Takumar 200mm lens on K3 will not focus on infinity

[Patrick Cooper]

Ive owned a Takumar 200mm lens for my Krasnogorsk 3 for a few years but havent put this lens to much use until last year when I was filming birds in my backyard. However, when I brought the lens over to Kangaroo Island this year, I discovered something quite surprising when I was filming dolphins - this lens will not focus on infinity when mounted on the K3. The same goes for long distance settings on the lens like 200 feet etc - nothing will be in focus. The lens is fine for focussing on subjects at shorter distances however.

 

I thought I recall reading on this forum that the flange focal depth of the K3 was the same as an M42 mount 35mm still camera. If that is so, then I would have thought that M42 lenses designed for still photography would focus fine on a K3 at all distances. Though I do notice that the rear element of the standard Meteor zoom lens supplied with the K3 protrudes deeper into the camera body than still camera lenses do. I'm assuming that all of you lens experts out would know exactly what is causing this problem. I hope that I will not have to get this lens collimated - I don't think I would have the $$ for that. I also have a Tamron 400m lens with M42 mount which seems to focus fine on the K3 at long distances but I havent tested it at infinity yet.

[Bernie O'Doherty]

I don't think it's a big problem. Many times the calibration/collimation is off in the still/movie crossover.

Figure from $45 to $65 should have infinity firmly in its place.

Bernie

[Patrick Cooper]

Those prices sound quite reasonable. Though because of the exchange rate, I would be paying a little more because I am in Australia. Still, I heard someone here say that lens collimation is very expensive. Guess I'll check different places and compare prices.