Rolleiflex Focussing with Spectacles

[RolleiT]

Last time I used my Rolleiflex 3,5f I didn't wear spectacles. Ten years later, I'm wearing bi-focal glasses and find it so difficult to focus using my split-image focussing screen. I have started to question of my negs at infinity because of this and don't know what's the best way to achieve the sharpest results. Any opinions out there? I've attached a sample of my Rolleiflex 3,5f work developed a few weeks back.

 

[BrianShaw]

I use the close-focus part of spectacles and the magnifier. Always works for me. Especially when aided by monopod or tripod. Now starting to see GG dimming from cataracts, though…

 

[Steven Lee]

Why not get a popup magnifier with a diopter rating matching your vision? I ordered -1 and -1.5 magnifiers from the Rolleiflex USA dealer last year. I am not sure whether they're new old stock or still being made.

 

[wiltw]

The part of progressive lens glasses that you need to look thru is dependent upon the distance between your eyes and the focusing screen (depending upon where you hold your camera or raise it when on a tripod).
With bifocals, the lower lens area is set up for 'reading distance'...about 6-7cm
At what distance from focus screen would you estimate is typical viewing height for you? If you are viewing closer, you could getting a pair of flip-down clip-on readers like these
to help with the closer distance...experiment by bringing your camera into the store to find proper strength lenses, then buy the same strength clip-on readers

 

[Dan Daniel]

Your sample appears to be in focus. Maybe not where you wanted it?

As someone who moved from no glasses to reading glasses to prescription to bifocals over the last fifteen years, I can certainly relate to the difficulty. The longer you wear glasses the more natural certain tricks become until you don't notice them.

I use the close section of bifocals for focusing. I need to make certain that they are pushed up my nose so that I don't need to strain my eyes downward to get a clean view. Find a distance that makes the fresnel lines in focus- you need to glasses and head at a focus spot before you play with the camera for its focus spot. Be aware that the titled prisms of a split image spot and the varying thickness and varying distortions across a prescription lens can lead to some new distortions. Try to find the center of the reading section for focusing.

Practice helps.

 

[250swb]

Buy some reading glasses from a budget outlet or have some varifocals made

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Last time I used my Rolleiflex 3,5f I didn't wear spectacles. Ten years later, I'm wearing bi-focal glasses and find it so difficult to focus using my split-image focussing screen. I have started to question of my negs at infinity because of this and don't know what's the best way to achieve the sharpest results. Any opinions out there? I've attached a sample of my Rolleiflex 3,5f work developed a few weeks back.

camera focus screens assume perfect vision. Your spectacles get you closer to 20/20 and should work just fine.

 

[btaylor]

When I was in my 20’s I had no trouble focusing my trusty Rolleicord. Nearly 50 years later I can no longer say that. I switched to the Rick Oleson BrightScreen with the micro prism focus aid. Very pleased with it. I much prefer it over a split image focus aid which I find fiddly- I just focus until the subject is clear and shoot. Maybe something like a new, brighter screen will help.

 

[wiltw]

camera focus screens assume perfect vision.

...AND the ability for your eyes to focus upon things at both close distances and far distances...which means a flexible lens that is within the eye.

Unfortunately the lens of the eye becomes less flexible and therefore less able to focus on things close...like reading a book AND focusing upon the surface of the focusing screen! And if your bifocals allow you to focus at 6-7cm, but you hold your camera closer to focus (like at 3cm), your bifocals need to be supplemented with added optics to move the 6-7cm distance even closer (to 3cm).

 

[Derek Lofgreen]

I ditch my progressive lens (bifocal without the line) glasses when using a waist level finder. I use a pair of magnified readers from the drug store. Works well for me. It is a bit of a hassle but I always keep a pair in my MF camera bag so I always have a pair with me.

D.

 

[kennethwajda]

I have nearsighted vision, so maybe this is pertinent only for people like me, but there’s a trick that very few people seem to know in my experience, and that is to use the Magnifier but still keep the camera at waist level and focus at arms length, and you can get precise focus without having to have the Camera and Magnifier up to your eye.

 

[Canuck]

Bought some +2 diopter paste ons from Amazon. They make regualr glasses into bi-focals but what I did was cut and appled to the pop up maagnifier. Not perfect as you may have to move your eye aro9und to get the perfect sweet spot. It works for me . Cheers!

 

[xya]

On my Rolleiflexes I use the magnifier and lay off my glasses. Until now I have always found the good distance between my eyes and the magnifier where everything on the ground glass is perfectly clear. For other cameras I use a ground glass magnifier with adaptable focus, an old Russian one in my case. It's about 2 inches by 2 inches and can be placed into every waist level finder.

 

[Axelwik]

I've found that while using the flip up magnifier on a Rolleiflex I can get better focus by keeping my eyes at the normal distance above the camera. You can only see a small portion of the ground glass this way, but getting critical focus is much easier than putting my eye down on the magnifier. So to focus I flip up the magnifier and focus where I want, then flip the magnifier back down, compose, and shoot.