Problems with sharpness

[Crown-LF]

I could use a bit of advice - I have a chamonix 45n-1 and a caltar-n 1:5.6 150mm lens.
I just seem to be not getting the clarity of detail I'd like - the focus lacks the sharpness I'm after...and I'd like some advice/feedback


on the ground glass, the image/image area does seem to be sharp but when developed and scanned, i look at it and it just isn't really sharp.

i use d76 1:1 with hp5 rated 400 usually.

i've attached an image

the problem i know is most likely me

[Bob Salomon]

I could use a bit of advice - I have a chamonix 45n-1 and a caltar-n 1:5.6 150mm lens.
I just seem to be not getting the clarity of detail I'd like - the focus lacks the sharpness I'm after...and I'd like some advice/feedback


on the ground glass, the image/image area does seem to be sharp but when developed and scanned, i look at it and it just isn't really sharp.

i use d76 1:1 with hp5 rated 400 usually.

i've attached an image

the problem i know is most likely me

Or an improperly installed ground glass.
Take a yardstick. Prop it up at a 45° angle.
Focus carefully on the middle of the yardstick. See if the sharpest point on the film is at the spot you focused on or is it in front or behind that spot.
You are using a quality, adjustable loupe to focus?

[Greg]

Improperly installed fresnel lens (in front of the GG?) - happened to me once when cleaning and rebuilding a Nikon Multiphot
One of the groups of lens elements not OEM for a Caltar-n 1:5.6 150mm lens - Over the years I had acquired two lenses with this problem
OEM installed shims removed from lens - hard to determine this
This may sound obvious but once I acquired a lens that the front and rear groups of elements were mounted in reverse
Echoing Bob's "You are using a quality, adjustable loupe to focus?" Adjustable focus is not set correctly for viewing a GG
Please let us know what the problem was... "mistakes are teachers in disguise"
Good luck

[Dan Fromm]

Another possibility. Scanner. If you want to evaluate a negative, look at it with the help of a loupe.

[nolindan]

When I first started out with LF I found I was stopping down too much. The image quality really went to hell if I stopped down past f22.

[Crown-LF]

Or an improperly installed ground glass.
Take a yardstick. Prop it up at a 45° angle.
Focus carefully on the middle of the yardstick. See if the sharpest point on the film is at the spot you focused on or is it in front or behind that spot.
You are using a quality, adjustable loupe to focus?

I am using a loupe and taking my time to focus, so I am getting frustrated.

I'll try that experiment to see....If my ground glass isn't properly installed, are there any videos/info on how to correct this? I haven't touched the ground glass since getting the camera a few months ago.

thanks

[Crown-LF]

Improperly installed fresnel lens (in front of the GG?) - happened to me once when cleaning and rebuilding a Nikon Multiphot
One of the groups of lens elements not OEM for a Caltar-n 1:5.6 150mm lens - Over the years I had acquired two lenses with this problem
OEM installed shims removed from lens - hard to determine this
This may sound obvious but once I acquired a lens that the front and rear groups of elements were mounted in reverse
Echoing Bob's "You are using a quality, adjustable loupe to focus?" Adjustable focus is not set correctly for viewing a GG
Please let us know what the problem was... "mistakes are teachers in disguise"
Good luck

How can I tell if the fresnel is properly installed?

And do you mind explaining your statement about 'adjustable focus is not set correctly for viewing a GG'? Just so I can understand better.

thank you

[Crown-LF]

When I first started out with LF I found I was stopping down too much. The image quality really went to hell if I stopped down past f22.

well i suppose i usually stick to f/16 most of the time, sometimes f/22....it's hard though in overcast weather sometimes to find the right settings, if you want a faster shutter speed to capture a scene that has moving elements (tree branches, something swaying in the wind etc.)

[Bob Salomon]

How can I tell if the fresnel is properly installed?

And do you mind explaining your statement about 'adjustable focus is not set correctly for viewing a GG'? Just so I can understand better.

thank you

It means that you have adjusted the eyepiece of your loupe so it is focused on the grain side of your gg.
The fresnel is placed with the smooth side facing your eye. Modern cameras place the fresnel on top of the gg, your eye side. Older cameras placed it under the gg. If it is under the gg the focus side of the gg has to be adjusted so it lies on the film plane.

[BrianShaw]

Also consider the rest of your gear; Tripod vibration, for example…