Is it possible for the lens to be truly off-center? I'm not just talking about paralex (sp?) error. I had some recent pics in which the subject in the macro shots showed up in the pic as in the very upper right, when I know for sure I had it framed squarely on. I'm using a Sea&Sea Pro EX, so it's hard NOT to get it centered when using the framer. I've noticed that pics other than macro also tend to be shifted to the right. How do you test for this, and is it something that can be fixed?
Off-center pics
- Thread starter Greg G.
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Greg,
I have assumed that your camera is the MMII-EX. Is that correct? And that you are using either the Macro 2T or 3T lens set up. I will proceed on that basis and if I am wrong, you can feel free to embarrass me in front of the troops. I am a little pressed for time now, but I would like to help.
Another assumption that I am making is that "normal" photos w/o the close-up lens on do not suffer from the effect you mention.
If that is true, it is possible that the macro lens is off-center. Unlikely, but possible. It is also possible that the arms are not lined up with the center of focus.
What I would do is to set up an underwater "target". This can be done in a bathtub. Get a 9" x 9" square of white plexiglas (My local TAP Plastics frequently has scraps like that. Yellow would be fine, too.). Then with a waterproof magic marker and a compass draw some concentric circles--1" dia, 2" dia, 3' dia. Be sure to mark the center also.
Now you can line your camera up perfectly and take controlled photos. You can put the bottom of the guide right on the center. Or you can try to center the lens on the center of the circles. Bracket your photos so you will be sure to get good exposures.
If you still get the off-center effect, you have a defect somewhere in the macro system. Take the camera to the shop where you bought it and show them what you have done. You can consider communicating directly with S & S, but they will likely send you back to the dealer. If the lens is defective, I am sure they will replace it.
I wish I could help more now, but I am pressed for time.
I will be away all of September...but I would like to know how your experiment works out...please e-mail me.
Joewr
I have assumed that your camera is the MMII-EX. Is that correct? And that you are using either the Macro 2T or 3T lens set up. I will proceed on that basis and if I am wrong, you can feel free to embarrass me in front of the troops. I am a little pressed for time now, but I would like to help.
Another assumption that I am making is that "normal" photos w/o the close-up lens on do not suffer from the effect you mention.
If that is true, it is possible that the macro lens is off-center. Unlikely, but possible. It is also possible that the arms are not lined up with the center of focus.
What I would do is to set up an underwater "target". This can be done in a bathtub. Get a 9" x 9" square of white plexiglas (My local TAP Plastics frequently has scraps like that. Yellow would be fine, too.). Then with a waterproof magic marker and a compass draw some concentric circles--1" dia, 2" dia, 3' dia. Be sure to mark the center also.
Now you can line your camera up perfectly and take controlled photos. You can put the bottom of the guide right on the center. Or you can try to center the lens on the center of the circles. Bracket your photos so you will be sure to get good exposures.
If you still get the off-center effect, you have a defect somewhere in the macro system. Take the camera to the shop where you bought it and show them what you have done. You can consider communicating directly with S & S, but they will likely send you back to the dealer. If the lens is defective, I am sure they will replace it.
I wish I could help more now, but I am pressed for time.
I will be away all of September...but I would like to know how your experiment works out...please e-mail me.
Joewr
blacknet
Contributor
Hello,
A couple of things to check.
Pull the framer and tube, check it to see that no warpage is occuring and that it's not bent.
Check the lens for mounting issues. Check to see that it's not pulling to one side. May have to open the back mount and the film plate to check it. Ancor the body and align the viewfinder with an object and check the lens alignment if it's off then have it serviced.
Ed
A couple of things to check.
Pull the framer and tube, check it to see that no warpage is occuring and that it's not bent.
Check the lens for mounting issues. Check to see that it's not pulling to one side. May have to open the back mount and the film plate to check it. Ancor the body and align the viewfinder with an object and check the lens alignment if it's off then have it serviced.
Ed
Most people don't even THINK of checking to see if the framer is straight or lined up correctly. But they can (and do) get bent!
Been there done that. NOT a pretty picture.
~SubMariner~
Been there done that. NOT a pretty picture.
~SubMariner~
Greg,
I was in a hurry trying to answer your question yesterday and really did not read it carefully enough. I now note that you wrote that the photos taken with the 35mm lens are also off-center.
That would indicate a problem with the camera or that lens. The addition of the macro could, indeed, exascerbate such a problem. I could agree with Ed and Sub_M about the framer, but you indicated that it was "straight" and so I thought that you had checked to make certain it was at 90 deg to the focal plane. And that framer mount on the MMII-EX is much sturdier than, say,the extension tube framer for a Nikonos.
But, it sounds like you have a lens or camera problem--and it is damn hard to imagine that you could bang the camera hard enough to shift the lens mount without rendering the camera useless. However, you could do the test I suggested and take the results to your camera shop or contact Sea & Sea directly. Sea & Sea have always been very helpful when I have contacted them with a question.
I hope this has been helpful and I apologize for not having read your post carefully enough.
Joewr...finally able to have a quiet cup of Peets coffee (but only the House Blend)
I was in a hurry trying to answer your question yesterday and really did not read it carefully enough. I now note that you wrote that the photos taken with the 35mm lens are also off-center.
That would indicate a problem with the camera or that lens. The addition of the macro could, indeed, exascerbate such a problem. I could agree with Ed and Sub_M about the framer, but you indicated that it was "straight" and so I thought that you had checked to make certain it was at 90 deg to the focal plane. And that framer mount on the MMII-EX is much sturdier than, say,the extension tube framer for a Nikonos.
But, it sounds like you have a lens or camera problem--and it is damn hard to imagine that you could bang the camera hard enough to shift the lens mount without rendering the camera useless. However, you could do the test I suggested and take the results to your camera shop or contact Sea & Sea directly. Sea & Sea have always been very helpful when I have contacted them with a question.
I hope this has been helpful and I apologize for not having read your post carefully enough.
Joewr...finally able to have a quiet cup of Peets coffee (but only the House Blend)
blacknet
Contributor
Hello,
go thru the motions of loading film but don't put any in, then align it up with the viewfinder then check the lens alignment by depressing the shutter, may take several shots but it can be done
Ed
go thru the motions of loading film but don't put any in, then align it up with the viewfinder then check the lens alignment by depressing the shutter, may take several shots but it can be done
Ed
I'm basically a self-taught, trial-and-error "point-n-shooter", so some of the more technical jargon I'm in the dark about, i.e. I have no idea just what is supposed to be 90 degrees to the focal plane. What's a focal plane? When I said I had the subject "squarely on", I meant it was perfectly centered between and near the bottom of the two upright doo-dads on the macro lens framer. It is the 2T macro lens/framer. This last batch I used slides, so I can't scan them and upload them to illustrate.
Greg,
Ed is so used to fiddling with pricey cameras that he is probably not familiar with yours. If you had a B or a T setting on your camera, you could do what Ed suggests: basically, what you do is place a piece of translucent material at the focal plane and open the shutter. You could then see the image on the translucent material. However, your slowest speed is 1/15 sec and that would make viewing the image nearly impossible.
I also do not think he has played around with the macro system your camera uses...it is very sturdy as I remember it.
So, I have to stick with my original thought--if the arms are lined up with the center of focus, do the test and take the results to your camera store.
Joewr...who loves all cameras, great and small (to paraphrase "James Herriot")
Ed is so used to fiddling with pricey cameras that he is probably not familiar with yours. If you had a B or a T setting on your camera, you could do what Ed suggests: basically, what you do is place a piece of translucent material at the focal plane and open the shutter. You could then see the image on the translucent material. However, your slowest speed is 1/15 sec and that would make viewing the image nearly impossible.
I also do not think he has played around with the macro system your camera uses...it is very sturdy as I remember it.
So, I have to stick with my original thought--if the arms are lined up with the center of focus, do the test and take the results to your camera store.
Joewr...who loves all cameras, great and small (to paraphrase "James Herriot")
Call me "blondie", but I'm not sure I get what you're saying. Ok, I'm supposed to be looking into the back of the open camera at the lens while I depress the shutter? Well, I did try, but even with the aperture opened wide and the shutter speed at its slowest, I still can't see anything but a blur.
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