Critical focusing issue

[Chamber005]

First time using a film camera. I'm curious that I'm having a lot of trouble obtaining critical focus (the way I can when taking stills or shooting video). I'm not sure if it's an issue with the glass or what...

I'm using a K3 with Meteor lens. Things appear in focus, but when you get into that crisp, critical phase, the image just seems blurry to me. Lowering the aperture appears to help, but I can't tell if it's just making everything darker (thus hiding imperfections and fuzziness) or if the image really is coming into better focus.

The eye piece seems to be correctly adhered to my vision, so what's the issue? Do I need to get a better piece of glass? I've heard that the K3 accepts still camera glass, so I could obtain some for relatively cheap. Or are film camera lenses different than still cams (e.g. the aperture affects the image's clarity)?

Thanks!!

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

First time using a film camera. I'm curious that I'm having a lot of trouble obtaining critical focus (the way I can when taking stills or shooting video). I'm not sure if it's an issue with the glass or what...

I'm using a K3 with Meteor lens. Things appear in focus, but when you get into that crisp, critical phase, the image just seems blurry to me. Lowering the aperture appears to help, but I can't tell if it's just making everything darker (thus hiding imperfections and fuzziness) or if the image really is coming into better focus.

The eye piece seems to be correctly adhered to my vision, so what's the issue? Do I need to get a better piece of glass? I've heard that the K3 accepts still camera glass, so I could obtain some for relatively cheap. Or are film camera lenses different than still cams (e.g. the aperture affects the image's clarity)?

Thanks!!

'Lowering' the apature? Ok, if by 'lowing' you mean going form wide open to say f/8... yes, things will look 'sharper'... because you've changed the Depth of Field...

As I recall, you bought this camera recently, have you taken to a shop, and checked if the optics are 'in alignment'...

Since I shied away from movie cameras when I was young for several reasons, centering on the cost (for me at the time...) to run them, I don't have a lot of experience with these sorts of details... but I recall that on cameras with no view finder, one had to measure the distance from subject to camera, set the lens to that distance, then set the f-stop such that there was a high likelihood of the subject being 'sharp'.

Is there the ability to change 'focusing' screens, to say, a split image, or micro prism? These types were pretty standard on still cameras of yesteryear...

'focusing' is done with the lense wide open, and if the lens is 'defective', then perhaps there will be some preception of 'blur'. As one stops down, that is going to higher f-stops, some of that defect can be compensated for, by the increased depth of field, or other defects, by using more of the center of the lens.

In addition, in situations where there's a bright light such that the lens 'catches' it, because of coating defect, lack of coating altogehter, there will be 'flare' that will be preceived as a 'softening' of the focus. Lenshoods, and shading the camera will deal with this
sort of problem to some extent...

 

[Chamber005]

'Lowering' the apature? Ok, if by 'lowing' you mean going form wide open to say f/8... yes, things will look 'sharper'... because you've changed the Depth of Field...

As I recall, you bought this camera recently, have you taken to a shop, and checked if the optics are 'in alignment'...

Since I shied away from movie cameras when I was young for several reasons, centering on the cost (for me at the time...) to run them, I don't have a lot of experience with these sorts of details... but I recall that on cameras with no view finder, one had to measure the distance from subject to camera, set the lens to that distance, then set the f-stop such that there was a high likelihood of the subject being 'sharp'.

Is there the ability to change 'focusing' screens, to say, a split image, or micro prism? These types were pretty standard on still cameras of yesteryear...

'focusing' is done with the lense wide open, and if the lens is 'defective', then perhaps there will be some preception of 'blur'. As one stops down, that is going to higher f-stops, some of that defect can be compensated for, by the increased depth of field, or other defects, by using more of the center of the lens.

In addition, in situations where there's a bright light such that the lens 'catches' it, because of coating defect, lack of coating altogehter, there will be 'flare' that will be preceived as a 'softening' of the focus. Lenshoods, and shading the camera will deal with this
sort of problem to some extent...

I went in and gave all of the components a good cottony wipe and that seems to have helped matters a bit. I wonder if the blur might have been weather-related. It's still not as crisp as I see things with a naked eye (or through my still camera), but it's better now -- and the film might record things slightly different than I'm seeing them through the lens. We'll see. Thanks!

 

[Cassius]

As with above, did you check with measuring tape to make sure you're exact? After that you should film a test and see if it has problems after processing. This tells you where the problem is. I'm willing to bet it's in the monitor.

 

[Finnegan]

Trust your measuring tape. If you measure out 8 ft. 6 in. and go to that distance on your lens, it will be sharp. Unless the lens is broken.