Need Red One help

[James Mulholland]

Hi everyone,
So I've had just one of them days today, Had to go into town this morning to buy a travel adapter to power camera up. Got home to find out my m42 tp Pl mount adapter arrived, was delighted that I could use my lens and shoot some tests. Then I could not move the Pl mount to take the cap off, after about an hour trying to figure out I phoned Red Europe and they told me about loosening the little screw to make it move. Done that finally and was on track. The monitor (even going to dvi menu) is still not showing up menus. Got the lens onto the camera no bother the mount adapter worked grand (35mm super takumar f3.5)

but back focus is not happening for me. I loosened the screws so the back focus can move. I put something 3ft away and 6ft away. Set the lens to that and then used the backfocus. It's not working though.

1. the focus does not seem to be changing.
2. even though I can't see the image it seems to be zoomed in closer to the object than it should be? 35mm looks like its 85mm or more.

Has anyone else had this problem? when I change the iris on the lens you can clearly see the image getting darker and brighter but nothing with the focus.

To top it off the pl mount is moving around now when I'm moving the backfocus (probably just need to tighten the pl mount screw a little tighter I suspect?).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ericyoung]

What monitor are you using? If it's the Red LCD, the right hand button on top of the monitor selects a full screen image without menus.

Which screws have you loosened? The two hex socket head bolts on the collar of the lens mount? See Page 36 of the Red One Operation manual. You should only loosen the bolts JUST enough to rotate the collar with a fair bit of effort. If you overloosen them then the backfocus can change significantly when you retighten the bolts. If you seriously overloosen the collar, then it can come off and/or crossthread - not a good thing to do!

1) The collar has a very fine adjustment thread, so you have to turn it quite a long way to move the focus distance just a little forward or backward. Also, you should use your widest lens, with the iris as open as possible while keeping the object you are focusing on properly exposed. It's hard to see focus if the focus target is too bright.
2) If the centre crosshair in the display is an "X" rather than a "+", then camera may be in 1:1 Magnify display mode to aid focusing. By default, User Button 2 on the side of the camera is set to toggle Magnify mode.

The PL mount tightening ring (the one with four "ears" on it) should not be flopping around if that's what you mean - what screw did you loosen to take the lens cap off?

 

[James Mulholland]

Hi Eric,

Thanks for getting back. The monitor is not the Red, It's a 7 inch Feelworld monitor. It had good specs on it but only a Hdmi port no SDI. The centre did have an X so I think I might of pressed 2 by accident so I'll power up the camera again now and I'll make sure I'm not zoomed in and then swtich the 720P to Menu DVI and hopefully I will be able to see the histogram etc.

Basically the PL mount ring would not move so I phoned Red. I was told to look for a small dot beside one of the 'ears' then I was told take the ear off and there was a little tiny small silver screw, I was told to loosen that a little bit to be able to lock and unlock the pl mount to take the cap in and put lenses in and out, I might have loosened that a bit too much?

I might have Loosened the Backfocus collar a little to much aswel so I'll tighten that a little bit so that it can still move but not as freely as it can at the moment? Thing is even after moving the backfocus around 360 degrees there is no change? do I just keep going and going until I see a difference is it? Because at the moment it is completely 100 percent out of focus and it doesn't seem to change no matter how far I move the focus ring which I find odd. But I'll try what you say now in the next hour and report back to let you know If things go ok or not.

Thanks for your time and help

James

What monitor are you using? If it's the Red LCD, the right hand button on top of the monitor selects a full screen image without menus.

Which screws have you loosened? The two hex socket head bolts on the collar of the lens mount? See Page 36 of the Red One Operation manual. You should only loosen the bolts JUST enough to rotate the collar with a fair bit of effort. If you overloosen them then the backfocus can change significantly when you retighten the bolts. If you seriously overloosen the collar, then it can come off and/or crossthread - not a good thing to do!

1) The collar has a very fine adjustment thread, so you have to turn it quite a long way to move the focus distance just a little forward or backward. Also, you should use your widest lens, with the iris as open as possible while keeping the object you are focusing on properly exposed. It's hard to see focus if the focus target is too bright.
2) If the centre crosshair in the display is an "X" rather than a "+", then camera may be in 1:1 Magnify display mode to aid focusing. By default, User Button 2 on the side of the camera is set to toggle Magnify mode.

The PL mount tightening ring (the one with four "ears" on it) should not be flopping around if that's what you mean - what screw did you loosen to take the lens cap off?

 

[ericyoung]

I'm pretty sure the little screw behind the ear should be done up finger tight again after you released the PL mount tightening ring, as it is the end stop so that it doesn't rotate a full turn. Basically with the tightening ring fully anticlockwise against the endstop the ring cut outs should allow the pin cutout(s) on the PL mount flanges on the lens to line up correctly with the pin on the camera lens mount. Then rotating clockwise, it shouldn't go past a 45degree turn, but should move freely in between the endstops.

If it is done up tight with the tightening ring in the wrong place, it can lock it up, as you found. Now the ring is released, tighten it up again and make sure you can still put the cap on and off, and mount lenses and take them off. If not, loosen adjust and retighten. Replace the ear once it's working fine.

It can take several turns of the Backfocus collar in extreme cases to correct backfocus. However, it's strange that it's SO out of focus. The factory back focus setting should not be that far out. It implies the lens is the issue. What lens, and lens settings (zoom focal length, f-stop) are you using? What's the focus target?

If it's a stills lens, then focus marks are usually not very accurate anyway, especially if it's an autofocus one. Are you able to get a sharp image at any point if you rotate the focus ring from minimum distance to infinity?

 

[James Mulholland]

That's grand, I'm going to fix the Pl mount now by adjusting until it is perfect.

I'm using a 35mm Super Takumar lens f.3.5 (lowest it goes). But even when I change the focus on the lens nothing happens the image, same if I change the backfocus. So it could be the lens then? When I change the iris though (manually as it is a still photo lens) I see the difference in how bright / dark it becomes, just nothing is in focus. Prime lens and I was trying doing backfocus with an object at 3ft and also at 6 ft but not matter what I can't see anything.

Actually if I bring my finger a few inches away from the lens it is in focus (this is the same no matter if I change the focus on the lens or change the backfocus).

I'm pretty sure the little screw behind the ear should be done up finger tight again after you released the PL mount tightening ring, as it is the end stop so that it doesn't rotate a full turn. Basically with the tightening ring fully anticlockwise against the endstop the ring cut outs should allow the pin cutout(s) on the PL mount flanges on the lens to line up correctly with the pin on the camera lens mount. Then rotating clockwise, it shouldn't go past a quarter turn, but should move freely in between the endstops.

If it is done up tight with the tightening ring in the wrong place, it can lock it up, as you found. Now the ring is released, tighten it up again and make sure you can still put the cap on and off, and mount lenses and take them off. If not, loosen adjust and retighten. Replace the ear once it's working fine.

It can take several turns of the Backfocus collar in extreme cases to correct backfocus. However, it's strange that it's SO out of focus. The factory back focus setting should not be that far out. It implies the lens is the issue. What lens, and lens settings (zoom focal length, f-stop) are you using? What's the focus target?

If it's a stills lens, then focus marks are usually not very accurate anyway, especially if it's an autofocus one. Are you able to get a sharp image at any point if you rotate the focus ring from minimum distance to infinity?

 

[James Mulholland]

Ok so tried again there, got out of zoom mode but can only see title safe areas menu, so guess false Color will have to do for time being.

Ok pl ring. It only move to unlock and lock mounts when the back focus is tightened, but when I losses back focus and turning it the pl mount turns with it?

On to the back focus, when I change focus on lens there is a slight difference but its still out of focus but can notice something happening. Moved the back focus collar around past 360 degrees a few times and nothing changed, in fact it felt like it was screwing off the camera? Really worried about this but hope its just the lens. Can try a 28mm takumar tomorrow but don't think it will make much of a difference.