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Focus Problem, Help Needed Pls


jedi996sps

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I am new to leica rangefinder, M8 and digital photography so am looking for a little help here please so I would be extremely grateful for some feedback. I have had my M8 for 3 weeks now and purchased it with a second hand 50mm noctilux.

I used it extensively over a week and noted that all my shots taken at relatively close range to the camera, when printed to A4 size were evidently slightly out of focus compared to shots taken at a greater distance between subject and camera.

I set up a little experiment and took the following shot at a distance of 1120mm (leica website quotes min focus distance for this lense as being 1000mm) from camera body to the front tin. The distance between the front and back tin was 80mm and I focused on the writing on the front tin. The ISO setting was 160 and the aperture f2.8

Zooming in as far as u can on the image reveals that the writing on the back tin is more in focus than that on the front tin, albeit that I focused on the front tin?!

 

Sooooo, do I have a problem with my camera or lense and what do you consider it might be? :confused:

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... another in the band... jedi, you can find HUNDREDS, I think, problems of uncorrect focusing with M8 in this forum...what can I tell you ? As i posted somewhere here, I am rather satisfied with the focus of my (mostly old) lenses with M8... but being an avid collector, I have for instance 4 or 5 35mm to chose from... found that a very old Summicron was the best... I use it... ditto for the 50s, for the 90s. I do not enter in the HIGH number of explanations that have been posted here... many of them from people that is neither biased for Leica nor unwise in tech issues. Leica Co. has never made, I seem, an official declaration about this problem, but I (Leica lover, yes) must admit that A PROBLEM EXISTS : my general impression is that, in some way, the RF of M8 has been engineered in such a way (tolerancing) that the focusing issue is casual, not in a definite direction, not the same with all lenses... probably, if you send your M8 body + Noctilux to Solms, it can come back with focus OK.. but would you add other lenses ? Seems that even if you buy a regular, new, coded one something could be slightly wrong...

After having red about ALL the threads and posts on this problem, the only thing I hope for is some official declaration from the manufacturer... this focusing issue is projecting not a nice halo on Leica reputation... I can only tell you "good luck"... M8 is a fine camera, trust it...

 

BTW, see the thread that at the moment is just prior to this ("are lenses really interchangeable...?"

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Ali,

 

A number of steps.

 

1) Is your infinity correct with the Noctilux - images coincide at infinity (Jupiter makes a good target) and if you take an image of a distant object e.g. the moon, it is sharp at f1.0? If not you may need to adjust your infinity with a 2mm hex key in the middle of the focus cam. Tiny adjustment then check, tiny adjustment then check etc etc.

 

2) If your infinity is now spot on, you should check with another lens (as long focal length as possible) to confirm the camera has a correct infinity for all lenses.

 

3) Now recheck your near focus. Noctiluxes are rarely spot on at very close distances. Check it at a more realistic distance - say 3 meters wide open. If it is OK at that distance, and at infinity, I would settle for that. If not you can send it to Solms or to a reputable local repairer. If you are in the UK, I can recommend someone. The dealer from whom you bought the lens may feel he has a duty to contribute.

 

Wilson

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... another in the band... jedi, you can find HUNDREDS, I think, problems of uncorrect focusing with M8 in this forum...what can I tell you ? As i posted somewhere here, I am rather satisfied with the focus of my (mostly old) lenses with M8... but being an avid collector, I have for instance 4 or 5 35mm to chose from... found that a very old Summicron was the best... I use it... ditto for the 50s, for the 90s. I do not enter in the HIGH number of explanations that have been posted here... many of them from people that is neither biased for Leica nor unwise in tech issues. Leica Co. has never made, I seem, an official declaration about this problem, but I (Leica lover, yes) must admit that A PROBLEM EXISTS : my general impression is that, in some way, the RF of M8 has been engineered in such a way (tolerancing) that the focusing issue is casual, not in a definite direction, not the same with all lenses... probably, if you send your M8 body + Noctilux to Solms, it can come back with focus OK.. but would you add other lenses ? Seems that even if you buy a regular, new, coded one something could be slightly wrong...

After having red about ALL the threads and posts on this problem, the only thing I hope for is some official declaration from the manufacturer... this focusing issue is projecting not a nice halo on Leica reputation... I can only tell you "good luck"... M8 is a fine camera, trust it...

 

BTW, see the thread that at the moment is just prior to this ("are lenses really interchangeable...?"

 

Hmmm, dosn't fill me with confidence as i hav just purchased a 28mm elmart as well, so even if i send camera and lense for compatability 'fixing' it may then just transfer the problem to another lense/camera combo.

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Ali,

 

A number of steps.

 

1) Is your infinity correct with the Noctilux - images coincide at infinity (Jupiter makes a good target) and if you take an image of a distant object e.g. the moon, it is sharp at f1.0? If not you may need to adjust your infinity with a 2mm hex key in the middle of the focus cam. Tiny adjustment then check, tiny adjustment then check etc etc.

 

2) If your infinity is now spot on, you should check with another lens (as long focal length as possible) to confirm the camera has a correct infinity for all lenses.

 

3) Now recheck your near focus. Noctiluxes are rarely spot on at very close distances. Check it at a more realistic distance - say 3 meters wide open. If it is OK at that distance, and at infinity, I would settle for that. If not you can send it to Solms or to a reputable local repairer. If you are in the UK, I can recommend someone. The dealer from whom you bought the lens may feel he has a duty to contribute.

 

Wilson

 

Thanks Wilson.

I took that same pic at a distance of 3600mm and still noted rear tin was slightly sharper, but other pics that i took at a distance in excess of 6metres appear to be ok ie the subject matter is in focus.

Do i focus on jupiter and then take a shot of the moon to test infinity?

 

Ali

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Ali--

From your picture, it looks as if your lens needs adjustment.

 

As background: All Leica lenses should be in focus when wide open. Start your tests with the lens at f/1.

 

For more details on the parameters here, see Testreports.

 

The next issue of LFI (6/2007) should also have an article on the focus shift that is designed into many Leica lenses, including the Noctilux.

 

There have also been a number of threads on related topics on the forum, as Luigi said.

 

--HC

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Thanks Wilson.

I took that same pic at a distance of 3600mm and still noted rear tin was slightly sharper, but other pics that i took at a distance in excess of 6metres appear to be ok ie the subject matter is in focus.

Do i focus on jupiter and then take a shot of the moon to test infinity?

 

Ali

 

Ali,

 

Focusing on Jupiter is because for all reasonable purposes it is at infinity. It is bright enough to see in the viewfinder. It is relatively easy to see when you get perfect image convergence, especially if you use a 1.25x viewfinder magnifier. The images should converge exactly at maximum focus barrel rotation. I don't know if you have any other M fit lenses. You don't want to adjust your infinity focus, if your other lenses are right for infinity. However many M8's are not perfect and it is a very easy adjustment. I find mine gradually creeps off a tiny bit over a month or so, so I check/adjust it every month. Some focus cams seem to be stiffer to move than others; mine moves very easily, hence I suspect why it goes out of adjustment. If you are happy that you have a good infinity register on the camera and the lens, then take a picture of the moon. If it is not sharp, then you definitely have a lens problem. Noctiluxes seem to be somewhat weird lenses. After two visits to Solms, mine back-focuses a few millimeters at 1 meter. It is spot on at 5 meters and then back focuses by a few centimeters at 10 meters. Finally it is spot on a infinity all the foregoing at f1.0. However it is all livable with.

 

Wilson

 

Wilson

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Ali--

From your picture, it looks as if your lens needs adjustment.

 

As background: All Leica lenses should be in focus when wide open. Start your tests with the lens at f/1.

 

For more details on the parameters here, see Testreports.

 

The next issue of LFI (6/2007) should also have an article on the focus shift that is designed into many Leica lenses, including the Noctilux.

 

There have also been a number of threads on related topics on the forum, as Luigi said.

 

--HC

 

Hi,

thanks for info, i was scanning this forum for a week or so b4 i got my m8 and most of the problems appeared to about color shift, filters etc. I will do a search now and read up some more now i hav been pointed in the right direction.

 

ali

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Ali,

 

Focusing on Jupiter is because for all reasonable purposes it is at infinity. It is bright enough to see in the viewfinder. It is relatively easy to see when you get perfect image convergence, especially if you use a 1.25x viewfinder magnifier. The images should converge exactly at maximum focus barrel rotation. I don't know if you have any other M fit lenses. You don't want to adjust your infinity focus, if your other lenses are right for infinity. However many M8's are not perfect and it is a very easy adjustment. I find mine gradually creeps off a tiny bit over a month or so, so I check/adjust it every month. Some focus cams seem to be stiffer to move than others; mine moves very easily, hence I suspect why it goes out of adjustment. If you are happy that you have a good infinity register on the camera and the lens, then take a picture of the moon. If it is not sharp, then you definitely have a lens problem. Noctiluxes seem to be somewhat weird lenses. After two visits to Solms, mine back-focuses a few millimeters at 1 meter. It is spot on at 5 meters and then back focuses by a few centimeters at 10 meters. Finally it is spot on a infinity all the foregoing at f1.0. However it is all livable with.

 

Wilson

 

Wilson

 

cheers wilson, will try that as soon as we get a clear sky. Unfortunately, mine as it is is not livable with as i got it primarily to low light reasonably close up portraits so i will refer back to the really helpful peeps where i purchased it and give them the opportunity to look at it also. I get my 28mm elmart next week so at least i wont b without usable camera.

thanks once again.

 

ali

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