I did it! I got a.....

[mtbbrian]

Well, after lot's of research and what not, I finally decided on the camera for me..
I ended up with a V-Lander Bessa R2A!
With it I also got a 25 f/4, 35 f2.5 and 75f2.5 lenes!

Now if I can just figure how to focus it with the external viewfinder for the 25, I'll be good!
Brian:rolleyes: :confused:

 

[copake_ham]

Congrats.

Seems Santa got to Utah a little early this year.

 

[Robert Hall]

Nice! What do you intend to feed it?

 

[mtbbrian]

Nice! What do you intend to feed it?

A healthy diet of Tri-X, Velvia and Proveia, and who knows whatelse, I may resort to find!
Brian
Film, It's GOOD!

 

[elekm]

Is the 25 rangefinder coupled? I thought I read that it is not, which means that it becomes a zone focus lens.

Even if it is rangefinder coupled, I think you could simply use it as a zone focus lens because of the depth of field, especially at smaller apertures.

 

[mtbbrian]

Is the 25 rangefinder coupled? I thought I read that it is not, which means that it becomes a zone focus lens.

Even if it is rangefinder coupled, I think you could simply use it as a zone focus lens because of the depth of field, especially at smaller apertures.

No it is not coupled. It has an incredible amount of DOF!
Brian

 

[PHOTOTONE]

Well, after lot's of research and what not, I finally decided on the camera for me..
I ended up with a V-Lander Bessa R2A!
With it I also got a 25 f/4, 35 f2.5 and 75f2.5 lenes!

Now if I can just figure how to focus it with the external viewfinder for the 25, I'll be good!
Brian:rolleyes: :confused:

THE 25MM does not focus with the rangefinder. you "guess" focus it, and its extreme depth of field takes care of the rest. Also, you do not focus with any external viewfinder. They are just for viewing. You always focus with the built-in view-rangefinder, except for your 25mm f4, which does not have a focus cam.

 

[PHOTOTONE]

The Voigtlander 12mm, 15mm and "Snapshot Skopar" 25mm lenses all do not couple to the rangefinder. You "zone" focus them, or some call it "guess" focus them. They have enough depth of field that focus is not critical.

 

[mtbbrian]

THE 25MM does not focus with the rangefinder. you "guess" focus it, and its extreme depth of field takes care of the rest. Also, you do not focus with any external viewfinder. They are just for viewing. You always focus with the built-in view-rangefinder, except for your 25mm f4, which does not have a focus cam.

That's kind of what I figured.
Any suggestions on how to do it?
Brian

 

[oscroft]

That's kind of what I figured.
Any suggestions on how to do it?

Set the aperture needed for correct exposure. Then look at the barrel of the lens behind the distance scale and you'll see the depth-of-field scale. Then if, for example, you've chosen f8, turn the focus so the infinity mark lines up with the right-most 8 mark on the d-of-f scale, then look at the left-most 8 mark - this indicates the closest distance that is sharp at f8. On my 21mm lens (I don't have a 25), for example, at f8 everything from just under 1m to infinity is in focus.

 

[Ole]

... Then if, for example, you've chosen f8, turn the focus so the infinity mark lines up with the right-most 8 mark on the d-of-f scale, then look at the left-most 8 mark - this indicates the closest distance that is sharp at f8. ....

That's an instruction in Hyperfocal focusing.

The other way is to set the aperture you want, then make a wild guess at the distance to the subject and set the focus to that.

If you want a sharp horizon, focus at infinity. If you think something in the foreground is more important, focus on that. Do not try to get both in sharp focus by using DoF markings - you will only get both disappointingly not-quite-sharp.