[JimboWalker]

Just found a Spotmatic at an estate sale with a 50mm 1.4 lens....Cheap! Focusing through the finder is very odd! The image is soft. The camera and lens is in very nice shape. ALL glass is clean. Not sure how to diagnose. I have tried my other lenses and same look. Mirror is clean. Any ideas?

[stevebrot]

Any ideas?

Old eyes? Fungus in eyepiece or on faces of prism? Botched focus screen cleaning attempt?


Steve

[MikeMcE]

Does it ever get crisp?
Many people have mirror bumper deterioration and “clean it” damaging the fresnel/VFD screen


Hang up and DRIVE!

[35mmfilmfan]

Is an eyepiece correction lens fitted - or needed ?

[pentaxus]

First, clean the eyepiece. If it is still ugly, clean the front and back of the lens. If still not better, look through the lens with a flashlight with the light underneath and you viewing from above. You can see all the stuff inside the lens that way. The problem could also be the mirror. Extreme care is required to clean the mirror. Use q-tips dampened with lens cleaner. Move the swab slowly from one side to the other, rotating the swab so that a clean surface is always touching. Use a new swab for each stroke. Don't worry about the mirror looking pretty. You are just cleaning off stuff that could scratch the mirror. After you do this cleaning the entire surface you can use a lightly dampened swab to clean and polish using the damp side first then the dry side to polish. You will use a few swabs for this.

[MikeMcE]

Remember the mirror is front surface and can scratch by looking too hard at it! I always brush, never blow(some have hinge cover) the crud off.

Also someone may have messed up the screen and spacers and fresnel.

All lenses work the same?

Me , a quick check is set to bulb lock open and lay a ground glass magnifier on the rails / or collimate to check infinity that eliminates lens and mount. Now mirror angle and screen height can be checked after making sure eyepiece has no separation

This all assumes no eyepiece diopter installed onto eyecup


Hang up and DRIVE!

[hjoseph7]

I remember I use to run into that problem when trying to change the Focusing screen to another type of screen. If the new screen was not placed properly on the screen holder the image would either blur, or focusing became extremely unreliable.

[noblepa]

I remember I use to run into that problem when trying to change the Focusing screen to another type of screen. If the new screen was not placed properly on the screen holder the image would either blur, or focusing became extremely unreliable.

Spotmatics don't have user-replaceable focusing screens.

That's not to say that someone, either a misguided pro or an amateur camera mechanic, hasn't dismantled the camera and improperly installed a screen.

To the OP: have you been able to try these lenses on another M42 camera? That would help determine if it is the camera or the lenses.

I agree with the other posters. A thorough inspection and careful cleaning is probably the first order of business.

[MikeMcE]

Spotmatics don't have user-replaceable focusing screens.

That's not to say that someone, either a misguided pro or an amateur camera mechanic, hasn't dismantled the camera and improperly installed a screen.

To the OP: have you been able to try these lenses on another M42 camera? That would help determine if it is the camera or the lenses.

I agree with the other posters. A thorough inspection and careful cleaning is probably the first order of business.

Correct, it’s actually a simple task, if you know what’s in there.


Hang up and DRIVE!

[stevebrot]

One other possibility is that someone tried to remove the screen by fiddling with the two adjustment screws accessible from the mirror box. It is also possible that the tape that serves as a mirror hinge has loosened enough to throw the mirror out of alignment.


Steve