renders noticeable "softer" wide open at, say 4-5 meters, than when stopped down to f/4 or f/5.6. Of course this is just my humble "highly subjective" opinion, not shooting at a target, but rather a statue, with camera mounted on tripod, 1.4x magnifier with correct diopter correction lens and shutter fired with time delay. At infinity I don't notice as much difference. Again, I don't want to give the impression that I'm a qualified tester of lenses, and I really don't want to get into the whole debate about sharpness, micro contrast, etc. but I do feel that this is a lens that does it's best work when stopped down a notch or two.

 

Stephen

[christer]

Hello David,

 

You might try the ruler test @ 1, 3, 5, 7 & 10 meters & also @ Infinity where you can skip the ruler & pick a sharp target like the Moon on a clear nite. Do each @ 2.8, 5.6 & 11.

 

Sometimes there is focal shift @ different distances/apertures.

 

This should all be done on a solid tripod. Handholding introduces too many variables to be diagnostic. Comparing the resulting pictures will be very instructive. You will better understand the capabilities of your lens whether or not the rangefinder is correctly adjusted &/or if there is/is not focal shift @ certain apertures or distances.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

 

How do you pinpoint focus on the ruler at 10, 7, 5 and even 3 meters?

 

What relevant focus test results will you get using f/11 other than that there is a lot of DOF at this aperture?

[christer]

Here is a picture of a home made device I use for checking focus on my M7s. The picture was made with a Sony NEX 5n using the 15-55 mm kit lens at approx 50 mm. The sole purpose of this picture is to show what the device looks like; it does not show if the NEX focuses correctly or not.

 

The area with the lines and numbers is at 45° from the bottom and back sides so I can either hang the device on a wall or put it on a table. The distance between the horizontal lines is 1,4 times the unit used (cm or inches) so that you can easily see how much off focus there is. I have put two nails at the zero distance to facilitate focusing with the range finder. You can also see a small sticker with the aperture used. Unless you have a terrific memory, you should put more information on the sticker: lens and distance. You may also want to make a note of the difference between the focus you have established to be correct and the one indicated on the lens. In this regard, it is helpful to shoot at distances indicated on the lens. The distance should be the one between film plane and the zero line.

 

You should put the camera on a tripod and adjust the height of the camera so that focusing is convenient for you. The zero line on the device should be at the the height of somewhere between the centre of the lens and the viewfinder. Use a water level to make sure the device is correctly adjusted.

 

If you use a film camera, then use Kodak TMax 100 film or films that have higher resolution or finer grain.

 

HAVE A VERY MERRY XMAS!

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[Guest #12]

Hello #12,

 

On a solid tripod my Tele-Elmar consistently measures & then reads in the center of my rule @ F4 as well as @ smaller apertures when I do this test @ 10 meters w/ an M3. That's part of what an M3 range/viewfinder is designed to do. Same w/ my 35mm Summicron w/ Goggles @ F2 & stopped down.

 

The Moon should be a piece of cake w/ whichever lens set @ whatever aperture. As long as it is a clear nite.

 

You need a solid tripod & cable release.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

 

You may be right, I just have never seen anyone post pictures from a 10m test where they measured the mis-focus with a ruler (like you get from the hardware store). I just tried with the only thing I don't have packed away (28 Summicron, maybe not so different from your 35). The problem is not focusing the target, but reading the test result at magnification. Would you have a crop from a test of the 35mm at 10m?

[algrove]

I just got my 90 Elmarit-M back from Leica NJ after being 6-bit coded. The cost was $230 + $12.50 for shipping UPS 2nd Day Air.

 

I sent my M9-P along to have the rangefinder checked with this lens, and it received a "slight adjustment". I'm extremely impressed with the quality of the work, speed, and professionalism of Leica NJ, in this my first experience with them.

 

 

Stephen

 

Just a quick question. Do you have a name at Leica NJ who responds to your requests well? I have been thinking of, if possible, 6 bit coding many of my older M lenses. Maybe also my M9 is due for a check-up since it recently tumbled forward off a back seat during an emergency stop. Yes, of course I (almost) always put it on the floor, but that time I got caught out.

 

Do you strip the camera down, i.e., take off all accessories prior to sending it to them?

 

PM me if you think that's best. Thanks.

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[StephenPatterson]

Just a quick question. Do you have a name at Leica NJ who responds to your requests well? I have been thinking of, if possible, 6 bit coding many of my older M lenses. Maybe also my M9 is due for a check-up since it recently tumbled forward off a back seat during an emergency stop. Yes, of course I (almost) always put it on the floor, but that time I got caught out.

 

Do you strip the camera down, i.e., take off all accessories prior to sending it to them?

 

PM me if you think that's best. Thanks.

 

I dialed the phone number in NJ and I think pressed "4" for repairs. I believe I talked with Sarah, but Carmen also handles customer service. I explained what I wanted done and she quoted me a price and confirmed their shipping address. I sent the camera in with only the body cap, and the lens with just the front and rear cap, and both were heavily wrapped in bubble wrap and then well packed.

 

About a week later I received a written estimate, which was exactly the same as I had been quoted over the phone. At that point I called back, confirmed the work and price, and gave a credit card. In hind sight I might have saved some time to have approved and given payment information during my initial call, but I imagine that Leica has their way of doing things. In any case the work was fast and professional. Highly recommended. It's great to have the 90 Elmarit-M with 6-bit code and factory calibration document. Can only help if someone has to pry it away from me in China!!!