Zenit TTL problems!

<p>I've recently got a Zenit TTL without a lens, but I bought an adapter so I could just use the Nikon lenses I already had on it. I haven't used it with any film yet, but looking through the viewfinder, unless very close up, everything is out of focus.<br>

I've attempted changing the screw that holds up the shutter (as some websites have said), but it only makes a slight difference (even when its out so far it is about to fall out, infinity focus is an arms length away).<br>

Firstly, is there any way that I can alter this so the focus is correct and I'm not just using this camera for macro photos?<br>

and secondly, if I use the camera with the best possible option I've gotten so far (screw what the shutter rests on so far out that there is a large gap between the base of the inside of the camera and the bottom of the shutter) will the film get exposed?<br>

Any advice would be great, and let me know if you need any more information!<br>

Thank you!</p>

 

<p>That's because your adapter is acting as an extension tube, thus limiting the focus of the lens. There's no way to get anything close to infinity focus with an adapter like that, and no alterations to the camera will work either.</p>

<p>Thanks for the response, I'll work on getting me an M42 lens!<br>

Thanks again!</p>

<p>Start with a Helios-44 (Biotar copy) - probably best results / cost for any normal lens on Earth. No shortage of good M42 glass out there.</p>

 

<p>You can find much better lenses than the helios for a lot less money, especially if you live in the U.S., where the shipping cost of getting a Helios lens from Europe is several times that of the actual worth of the lens itself. <br>

You can find Yashinons and the Mamiya 2/50 pretty cheap. The Pentacon/Oreston 1.8/50 is also better/cheaper. These lenses also have manual/auto switches for the aperture - or a DOF preview button which is a great feature lacking from the Helios lenses. </p>

<p>The Helios 44 WILL provide DOF preview by simply moving the preset aperture select ring on the lens from the fully open (focussing) position to the closed (preset aperture select) position.<br>

Simple ain't it!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Oh yeah, give up automatic aperture operation for the "convenience" of a preset mechanism. The helios cult is getting kind of silly.</p>

<p>The manually preset aperture mechanism of the Helios 44 can give its user an almost unique advantage when determining the optimum aperture for a given DOF.<br>

The lens aperture preset selection ring on the Helios 44 carries an index mark which is in direct proximity to the aperture select ring and gives a continuous indication of effective aperture between fully open to the preset limit. If the preset end limit is initially set to minimum aperture, once the lens has been focussed at fully open to the principal object of interest, the aperture preset ring is then progressively rotated towards the minimum aperture setting until the required image DOF is observed in the viewfinder, at which point the effective aperture can be directly read from the aperture select ring using the preset selection index mark. At this point you only have to select the correct shutter speed for the indicated aperture and take the picture.<br>

If you think this is being cultist and silly, then tough - I call it thinking laterally.<br>

Have a nice day</p>