How to Adjust Infinity Focus on Rollei HFT 50mm f1.8 QBM

For some very strange reason, some lenses I have vary greatly in infinity focus.  My Leica lenses as well as the Rollei lenses are prime examples. I wasn't sure if the variation was from factory or from usage, but after I looked at the Rollei HFT 50mm f1.8 Planar, I think it's from usage.  Fortunately, it's easy to adjust infinity on this particular lens.

Rollie Planar 50mm f1.8, a nice and inexpensive lens.

Instructions to adjust infinity focus:

1.  Turn the lens to the minimum focusing distance.  This makes the front element extend.  Grab and turn the front of the extended part of the lens.  Keep turning counterclockwise until it comes off:

Name ring comes off by just turning it counterclockwise.

2. Before you go on, focus the lens to infinity.  Note that there are three screws that secures the focusing ring.  These screws are marked in yellow circles below.  Remove them using a small bladed screw driver:

Unscrew the marked screws.

3.  Once the screws come off, remove the circular metal plate, and the focusing ring.  Be sure not to lose the three screws:

Screws came off and focusing ring and metal plate removed.

4.  Mount the lens on a digital camera to calibrate infinity focus.  It's best to use an EVIL camera or a camera with liveview.  Set the aperture to maximum (f1.8).  Focus adjustment is done by turning the lens element a little bit at a time either clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on whether the lens is unable to obtain infinity focus, or it focuses past infinity.  Turn on the camera and pick an object you know is far enough to be considered at infinity, using a small screw driver and insert it on one of the holes on the lens (marked in yellow circle).  Be sure to turn just a little at a time:

Using a small screw driver, insert it into one of the holes and turn slowly until you obtain infinity focus.

5.  Once you get infinity focus, remove screw driver and do not move the focusing mechanism.  Remove lens from camera, and put the focusing ring back on.  Turn the focusing ring until infinity mark is lined up at the mark:

Make sure focusing ring is at infinity.

6.  Put the circular metal plate back on, and partially screw in the screws.  Do not tighten the screws until all of them are partially in. This allows you to adjust the metal plate to make sure it is centered.  Now tighten all the screws.

7.  Screw the name ring back on and you are done.

Now I need to figure out how to do this with the Distagon 35mm f2.8, which also could not focus to infinity.

Graffiti on the Rail Bridge

Graffiti -- NEX-5 & Carl Zeiss 60mm f2.8 Makro S-Planar. Click for larger size.

Dillon and I rode the same path up Don River and went quite a bit further today.  We did about 20 KM on the bike path.  It was a little too much for Dillon, as he has not been riding his bike for a while, but we did enjoy it.

This picture is of the same rail bridge from the IR pictures in the last post.  It's a more close up version.  As you can see, kids will not miss any opportunity to "express" themselves.  I am not against graffiti and some of them are quite tasteful, as long as they are not in inappropriate places.

Rail Bridge in Infrared

Rail Bridge -- Canon 20D IR Modified. Click for larger.

The last time we rode the bike up the Don River bike path was a few years ago.  It was a nice ride in the summer.  Dillon, Ryan and I decided to take the same path again today.  The scene was very different from the last time, being in the winter  Because it was a weekday, the path was very light with only a few fellow bikers here and there.  Too bad we didn't go all the way but far enough for a good ride.

ILEX 3 INCH (80mm) f1.3 Oscillo-Paragon In the Wild

If you have ever tried this lens, you know it won't win any awards for optical excellence, despite its very fast aperture of f1.3.  In fact, this lens was designed to photograph oscilloscope traces at close distance.  In other words, a  lens optimized as a close focus lens (1:2 ratio).  The alluring aspect of such a lens, is no doubt its fast aperture of f1.3 at 80mm.  This is an irresistible for lens junkies who like to use anything that bends light to make pictures.

I am happy to report that the rear thread size of the lens is 52mm.  Don't you love it when manufacturers make things with standard sizes?  Of course, the focusing helicoid I just got has an opening of 52mm.  Pure luck, you might say.  It does need one 52mm filter ring (without glass) as an extension (spacer) so that the lens does not overly focus past infinity.  Once it was attached to the focusing helicoid, I took it out for a spin.

It looks butt ugly. It looks like an alien specimen escaped from a lab, in no small part due to the #3 shutter between the front & rear elements.  But, beauty is only skin deep, no?  Who cares how ugly it looks, as long as it takes pictures, right?

Hopefully you didn't pay through your nose for one of this, and hoping that you have something close to the EF 85mm f1.2L, because you hardly get any contrast out of this ugly beast before f2.8.  At full aperture, it can be used as a soft focus lens, without any special filters.  I have posted a couple of them previously in this blog.  I find that at f2, it actually quite nice as a portrait lens.  It starts to look very sharp and much improved contrast from f4 on.  Between f8 and f16, the lens is decently, not not really, that sharp.  If you have very strong lights, the lens tends to be unusable at f1.3, but is very nice as for low light portrait at close range.  Yes, at infinity, the sharpness is nothing to write home about, as its design was optimized for close focusing.

Did I mention how ugly the bokeh is?  Sorry  if I didn't.  It's not a lens you want to take pictures that emphasize great background blur.  The bokeh will simply destroy the pictures.

Oh, despite being a medium format lens, the edges on this lens is simply horrific on the NEX, even when stopped down significantly.

That does not mean it's a useless lens, quite the contrary.  It's immensely fun to use.  You can scare kids with this lens, and make grown ups say "What the hell..." when they see it.  When used within limits, it renders some unique pictures that other lenses have a hard time to achieve.  To me, the usable aperture is between f1.3 and f4.  That's where it shows its strong signatures in pictures.  In fact, f2 and f2.8 is my most used aperture.  I would imagine it being a unique portrait lens.

Trees -- NEX-5 & Ilex 80mm f1.3 @ f2. Click to see larger.

Shell -- NEX-5 & Ilex 80mm f1.3 @ f1.3

Bicycle Bell

Bell - NEX-5 & Contax Carl Zeiss S-Planar 60mm f2.8 Makro. Click to see larger

The weather is getting warmer so I went out briefly on my lunch break and took a few shots.  It's interesting that after trying out so many different lenses, there seems to be only a few that I always like to use.  This Contax/Yashica mount S-Planar 60mm f2.8 Makro is one of them.  Unbelievably sharp lens, and is built like a tank.  Gives 1:1 macro but doubles as a nice, albeit slow, normal lens.

Gooderham Flatiron in the Mist

Gooderham Flatiron Building -- NEX-5 & Taylor-Hobson 75mm f2.

Found out the this lens has a de-centering problem.  1/3 of the frame is blurry.  Not sure if it's the lens, or all the adapters/rings put on it.  I have a feeling when gluing on the adapter ring on the back, it was not perfectly flat.  Will see if I can remove it and re-glue it.  Other than this, I am very happy with the lens.

Yet Another Swim Meet

On Saturday we went to the kid's swim meet in the Matty Eckler Community Center. Our Jimmy Simpson Dolphins team saw a huge improvement this time over the last meet.  I am especially happy to see Megan won first place for all the events she entered for her age group, including the two team relay events.  Another team member, Jack, also won all first place for the events he entered.  Even William won first place for one of the events.  The hard work of the whole team has paid off.  Couches Beth and Mathew should be very proud.  

I tried the video on the NEX-5 for William's events, who competed in the morning.  The video files are significantly smaller than that of the Canon T2i.  Not sure why.  I do prefer the T2i video though.  Seems to have more clarify than the NEX-5.  Perhaps the compression is higher on the NEX.

William after the event -- NEX-5 & Carl Zeiss HFT 50mm f1.4 @ f1.4. Click to see larger.

So far, I am quite happy with NEX-5, especially in the high ISO department.  This picture above was shot at ISO 1000 and as you can see, it's quite clean.  I am also enamoured with the Carl Zeiss HFT 50mm f1.4 lens in Rollei mount.  It's in my possession for a number of years, but it could not focus to infinity with the Canon adapters I have tried, so it didn't see much use.  I would preferred to use it in full frame, but it works wonderfully with NEX.

For sports photos, the big 1D IIn and the EF 200mm f1.8L combo is still my favourite.  I have come to accept ISO 1600 on the 1D IIn, even though I don't like noisy pictures, but having noisy pictures is better than not having any pictures.

Butterfly -- 1D IIn & EF 200mm f1.8 @ f2. Click to see larger.

Butterfly -- 1D IIn & EF 200mm f1.8 @ f2. click to see larger.

Do Not Let Your Dog Poop on my Grass

Sign on fence -- NEX-5 & Taylor-Hobson 75mm f2. Click to see larger.

Sign on the fence says "do not let your dog poop on my grass".  I can sympathize.  Some lazy dog owners let their dog poop everywhere and don't pick up after their pets.  These people should not own pets.

Red Umbrella

Newspaper Boxes and Red Umbrella -- NEX-5 & Taylor-Hobson 75mm f2. Click to see larger.

I can't pinpoint it, but there is something about the pictures that this lens produces which I like. Perhaps it's just psychological.  I did spend a lot of time trying to make this lens usable, so subconsciously maybe I really want to like it, otherwise all these efforts seems wasted. Whatever it is, I am happy.  Isn't it what photography/gear collection is all about?  Being happy?

Nightmare on Queen Street

OK, I am exaggerating a bit, but what happened this morning is every city cyclist's nightmare of the second order -- A car door that suddenly open right in front of your path.  What's worse than this, is the door on the driver's side, because you will fall, and fall on the street, and you could get hit by cars coming from behind.  This morning, a car door opened at the exact moment that I was about to pass it.  I had zero time to react.  My bike hit the passenger door, and the front wheel was so warp that it wouldn't turn.  I had to hold up the front wheel and dragged the bike to the shop.  Luckily, I was riding a very light bike.

The person who opened the door is a gentlemen.  I won't pretend I didn't swear at him inside when I realized I was on the floor.  But, he was very apologetic, and genuinely concern about my fall.  We exchanged information, and he would pay for the the cost of the repair of the bike.  Many people would just try to avoid any and all responsibility.  In any case, the handle bar hit my upper left arm and my right rib.  There is a huge bruise on my arm and my rib hurts like hell when I cough, laugh or sneeze.  Again, my helmet probably saved me again.  If you bike, please wear a good helmet.  If you drive, please do look before opening the door, especially when parked on the street.

Back to gears.  Soulnibbler wanted to see the picture of the focusing helicoids.  You can see it below, along with the 17-31mm mounted on the 75mm f2 lens plus a bonus sample picture :-)

M42-mount helicoids: 12-17mm on left, 17-31mm on right.

17-31mm helicoid on the Taylor-Hobson 75mm f2 with the c-mount adapter. Click to see larger

Sample picture -- NEX-5 & Taylor-Hobson 75mm f2 TV Lens.