Leaf Aptus75 out of alignment

[yaya]

The sensor, if needed will be adjusted to Hasselblad's spec, not ours. This is done under a microscope in a clean environment and as far as I know there's no facility for this outside of Denmark, Israel and the US.

By Calibration I'm referring to something else, not the positioning of the sensor...

Yair

[eronald]

The sensor, if needed will be adjusted to Hasselblad's spec, not ours. This is done under a microscope in a clean environment and as far as I know there's no facility for this outside of Denmark, Israel and the US.

By Calibration I'm referring to something else, not the positioning of the sensor...

Yair

In these days of détente, you might possibly explain to those of us who do not have the benefit of NSA what "something else" means?


Edmund

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,


Inspired by your issues I made some test with my stuff. 555ELD and a P45+. I found that I was front focusing about 1.5 cm at 130 cm distance. After that I made some pictures at f/2.8 on my Planar 80/2.8, infinity came out sharp.

After that I decided to try to adjust the focusing screen. The idea was to focus the camera, thad adjust the camera position for best sharpness. I was using a 15X loupe on the split image on the viewing screen. Finally I gave up. Moving the camera back and forth gave no shift in viewfinder image (or on split image), although 1 cm of shift was quite noticable on the images at 1:1 view.

So, I am pretty sure that my camera could be improved, but I also have seen that the error is beyond my focusing accuracy. That said, my PM5 finder is at my optitian who is making a new ocular fitting my vision for me. When I get it back I may repeat the experiment.

Best regards
Erik

Just before selling my Hasselblad V kit I bought an Aptus75 for a very good price.

I own an H3D39 kit with seven lenses since 2007, which I don´t want to sell at all, but I just wanted to use the old V again.

The screen of the back behaves a bit erratic. You have to type two or three times on it until it does what you want. I did already re-align it, but it didn´t change. I don´t care.

The other thing I found out is not so good: there is a severe front focus. I did some tests with my own two Hasselblad bodies (new 501CM and old 500C). With the CF80mm I have to focus via acute matte screen and then manually turn the distance ring between three and for millimeters further to hit the focus. Yesterday I met a friend who has a 503CW with a 80mm CFE. Same test, same result.

I practical use, if you take a photograph of a woman holding her handbag in front of her, if you focus on her face, in the picture the handbag with be in focus and the face will be out of focus. I also did several tests on a  tripod with not moving subjects like chairs on so on, same result. I evaluated the misalignment to be arround 0,2 millimeters.

I called Peter Kleiber from PhotoUniversal in Stuttgart, a Leaf dealer for Germany. He said it is very unlikely that an Aptus 75 is out of focus adjustment, these backs were so robust, he never saw one that was out of adjustment. But, if an adjustment has to be made it has to be send to Israel and the total cost would be something arround 800,- EUR including shipment. Well, I think my back is definitely out of adjustment.

So if it is necessary, I will invest the money. No problem. But how can I be sure, that after alingment the back is in focus with my Hasselblad? Can I send my camera body an a lens together with the back for calibration? Is it really necessary to do this in Israel? There is a PhaseOne Service center in Cologne. I could simply drive there. I wonder if P1 does service for Leaf? I mean they own it?

What would you do? Any similar experiences?

I have to mention I shot aperture open most of the time.

Thanks,

Bernd

[Bernd B.]

In these days of détente, you might possibly explain to those of us who do not have the benefit of NSA what "something else" means?


Edmund

Calibration is electronics. Adjustment means mechanics.

Best,

Bernd

[Bernd B.]

Hi,


Inspired by your issues I made some test with my stuff. 555ELD and a P45+. I found that I was front focusing about 1.5 cm at 130 cm distance. After that I made some pictures at f/2.8 on my Planar 80/2.8, infinity came out sharp.

After that I decided to try to adjust the focusing screen. The idea was to focus the camera, thad adjust the camera position for best sharpness. I was using a 15X loupe on the split image on the viewing screen. Finally I gave up. Moving the camera back and forth gave no shift in viewfinder image (or on split image), although 1 cm of shift was quite noticable on the images at 1:1 view.

So, I am pretty sure that my camera could be improved, but I also have seen that the error is beyond my focusing accuracy. That said, my PM5 finder is at my optitian who is making a new ocular fitting my vision for me. When I get it back I may repeat the experiment.

Best regards
Erik

I found out some years ago that in the days of digital capture a prism finder on a Hasselblad is almost useless when shooting wide open. The image displayed by the prism is just not clear or sharp enough to nail the focus. Since then I only use the WLF with the loupe.

If your camera focusses fine to infinity everything is ok! Please don´t try to change the adjustment of your focussing screen by yourself. I´ve read the service manual for a 503CW. Very special equipment is needed to adjust the ground glass correctly. Don´t ruin it!

As I already elaborated in my case it is obviously the back which is out of adjustment, because I cannot focus to infinity at all. It is mechanically not possible. When I set the distance ring of the lens to the maximum, objects with a distance of about 40 to 50 meters turn out sharp, whilst at infinity are out of focus.

I got PM from a photographer claiming all leaf backs are adjusted that way. He says they are optimized for f/8 until f/11 for some (good?) reasons. He got his Aptus changed to be able to focus at infinity with open aperture. Afterwards the back worked fine for him with all of his camera bodies, AF and MF. When he exchanged the Aptus for a Credo, he found the same problems and again got it solved in the same manner: adjusting the back to focus correctly at infinity with open aperture. That did it. Solved all problems for him, also for other distances. I think that will do it for me, too.

Bernd