Voightlander Perkeo I - focussing?

[Colin Corneau]

I came across this little gem recently. It's in minty condition, and a test roll shows the speeds are all OK.

There doesn't seem to be a rangefinder on it - is focussing with this camera a matter of estimating distances? (of which I'm not, apparently, very talented at)

Or is there an external rangefinder I can get that fits into the hotshoe? Any advice?

 

[pschauss]

If you keep the lens stopped down to at least 8 or 11 the depth of field will cover for your inaccurate estimate of the distance. According to the manual ( http://www.cameramanuals.org/voigtlander_pdf/voigtlander_perkeo_i.pdf - page 11), there are marks on the distance scale to help.

 

[R gould]

The perkeo 1 is a non rangefinder camera, you need to guesstimate the distance, it takes practice, but with the lens stopped well down you can afford to be a little out, you can get various shoe mounted rangefinders, there were a lot made in the 50's and earlier, and shouldn't cost the earth and are well worth getting, I have a Voightlander Bessa 66,from 1938, and from the Perkeo was developed, and they are very nice cameras and capable of nice photographs,Richard

 

[Colin Corneau]

Thanks folks. I did use the 'zone focusing' method, and shot at either f/8 or f/11...a few were out, though which is a shame, since it seems to be a sharp lens.

If anyone has a suggestion for a shoe-mounted rangefinder and isn't tired of helping a newbie yet...I'm all ears.

 

[R gould]

Colin, I got hold of a shoe mounted watemeter rangefinder, there are a lot of makes, all as good as each other, the Watameter maker made rangefinder'sfor a lot of firms, I believe Voightlander themselves made some, I doubt if one is that much better than another,they are very simple devices,just look on Ebay or around, they shouldn't cost more than £10 to £15 for a good one that you can use with any future buys, Richard

 

[DWThomas]

I do pretty well with guesstimates with my Perkeo II, but there are rangefinders that slip into the accessory shoe. Voigtländer made a rangefinder, some calibrated in feet, some in meters. Certo6 on ePrey often has them at auction, but the prices are a bit staggering. I guess they are infected by the collector lust that follows the Voitländer Bessa series cameras. They've been running from the mid-sixties (USD) up to well over a hundred. Sometimes I wonder if the buyers think they get a camera with the rangefinder. I picked up a Watameter for $41 in May last year, though I admit to seldom using it.

 

[R gould]

I got my watameter for £10 GBP last year, and the dealer I used always has rangefinders for around that price, shame you are so far away,Richard

 

[ntenny]

I got an accessory rangefinder very cheap---around US$10, I think---by just being patient on eBay, making lowball bids until one came up where I was the only bidder. It's made a lot of difference in the "hit rate" of my shots with scale-focus folders (apart from landscapes, where infinity is pretty easy to eyeball).

There are "build your own" plans kicking around that seem pretty feasible; a rangefinder isn't really a very complicated device. Seems worth a try, time permitting.

-NT

 

[MattKing]

Practice .

I started out with scale focussing cameras when I was young, so that probably helps a lot.

It is a learn-able skill, and it comes in quite handy at times.

Even with my cameras that have some sort of focus aid, I always find it useful to have the focus pre-set to a useful distance.

If you can guesstimate 3 metres/10 feet with some reliability, everything else comes fairly easily.

By the way, it is a skill that transfers well to the rest of life. Any time my wife and I go shopping for something for the home, I usually frustrate her greatly by being able to tell if something will fit even before we get the tape measure out .

 

[2F/2F]

It's not too hard to use when you have strong light and your subject of focus is not all that close to you. If not, you probably want to get a standalone rangefinder for it, or carry a tape measure if you will be primarily on a tripod shooting a primarily static subject.

 

[graywolf]

If you can learn to recognize 5 feet, 1.5m (head & shoulders), and 10 feet, 3m (full length), and the exposure for them in your usual shooting conditions, you can do 80% of your shots without a rangefinder, or a meter. For landscapes put the far DOF mark on infinity and you are into 90%. Most of our usually shots are covered with those three settings. Soon, you will learn how much time you have been wasting with fiddle focusing, and those 1/3 of a stop exposure settings.

 

[Ken Smith]

As mentioned previously, there are numerous accessory rangefinders you can buy if you don't want to hone your distance skills. And actually, instead of being a crutch, one of these clip on rangefinders can help you hone your estimations. The important "duh" thing to do, is get one according to how your camera is scaled i.e "feet" or "meters". Voigtlanders were scaled in both, my Perkeo II is scaled in meters, my Bessa I in feet. Voigtlander made a nice rangefinder for their scaled focus cameras, but often they are pricey on the used market - especially on Ebay. There are several that are designed like the Voigtlander and were probably made by the same German company - like those labeled ROWI and Metis. I have the ROWI marked one and it is quite bright and the split image easy to see.

Being used, most clip on rangefinders need their optics cleaned and needing ajustment. Usually adjusting them is straightforward and adjusting for Infinity usually has them adjusted for all ranges from minimum focus out to infinity. Cleaning the interior mirrors/prisms can be a pain, especially if the screws to disassemble is hidden by a covering. The three I mentioned above are easy to disassemble because the screws are exposed and easy to remove.

Ken

 

[Andrew K]

One thought - I've used quite a few of these older cameras, and the focussing is quite often not adjusted correctly.

Tape a piece of frosted sticky tape across the film opening (from top to bottom from the to to bottom film guide), set the lens to infinity, open the aperture and fire the shutter on B.

Everything should be in focus. If it's not loosen the 3 screws around the lens bezel, adjust the lens to correct infinity focus, and refit the focus ring.

Recheck the focus to make sure that nothing moved...

Now when you use a rangefinder it should match up with the lens scale . I've used various old folders from Voightlander, Zeiss, Agfa, Dacora etc and all have showned improved results once I've tweeked the focus...and by sharp I mean at wide apertures at 6ft..

 

[elekm]

Voigtlander made a rangefinder that slid into the accessory shoe. It's technically not a "hot" shoe, because there is no electronic connection when you slide a flash unit into it. You still have to use a cable to connect to the shutter.

Anyway, the Voigtlander rangefinder is quite good. It's small, and it's accurate.

Just make sure that the one you buy uses the same measurement unit (feet or meters) as your camera. Otherwise, you can end up with a camera with a lens marked in meters (or feet) and a rangefinder with its scale marked in feet (or meters).