Focussing on the Bronica S2A

[John Fontana]

I have the quite common problem with my Bronica S2A of not being able to focus on infinity despite replacing the foam beneath the ground glass and, probably less effectively, on the mirror. I think I will need to send it to a camera repairer.
In the meantime, my question is this; the mirror and ground glass are only aids to focussing. Assuming the 75 mm Nikkor-P f2.8 lens is properly calibrated, if the focussing point on the lens is set such that depth of field extends to infinity by depth of field tables or phone apps, then the camera should achieve sharpness at infinity irrespective of not being able to show it on the ground glass. Am I correct?

 

[cgw]

Try it and keep careful notes on your settings per shot. You might ask around at photrio.com.

Problem with the old "heavy metal" focal plane shutter models is simply finding a tech who knows them. Unsure if he's still around but Frank Marshman("the Camera Whiz")was the old Bronica whisperer for years.

 

[John Fontana]

Thanks, cgw. I am in the UK so not so easy to access Frank Marshman though he is still working from home, it seems

 

[cgw]

Frankly, because DOF is so shallow till minimum f5.6/f8 on those lenses, you just might get away with some focus imprecision. Experiment.

 

[John Fontana]

It was a recent roll of film that prompted my theoretical enquiry. With lens set at infinity and an aperture probably of f16, the tree-line and a house on the horizon were definitely soft.

 

[cgw]

Here:

Bronica S2: replacement of mirror and focus foam adjustement pads

so I bought a Bronica S2 that had no been used the last ten years. Being well aware from tons of comments on the net that it uses foam to position the mirror and the focusing screen, the first thing I did yesterday before going use it, was to check that. It's very easy, yet a couple screws were t...

www.photo.net

Just snoop around online. Answers require mining for oldies.

 

[John Fontana]

Thanks, cgw. I did in fact use this Youtube on working on my own camera. Still wondering about the point I was querying of whether it should be possible to get sharp pictures to infinity irrespective of the viewfinder focussing problems