How to prevent focus shift? (entire roll ruined)

[xddsixers]

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Hi all,

 

I just get my scan back yesterday and the result is devastating, everything I focus is shifted to the back. The camera is a used m7 I got from B&H, also the lens. I am really disappointed as there are some of the pictures that are ruined forever May be I should have know when I see my split image not align when I am trying to focus infinity.

 

anyways... lesson learnt, an expensive one..

 

I have another 4 rolls scanning now I can only pray for those picture that I shot using f8 which the focus matter less or those I shot with my 15mm

 

Other than getting a digital M, or getting your gear regularly CLA/ check is there anything else I can do to prevent this in the future? I can't image if I have 10 rolls ruined by focus shift

 

is M7 more likely to focus shift compare to other camera bodies? I wouldn't mind to get a m6ttl instead if that is the case

 

Please share any insights you have on this issue, thanks a lot in advance

[jaapv]

That is not focus shift, that is simply a rangefinder and/or lens out of calibration. Not the end of the world. Send it to your local Leica camera repairman or to Leica for a simple adjustment. If you bring it to B&H they should take care of this without charge imo. Once

Once you have your gear properly adjusted, you will start enjoying it. And, barring accidents or very strong vibration it will stay adjusted virtually indefinitely.

[xddsixers]

Thanks for the input.

 

Couple of questions:

 

1. How often do I need to do adjustment? Do I need to do it every year? I rather pay a bit more and do it on a regular basis rather than wait for a roll to be ruined and do it after.

 

2. Do I need to do it for both lens and body?

 

3. I change lens quite often (up to 5 - 7 times per roll when I switch through portrait and wide angle through out the day) Does that make my gear out of adjustment easier?

 

4. How much is the charge and what's the best place to do it? (I am located in NYC)

 

Thanks a lot in advance!

[TomB_tx]

I've used Leica M models since the 1960s, and the rangefinders have been very reliable over 50 years. The only issues I've had have been immediately after getting a camera back from service, where the tech obviously left it out of adjustment. Once fixed, they've been fine. A regular adjustment schedule is not necessary.

The camera mechanism is more complex and delicate than lenses. Most lenses are rugged, but newer floating-element varieties have a but more to be affected by handing. I have seen a dropped lens shift optical elements to change focus, but I suspect it wasn't "right" to begin with. I've heard of more new lenses simply being mis-set originally than lenses changing in use.

Changing lenses carelessly might contact the camera follower on the edge of the lens cam and apply foces in the wrong direction. With experience and care this is avoided, but care to align the lens correctly is required.

The camera rangfinder adjustment is normally very fast and inexpensive for a good Leica Tech, unless there has been internal damage that requires removing the top cover. Some places will do it while you wait.

[Keith (M)]

Didn't I read somewhere on the forum advice about making sure the lens is set to minimum focus to avoid unnecessary stress on the camera's focus mechanism as the lens is mounted/turned?

[TomB_tx]

Didn't I read somewhere on the forum advice about making sure the lens is set to minimum focus to avoid unnecessary stress on the camera's focus mechanism as the lens is mounted/turned?

I think the theory is that mounting at min focus moves the cam out, so that the mount will align it better before it contacts the follower. I've never done this, but am careful to have the lens "square" with the body and centered so the cam hits the follower aligned and in its normal position.

[xddsixers]

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is it true that if my split images don't align at infinity, my camera is out of adjustment?

 

(its not aligning now and my camera is out of adjustment)

[UliWer]

is it true that if my split images don't align at infinity, my camera is out of adjustment?

 

 

Not necessarily so.

 

You didn't tell whether you have bad focussing just with one lens, or with different ones.

 

If it is only one lens, chances are high that the lens needs calibration and the camera is o.k. If you have bad results with different lenses, it should be the camera.

 

Can you telll us which lens you use?

[sblitz]

Is there any way to adjust the lens yourself?

[250swb]

Lenses do not simply go out of calibration, unless you drop them. So it either leaves the factory out of adjustment, and soon goes back to be corrected in most cases, or it never was out of calibration. There cannot be many lenses that don't work how they should by the laws of diminishing returns.

 

Equally the camera body shouldn't need constant adjustment after it is first calibrated. Perhaps once in a blue moon. But if it gets knocked badly things can go askew, so I would assume in this case it isn't the lens, but the camera body that needs adjusting.

 

But the OP has yet to say what lens is causing the problem, and some are prone to focus shift more than others, and we also don't know what was being photographed. So we don't know if the term 'focus shift' has any relevence or was is a mistake in describing the problem. Some CV lense have bad focus shift at certain apertures and it cannot be calibrated out of the basic lens design, correcting it is a question of knowing your lens and its quirks.

 

Steve

[thrid]

What lens?

What f-stop?

How close were you to the subject?

What was your shutter speed?

 

Focus shift errors are counted in mm or cm, so unless you were shooting extremely close up and at something like f1.4 it's probably not focus shift.

 

Take your M7 and focus at something at infinity. Does the rangefinder image align? Try it with different lenses. Vertical misalignment is not an indication of the focus being off.

 

No offence, but when I got my first M body the first few rolls were almost all out of focus do to operator error. It takes time and PRACTICE to learn how to use an RF body.

[xddsixers]

Thanks for all of the input.

 

I have shot with my m6 for 4 or 5 rolls and only 1 or 2 images are out of focus for each roll, and half of the time it is because the subject is moving and i am not quick enough to 'track' the focus, so I don't see an 'operation error' involve'

 

Here's some of my images from the first 3 or 4 rolls

2012 Selected - a set on Flickr

 

Sketcher, Soho, NYC by Lau Kwan Tai, Eric, on Flickr

 

Skateboarder, Soho, NYC by Lau Kwan Tai, Eric, on Flickr

 

31710024 by Lau Kwan Tai, Eric, on Flickr

 

31720035 by Lau Kwan Tai, Eric, on Flickr

[xddsixers]

Here's my last roll, all of the focus are shifted backwards

 

43000037 by Lau Kwan Tai, Eric, on Flickr

 

i am trying to focus on the homeless and it ends up on the wall

 

43000025 by Lau Kwan Tai, Eric, on Flickr

 

again, trying to focus on the homeless and it is focus on the car

 

43000021 by Lau Kwan Tai, Eric, on Flickr

 

i focus on the first roll of the kids but end up it focus on the second

 

43000031 by Lau Kwan Tai, Eric, on Flickr

 

trying to focus on the worker but the focus is on the wall

 

 

I think instead of 'focus shift' either my camera or lens is out of calibration

the rolls which are fine are using m6TTL with 50 DR

the rolls out of focus i am using summicron type 4 50mm with m7

[jaapv]

Yo are describing back focus. Focus shift is a lens exhibiting different planes of focus at different apertures.

Adjustment -if needed- is only once. It is not a matter of maintenance. Once a lens is adjusted correctly it it virtually impossible that it goes out of adjustment again. With a camera a very hard knock - like dropping it from several feet or very strong vibration may disturb the adjustment. Otherwise it will stay well-adjusted forever.

It is worth noting that a camera and lens will not be adjusted to one another. They will each be adjusted separately to a fixed standard. At most Leica will do tolerance matching in critical combinations.

As you appear to have bought this camera recently I would suggest contacting your vendor. Normally something like this should be regarded as guaranty.

If this is not the case, an adjustment should certainly not break the bank. It can be done by any competent camera repair shop that is familiar with rangefinders.

[CalArts 99]

Just some advice (and yes, sorry it's after the fact now): always shoot a test roll or two when you buy a used (or even new) camera and/or lens. Just do it in your back yard and run through the different shutter speeds, different focusing distances, apertures, etc.. If the film shows issues then return the purchase or arrange to have it serviced, etc.. Personally I'd never do serious work with a new purchase until I know it's all perfect.

 

As already mentioned, once a full service is done you'll be good to go for many years.