Trouble focusing Yashica Mat 124 TLR

I'm thinking just maybe you have a fresnel screen finder. This gives a
bright image but it will be in focus at any distance. If this is the
case then there will be a split prism in the middle and what you have
to do is get this to be in line when you look at the object you are
focussing on. If a distant lamppost, for example, then the top would
have to be in line with the bottom of it if you are looking at it
through the split prism.

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I just got a Yashica Mat-124, and after putting the first roll of film
through it today I realized either I'm doing something really wrong or
my camera's broken.

This is my first experience with medium format, I've used 35mm up until
now (except for a Holga, but that doesn't count). I'm having trouble
focusing. No matter how much I twist the focus knob on my Yashica I
can't see a difference in focus or sharpness on the viewfinder on most
things - I could see a difference when I shot a picture of a really
long and wide hallway, but the other 11 frames on this roll of film I
just assumed that since it looked sharp on my viewfinder it would come
out like that on my negative. That wasn't the case when I developed it,
everything was way, way out of focus.

What's the trick to focusing a TLR? I'm excited about using this
camera, I'm just a little confused with how focusing works since it's
obviously not the same as it is on my SLR's.

Are you sure somebody didn't put the screen in up-side down? The shiny side
should be up. The mirror has to be precisely set too. If it was reglued, it
might be off. Bob Hickey

wrote:
I just got a Yashica Mat-124, and after putting the first roll of film
through it today I realized either I'm doing something really wrong or
my camera's broken.

This is my first experience with medium format, I've used 35mm up until
now (except for a Holga, but that doesn't count). I'm having trouble
focusing. No matter how much I twist the focus knob on my Yashica I
can't see a difference in focus or sharpness on the viewfinder on most
things - I could see a difference when I shot a picture of a really
long and wide hallway, but the other 11 frames on this roll of film I
just assumed that since it looked sharp on my viewfinder it would come
out like that on my negative. That wasn't the case when I developed it,
everything was way, way out of focus.

What's the trick to focusing a TLR? I'm excited about using this
camera, I'm just a little confused with how focusing works since it's
obviously not the same as it is on my SLR's.

Never the easiest camera to focus to start with

Alan

wrote:
I just got a Yashica Mat-124, and after putting the first roll of film
through it today I realized either I'm doing something really wrong or
my camera's broken.

This is my first experience with medium format, I've used 35mm up until
now (except for a Holga, but that doesn't count). I'm having trouble
focusing. No matter how much I twist the focus knob on my Yashica I
can't see a difference in focus or sharpness on the viewfinder on most
things - I could see a difference when I shot a picture of a really
long and wide hallway, but the other 11 frames on this roll of film I
just assumed that since it looked sharp on my viewfinder it would come
out like that on my negative. That wasn't the case when I developed it,
everything was way, way out of focus.

What's the trick to focusing a TLR? I'm excited about using this
camera, I'm just a little confused with how focusing works since it's
obviously not the same as it is on my SLR's.

Never the easiest camera to focus to start with

Alan

Do you have the same problem outdoors in bright light?

If so, then you might want to invest in a brighter screen... and, if
you're nearsighted then you might want such a screen with a split image
circle.

Jim


wrote:

I just got a Yashica Mat-124, and after putting the first roll of film
through it today I realized either I'm doing something really wrong or
my camera's broken.

This is my first experience with medium format, I've used 35mm up until
now (except for a Holga, but that doesn't count). I'm having trouble
focusing. No matter how much I twist the focus knob on my Yashica I
can't see a difference in focus or sharpness on the viewfinder on most
things - I could see a difference when I shot a picture of a really
long and wide hallway, but the other 11 frames on this roll of film I
just assumed that since it looked sharp on my viewfinder it would come
out like that on my negative. That wasn't the case when I developed it,
everything was way, way out of focus.

What's the trick to focusing a TLR? I'm excited about using this
camera, I'm just a little confused with how focusing works since it's
obviously not the same as it is on my SLR's.