View Full Version : CLA in LA
i've been having constant problems with the focus on the ground glass not ending up in the same place in the negative. i'd like to have the camera "tuned up", but loath the idea of shipping it to NY to MAC. anyone know of a place where i can get a CLA for a toyo 45G in los angeles or the surrounding area out to 100 miles?
John Kasaian
6-Jun-2007, 18:56
Try Flutot's Camera Repair in Whittier. Carol is one of the very best!
Pro Camera Service up in Thousand Oaks comes to mind...They do excellent work.
Sounds like a problem with a freznel screen being where it should not be. What type of set up do you have with your Ground Glass? This might be something that you can easily fix yourself...if you are capable of removing the GG yourself.
Vaughn
BrianShaw
6-Jun-2007, 19:10
Pro Camera Service up in Thousand Oaks comes to mind...They do excellent work.
I'd second this recommendation!
vaughn,
i'm almost sure it has to do with the fresnel. i installed a new one a while back, and was blaming operator error because i was using movements with a wide stop. focus is constantly closer on the negative from where i placed it on the ground glass. if you have a way to correct it without going through a box of film (the trial and error method), i'd like to try it.
i will give pro camera and flutot's a call in the morning.
vaughn,
i'm almost sure it has to do with the fresnel. i installed a new one a while back, and was blaming operator error because i was using movements with a wide stop. focus is constantly closer on the negative from where i placed it on the ground glass. if you have a way to correct it without going through a box of film (the trial and error method), i'd like to try it.
i will give pro camera and flutot's a call in the morning.
If you placed the fresnel between the the GG and the lens, that is your error -- just reverse them. Except in a few odd cases, the fresnel goes on the side of the GG closest to your nose.
A way to double check...take the back off, put a ruler across the back and measure down to the GG with another ruler. Take a film holder and remove the dark slide -- put the holder in the back. Measure down to the film holder the same way you did to the GG that the film holder just replaced.
Should be the same distance...has to be the same distance to work. The whole idea is that you focus on the GG and when you slip in the film holder, the film will be positioned exactly where the GG was when you focused.
Now, re-reading your post ("focus is constantly closer on the negative from where i placed it on the ground glass") has me confused. If you mean that when you focus on the GG at something 6 feet away, the negative is actually focused at 5 feet away... then the situation you described seems to indicate that the film plane ends up farther away from the lens then where you focused the GG.
This just re-inforces the reasons I don't like Fresnels!!!LOL!!! If you are confused as I am at the moment, you'd be better off taking it to a pro!
Good luck!
Vaughn
i looked at a test that i did last week for the focus. same lens, film, holder, and stop for the chart test and the kitten photo. the only difference is that both standards were parallel to the subject in the chart test. in the photo of the kittens, the standards were parallel, but the camera was pointed downward, and not parallel to the subject. i'm lost. the chart test looks fine, focus is where it's supposed to be. so why are the kittens (and the box directly behind them) soft with focus appearing about 2 to 3 feet in front of them? is this focus shift too great to be a fresnel problem? 135mm@f11. please forgive my poor scans.
Bob Gentile
6-Jun-2007, 22:55
"... i will give pro camera and flutot's a call in the morning..."
I think this is a fresnel problem, as Vaughn says.
Not sure if Carol Miller (at Flutot's) could help, since she's more of a shutter tech and this does not sound like a shutter problem.
But, by all means, run it by her. You have nothing to lose. Carol is as honest as the day is long -- if your problem is outside her expertise, she'll say so. She won't BS you.
The images are too soft on my screen to be of much help. Seems to me that the best test would be to shoot your test chart relatively close with your lens wide open (fill the frame with the test chart). That way you'll have min. depth of field and you'll know if you are focusing correctly (you'll need to correct exposure for bellows extention). One sheet of film should do it.
View cameras are rather simple -- there is not much to tune-up on them other than making sure the GG and film are on the same plane. If one's springs are a little loose, the GG might not be in its proper position when one is focusing, but that is something one can easily see while using the camera. If one forgets to tighten up the standards on the rails after focusing, a standard might move a little --especially with the camera pointed down. I find the biggest problem with my view cameras is the idiot under the dark cloth.
Vaughn
Doremus Scudder
7-Jun-2007, 01:50
Quick test for focus accuracy:
With the standards parallel and the camera pointing down, focus and shoot wide-open a ruler laid horizontally (with one end close to the camera, the other far away). Get as close as you can to the ruler to shoot (i.e. "macro"). You should only be able to focus on one small area, e.g. the 6-inch mark. Everything else should be out-of-focus. Note exactly which mark is in focus. Insert film holder and shoot. Develop and examine the negative with an 8 or 10 power loupe to see if the same mark is in focus or not. If the focus is closer, the distance from lens to film is longer than from lens to ground glass. If the focus is farther out, the opposite is true (this is the more common situation).
I test my cameras' focus regularly when I am printing. The set up is an easy table-top shot, and I just toss the negatives in the print developer for 2-4 minutes, stop, fix for a minute, rinse a bit and examine them wet. This takes only 5 or 10 minutes.
If you have installed a Fresnel lens recently, that is probably your problem. If you have made any modifications to the ground glass or film mounting areas (e.g. removing or adding velvet or felt, removing the ground glass and losing a shim without knowing it, etc. that could be the problem too.
Solutions: Make sure your Fresnel lens is mounted correctly. If it is after-market, it should probably go behind the ground glass (closest to the operator). However, this is not always true. Reversing the position of the Fresnel and re-testing will tell the tale.
If you have made any other modifications then 1) make sure the film holders are seating correctly (I added what I thought was an exact replacement velvet strip to my Wista years ago and threw the focus way out!). If you are sure the film holders are seating properly, and everything else is correct then 2) shim the ground glass to place it in the proper position. Shims can be made of cardboard, gasket material etc. Getting the correct thickness is often difficult and requires trial and error and further testing. If, for some reason, the focus is too long and there are no shims to remove, you need to modify your camera back somehow. This situation happens very, very rarely, since cameras are made to focus correctly. Losing a shim or installing the Fresnel incorrectly are the usual problems.
Hope this helps.
Doremus Scudder
The test with the ruler sounds better than my suggestion.
Vaughn
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