Even if it's off a mm or so why wouldn't the depth of field keep it focus since the press photographer used the distance scale.
Even if it's off a mm or so why wouldn't the depth of field keep it focus since the press photographer used the distance scale.
You seem to want more sharpness than's needed for reproduction in a newspaper.Originally Posted by campy
Why don’t you focus critically on the gg with a good loupe adjusted to be focused on the grain side of the gg and then refocus a mm, or so, near and then far and see what happens to the spot you focused on?
At the f stop you would use.
That may be the issue. Newspapers aren't that sharp and a 4x5 negative isn't enlarged much, if at all, to get there.
I bet, with some very careful work, you could make a custom cam that's pretty damned accurate.
-Chris
Depth of Field_Depth of Focus produces area in the image that appears to be in focus. A lens can focus the image to what is essentially a single point, unless the lens is focused at true infinity.
All photographic lenses are design-optimized to be at their best for a range of lens apertures. As any lens is stopped down, there comes a size in the effective aperture where the physical size of colored light cannot be smooshed pass the opening aka taking aperture and they spray out in an effort trying.
https://www.imagen-estilo.com/Articl...ion-limit.html
That Xenar has a optimum taking aperture from f8 to about f16, as the taking aperture becomes smaller, diffraction begins to degrade what is possible for optical performance. Diffraction effects happens to ALL lenses and optical lens system, no exceptions.
Keep in mind a Crown Graphic is a range finder News Press camera never designed or intended to be a high precision sheet film camera. Unless the range finder is calibrated with absolute precision and accuracy to a specific lens, it's system performance will always be modest.. Regardless of the lens being used with the Crown Graphic_Rangefinder and...
Do try using this Xenar by focusing with the Ground Glass and loupe to achieve sharp focus on a specific area in the image. This is likely to improve the images produced long as this sample of Xenar is in GOOD optical condition, film holder and film is flat, precise alignment from film holder area to ground glass. Try a taking aperture of f11, focused on the ground glass, note the area that has been focused on.
Film type and film processing can affect the perception of "sharpness"..
Second factor, do not confuse high contrast with low contrast. The Xenar is a low contrast, high "sharpness" lens. Typical modern lens is high contrast with similar "sharpness". Neither is better or worst, it is much a image maker preference.
Know contrast rendition is a trade off, higher contrast will often produce a visually "harder hitting" image, but lack the subtle contrast gradations a lower contrast lens can render. The lower contrast lens can render contrast gradations well, but cannot produce a visually "hard hitting" image. Again, there is not correct_not-correct to this, it is part of the personality of any given lens and it is up to the print image maker to decide what fits best for their print image goals.
Bernice
So, have you actually shot this lens yet, and did you find the results unacceptable???
One of the pros I worked with used the top lenses for studio 4x5's, but wanted a Graphic for field personal work... I found him one cheap with an old 135mm Optar, and he went out to Joshua Tree to shoot landscapes... He came back with film, and he was glowing about how he thought these were "special" for their look... His "new" favorite lens... (And the Xenar was the premium lens when that camera was new...)
Shoot it for a while, and find out what it can do...
Have fun!!!
Steve K
“ Depth of Field_Depth of Focus produces area in the image that appears to be in focus.”
Depth of field is the area in front and behind the point in sharp focus in front of the lens.
Depth of focus is the area behind the lens that the image plane has to lie in.
Depth of field, the longer the focal length the narrower the depth of field.
Depth of focus, the shorter the focal length the narrower the depth of focus.
My dad bought a new Pacemaker Crown in 1964 that I used all through high school and college in the 60’s. He eventually gave it to me and I continued to use it until buying a Technika 70 kit. It has the 135 Xenar and to this day is very sharp. In the 70’s I worked for the Department of Energy where we continued to use Super Speeds and vintage Crown. I still have my old Pacemaker and continue to use it.
From my experience it’s not uncommon for lenses or cams to get swapped around resulting in mismatched lenses and cams and incorrectly set infinity stops. The first thing I’d do is check infinity focus and adjust the stops if needed and then see if the cam matches the lens. There’s a good chance one or more of these conditions is the problem. I’ve see quite a few Crowns and Speeds with this lens and never seen one that wasn’t sharp.
Someone stated felt the Pacemaker RF system was better than the Master Technika, having owned / RF coupled Technika V 6x9’s and a 4x5 Master that I used eXtensively for nearly thirty years, I can say without hesitation. I’ll take the Master any day of the week. The Technika is so easy to swap cams and accuracy is fabulous. The Pacemaker is a good camera though.
I have only taken a couple of pictures and they were indoors with flash. I hope to get outdoors and shoot some using the GG but I bought it so I can use it as a point and shoot with the hope that the quality will be better than my medium format.
With these cameras being upward of 50 years old at this point, could existing cams have worn along the bearing edge and eroded their accuracy?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-Chris
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