It was a common issue with them at the time .
Even on a Pentax Spotmatic it was out .
The odds of getting one straight out of the factory that didn't need adjusting was very slim .
Worth getting as the lens is a good one , and the adjustment only takes a couple of minutes.
Just to expand on that ;
I have quite a few Russian ( or FSU ) cameras and lenses , 35mm SLR's , 35mm Rangefinders and 120 SLR's , along with quite a few lenses .
Apart from the film backs of the Kiev 88 leaking light like a sieve ( another easy fix) , I am happy with them all .
The one exception being the 16mm fish .
It's available in various mounts , removing the need for an adapter , but regardless of if you bought it in F mount , K mount , EF or Sony /Minolta A mount etc , the same common issue comes up .
Any adapter used that is slightly too thick will act as a mini extension tube , but this isn't ( always ) the case with these lenses .
Turn the focus ring to the infinity stop , and your no where near infinity !
I had already read this thread at Dyxum before buying mine , so I expected it .
http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/diy-fix...ith-a-5-7d-alpha_topic6375_page1.html?KW=16mm
The lens that I received would only focus to about 8 feet , only took a couple of minutes to re-set though .
Here's a link to a guy whose lens was even worse , focussing to only 3 feet ( 1 meter !)
http://etischer.com/zenitar/zenitar16mm.html
Even with poor quality control it's hard to imagine how they can leave the factory so far out .
On a digital camera they are very easy to set up ,take a shot , review , re-shoot . But if your only able to mount on a film camera it would be a headache to resolve . What you see in the viewfinder with a 16mm would be very hard to tell if it's anywhere near set .
Only easy way without wasting film and time would be to mount the camera on a tripod with the back open , shutter set to bulb and left open , and hold a piece of ground glass focus screen over the opening and inspect with a loupe .
Also I forgot to mention , if you get the M42 version so you can use it on other mounts , the pin for aperture stop down also needs modifying , another easy task .
If your after a fisheye , don't let this put you off though .
Regards , Neil .
