ALPA HPF rings - first hand experience?

[cly]

Would those of you using the new HPF rings be willing to share you experience? I'm interested in first hand experience using HPF rings in the close to mid-distance range, ideally using a distometer.

I don't want to start another Alpa-Arca-thread but I am familiar with the Arca RM3d way of focusing and I would like to know if using an Alpa with a distometer and HPF rings is a reasonable alternative to the Arca way of precise focusing. (Background: I'm seriously interested in the Max as the RM3d has a few features I don't like at all.)

Chris

 

[smei_ch]

I use it on a Rodenstock 70HR. Work is easy and fast, focusing on mid distances 3-6m is definitively more precise.
Even compared to the very good Alpa groundglass, which already gave a measurable gain in precision when I upgraded from the standard gg.
And you still are able to use it without any tables, which makes freehand work really fast and easy. For me this is a win-win solution.

 

[Optechs Digital]

Hi Chris,

The HPF are tremendously beneficial at close to mid range. The feed back that we get from our users and our own personal experience is that Most Alpa photographers become quite excellent at estimating distance and this becomes a preferred method . For example I can easily tell if something is closer to 12 feet away than 14 feet away. The problem has been that even though I can accurately estimate 12 feet, I don't have a good idea of where 12 feet is on the existing focus ring of the lens. The HPF ring solves this problem with its clearly marked fine incremental scale. Of course this will also work very well with a laser ranger but interestingly , I have found that even though many Alpa users have laser rangers, few of them use them much after one or two months.

There is, in my view at least, no negative side to using the HPF rings. Once installed it becomes an integral part of the lens and only makes life better. I think the perfect solution for any focus situation with an Alpa is to have HPF rings on the lenses for most applications, and also carry the Pro Grid Screen Ground glass assembly for certain applications that require an exact focus point with a wide aperture.

This is my opinion based on mine and my customers experience with Alpa. I can't speak to the Arca side as I don't have personal experience with it.

Best regards,
Paul

 

[narikin]

I have two of these, on a 90mm Schneider Apo Digitar and 60mm Digraon-S. Yes they are useful. I use a Hilti PD42 for distance, and can set that right on the scale. (I prefer m than ft, but ymmv)

Personally I think Alpa should put them on all their lenses as part of the basic cost. The lenses are marked up hugely by Alpa, $1000-$2000 over the non Alpa mount versions, and quite frankly at this price HPF's should be an integral part of what you get. Rant over.

PS: its little mentioned, but you can screw the 'shift scale' focus stick into an HPF and it becomes a fine control wand for tiny adjustments. useful.

 

[dchew]

I don't have a distometer and I just got my HPF rings, so not much to report yet. But to give you an example, on the foot scale for the 100 HR-S, two of the scale markings (in feet) are 5.08 and 4.98. There are of course 4 minor markings in between there (for a 1/5 minor scale), which means at roughly a 5 foot distance (1.5M), each minor tick equals about 1/4 of an inch. Really incredible.

At 10 feet there is 10.1 and 10.5, so each minor tick equals about 1 inch. Needless to say, don't forget your reading glasses for these things.

PS: its little mentioned, but you can screw the 'shift scale' focus stick into an HPF and it becomes a fine control wand for tiny adjustments. useful.

Interesting. I don't have the stick but I had some left-over small set screws from RRS plates that I screwed into the two external threads on the HPF rings. Makes them easier to turn, especially with gloves on.

Dave

 

[cly]

Thank you very much for your replies!

A few days ago I have received an Alpa 36mm with HPF ring for testing so I had the chance to try it myself in the 1-10 meter range and, yes, it works pretty well.

(As a side note: Using a lens with a HPF ring, I realized that I'm back to relying on a table as I have to know what distance the 1-degree marks between two given distances correspond to. So in _my_ situation there is no big difference to
using an Arca style table.)

Chris

 

[Woody Campbell]

Thank you very much for your replies!

A few days ago I have received an Alpa 36mm with HPF ring for testing so I had the chance to try it myself in the 1-10 meter range and, yes, it works pretty well.

(As a side note: Using a lens with a HPF ring, I realized that I'm back to relying on a table as I have to know what distance the 1-degree marks between two given distances correspond to. So in _my_ situation there is no big difference to
using an Arca style table.)

Chris

Note that on the Alpa Schneider 36 the ring mostly obscures the depth of field marks. You can just barely make them out. Overall a plus, though.

 

[archivue]

(As a side note: Using a lens with a HPF ring, I realized that I'm back to relying on a table as I have to know what distance the 1-degree marks between two given distances correspond to. So in _my_ situation there is no big difference to
using an Arca style table.)

Chris

"The practicability of "5x 360°" and of the corresponding special system where you have to "translate" meters/feet in a peculiar division system from e.g. 1 to 34 is another matter. "

things and thoughts are changing at the top ;-)

http://www.alpa.ch/en/news/2010/some...tml?year=&num=