B&H super 8 zoom 1201- how to focus

[metroshane]

I just got the above mentioned camera and am having a problem focusing. It has a multi-purpose lense (wide-telephoto) and says all you have to do to focus is set the perspective of the lens (wide-telephoto,etc) then set the distance on a 'distance scale' and the film will be in focus.

But when I look through the view finder it's no where near in focus. In fact the camera seems to only be in focus at full telephoto or full wide angle.

Should I trust the camera's instructions, or my eye?

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[metroshane]

We called that critical focus back in the video days, but even when I critical focus at maximum zoom, it's out of focus (according to the eye piece) when I re frame.

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[mcarter4121]

That happens to zoom lenses; they need to be colimnated (sp) so they do stay in focus. Best to check them before shooting film.

I have a monster lens that is missing the follow cams and so nothing works like it should. Have a look.
http://www.16mmoviemaking.com/bolex.htm

Nobody wants to fix it. They just want to sell theirs for $750 or $900. I'll pass thankyou and then I'll spend an afternoon measuring and writing down everything it does do. Hmmm. I hope it always does the same thing... since it changed in the first place,, it most likely won't.
Prime lenses are best since this doesn't happen to them. I took some apart to clean and had to start the threads on the correct one to get them to focus at the correct distances, but that is nothing compared to zoom lenses inside.

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[mcarter4121]

Classic instructions for a zoom lens are to zoom in first on your subject, zoom in all the way. Focus at maximum zoom. Then, zoom out to frame the shot; the lens should stay in focus for all zoom settings for just that subject or everything at that distance.
Be sure to set you eyepiece for your eye first. Zoom in to maximum, focus at infinity, and focus the diopter for your eye and lock in it place. Now you can use the zoom on a nearer subject as told above.

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