Focusing for Super 8 camera
Moderator: Andreas Wideroe
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Ah Lian
Focusing for Super 8 camera
Hi everyone, does it mean that as long as the image appears focus in the viewfinder, it will be in focus? Is there anything else that I have to look out for?
Depends a lot of the camera and viewfinder system.
First, nearly all S8 cameras have a dioptren adjustment, to accomodate the viewfinder to your eye. This adjusment direcly affects the focus results, unless your camera has a real ground glass viewfinder (most Beaulieu, Leicina). Without ground glass, you are focussing on a virtual air image, even when having a mircroprism or a split image. The focal point of that virtual image may move untill it seems in focus for you, even if it is not. So you must adjust the viewfinder very exaclty, aiming at an infinite object and adjusting the focus with the viewfinder adjustment screw. Make this rather quickly, so that your eye has no chance to adapt itself to a image that is out of focus. But repeat it several times, until the position of the adjustment screw always meets the same setting. Adjust the screw only from one direction, never first forewards, then backwards.
Then test the setting, aiming several objects that are in known distances and veryfy the result on the meter reading at the lens.
Pedro
First, nearly all S8 cameras have a dioptren adjustment, to accomodate the viewfinder to your eye. This adjusment direcly affects the focus results, unless your camera has a real ground glass viewfinder (most Beaulieu, Leicina). Without ground glass, you are focussing on a virtual air image, even when having a mircroprism or a split image. The focal point of that virtual image may move untill it seems in focus for you, even if it is not. So you must adjust the viewfinder very exaclty, aiming at an infinite object and adjusting the focus with the viewfinder adjustment screw. Make this rather quickly, so that your eye has no chance to adapt itself to a image that is out of focus. But repeat it several times, until the position of the adjustment screw always meets the same setting. Adjust the screw only from one direction, never first forewards, then backwards.
Then test the setting, aiming several objects that are in known distances and veryfy the result on the meter reading at the lens.
Pedro