Mamiya 645 focus issue?

I can see what you are getting at with photos you have posted. You are trying for a big depth of field with the foreground and the far distance in focus.

The thing is you can never really rely on the DOF scales on the lens and I appreciate that you can see that it appears fine in the view finder but if you were using a prism on the Pro then I find them difficult make a proper judgement of focus across the frame.

My own system is to use a WLF when DOF is critical as they have a nice magnifier built in which lets me get a good idea of what is going on. I also always give the scale on the lens at least an extra F stop when looking for a large DOF and even when stopping down to see the effect it is not always 100% correct in my experience.

I think you will find there is nothing wrong with your gear and the more you use it the better you will get.
 
Cannyekerslike said:
I can see what you are getting at with photos you have posted. You are trying for a big depth of field with the foreground and the far distance in focus.

The thing is you can never really rely on the DOF scales on the lens and I appreciate that you can see that it appears fine in the view finder but if you were using a prism on the Pro then I find them difficult make a proper judgement of focus across the frame.

My own system is to use a WLF when DOF is critical as they have a nice magnifier built in which lets me get a good idea of what is going on. I also always give the scale on the lens at least an extra F stop when looking for a large DOF and even when stopping down to see the effect it is not always 100% correct in my experience.

I think you will find there is nothing wrong with your gear and the more you use it the better you will get.
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Good advice thanks. Think it's just the idiot behind the lens.
 
abdoujaparov said:
The online DoFMaster (http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html) suggests 1.8m to 7m DoF for 6x4.5/45mm/f11/2.75m with a 0.045 circle of confusion.

Given that, I'm not sure there's a problem at all, except maybe on the lens markings. The stuff in the foreground is sharp, infinity isn't.
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Thanks for the link. Begins to strengthen what I thought about human error.
 
Do you wear spectacles?
As a subject we have never discussed here is:- if you need different ones for different seeing distances (esp when old) can they make a difference when focussing......you'd think I would know being old but sometimes when doing close up shots I can get the subject that I think is sharp, but the results show different and it's something sharp in front or behind (of course it could be the idiot behind the camera :D). One day I'll sort through my many spectacles and use one that I think is best for my cameras.
 
excalibur2 said:
Do you wear spectacles?
As a subject we have never discussed here is:- if you need different ones for different seeing distances (esp when old) can they make a difference when focussing......you'd think I would know being old but sometimes when doing close up shots I can get the subject that I think is sharp, but the results show different and it's something sharp in front or behind (of course it could be the idiot behind the camera :D). One day I'll sort through my many spectacles and use one that I think is best for my cameras.
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Yes this is an interesting one. I have recently acquired a couple of old Nikon Cameras namely a FM and an FE and found that nothing was clear through the view finder. After much research I found that these cameras had the view finder set to -1 Diopter and to get a clear view I ned a 0 diopter Nikon adjustment lens top correct the problem. Additional the Nikon 0 diopter lens is in fact +1 diopter although marked 0 dipoter. So adding the 0 dipoter ( +1) lens to the camera it brings the view finder to 0 diopter and I can see every thing clearly. Do not make things easy do they.....
 
excalibur2 said:
Do you wear spectacles?
As a subject we have never discussed here is:- if you need different ones for different seeing distances (esp when old) can they make a difference when focussing......you'd think I would know being old but sometimes when doing close up shots I can get the subject that I think is sharp, but the results show different and it's something sharp in front or behind (of course it could be the idiot behind the camera :D). One day I'll sort through my many spectacles and use one that I think is best for my cameras.
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Good question but no, no specs, might be worth me booking an appointment for peace of mind though!
 
Bell said:
Good question but no, no specs, might be worth me booking an appointment for peace of mind though!
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Well everyone should have their eyes tested even if you don't need specs as they test for possible future problems e.g cataracts, glaucoma etc
 
Bit of an update:
Done the test shots, developed and scanned. It seems I am officially the weak link, as expected.
Shots at f11 are perfectly acceptable when focused at 5m.
Shots at f16 are good at 3m focal distance.
I will add some test shots when I get to my computer at the weekend but would just like to say thanks to all who have helped.
 
Good stuff Matt, always nice to solve a problem without having to send a camera away or spend money....I find that I am behind the majority of the problems I have......I wish you good shooting with it..
 
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