Nikon rangefinder lens mount focusing

[christoph_hammann]

Hi all!<br>

Forgive the newbie question, but I recently aquired a Nikon S3 Milennium Black Edition which I intend to use ...<br><br>

Ok, the collectors can stop hyperventilating, it has already been used slightly, so it's lost to this market, I guess.<br>

Here's my practical use question: Does it harm the focusing mechanism if I focus by turning the lens barrel directly instead of using the

Contax-style focusing wheel? Mind you, I like this wheel and the resulting possibility to use the camera one-handed in a street photography

situation. But I doubt i can shake off old Leica habits that fast.<br>

So, any harm done?<br><br>

TIA!<br>

Christoph

[photo5]

That doesn't work, turning the wheel will move the lens in and out, it does not turn the entire lens. I used a Contax IIIa rangefinder that was my fathers camera before he bought his Nikon F in 1969, and using my finger to focus with the wheel felt very natural to me.

[dave_reichert1]

No harm at all. Some lenses are much easier to handle by focusing with the barrel, rather than the wheel. Just do what feels

most comfortable to you.

[michaelging]

I think ,at least with my Nikon S2, that they recomend not using the Focus wheel when using lenses that use the external mount as opposed to the internal mount. The external mount would be the lenses like the 135mm tele, and the 35mm 2.5 as this put too much pressure on the linkage. Here is a excellent site with some information.

 

http://www.cameraquest.com/NRF-Ctx.htm

[jose_angel]

I almost never use the focus wheel on my IIa, I prefer the more precise feel of the focus barrel. In fact, many times I wondered about the usefulness of this odd mechanism, I really don`t know about the reason of this design. In the opposite, I think (at least in my Contax) that using the focus wheel the camera is more prone to damage due to the linkage than focusing directly with the barrel.

[bjørn rørslett]

Only the 50mm lenses are comfortably focused using the thumbwheel and even for these, you can do faster by turning the lens collar.

[ken_kartes]

Turn the lens, much faster.

[christoph_hammann]

Thanks for all your answers. Bjorn, I'm enjoying reading the S3 experience on your site!

Much appreciated.

 

Christoph