Hello I recently bought a beautiful Voigtlander vitomatic IIa. Everything seems to work well, except that the focus ring does not move. (see for image link below: manual of the Vitomatic II, not the IIa). www.cameramanuals.org/voigtlander_pdf/voigtlander_vitomatic-ii.pdf.
Can I repair this blocked focusing ring? (Within a range of 3 meters, there is that parallax) If not: is it possible to replace the lens (although it's a fixed lens)?
Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2008 - 07:45 am:
It is possible that somebody has removed the focusing ring (four peripheral set-screws and it slides off) ... and then replaced it at the closest focus index as with the lens already fully screwed in on its helix. In such as instance the focusing ring would be incapable of further inwards rotation.
Easy to fix provided no damage has occurred. With a PERFECTLY fitting screwdriver - remove the aforementioned four setscrews and lift off the focusing ring.
With the aperture wide open and the shutter open on "B", place a ground-glass screen in the filmplane and view a far distant (infinity) subject. If the scene on the ground-glass is not razor sharp, rotate the actual lens until it becomes so. Now reinstall the focusing ring with its scale index at infinity.
