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Visoflex: Newbies questions...


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MECHANICALLY, the VISOII and III have the standard Leica Bayonet Mount: this does not mean that ANY lens can fit the Viso: lenses with protruding rear elements (21-28... in any case nonsense to be used on Viso...) surely could have problems with the mirror of the Viso itself. Lenses 35-50-75-90-135 can be mounted, but Viso acts as an extension tube: macro focusing, not focus to infinity: very good results with some lens (expecially 90, in my opinion). Older lenses from 65mm to 135mm had detachable lens units that could be mounted on the Viso through an incredible variety of rings, adapters, extensions etc...and also to the Viso WITH BELLOWS: other kinds of rings, adapters etc... It is an impressive number of combinations, very well known by collectors, on which documentation is abundant on books, old catalogs and so on.

Besides the usual focal lenghts to 135, long focus and tele lenses existed (and one can easily find most of them in the market), made to be fitted only on the Visoflex (180-200-280-400-560)

Regarding M8, is not completely true that one can use VisoIII only, but it is the best combination when used with the prism viewer (number of viewers were available...), for it fits correctly on the M8 body, and, as in standard Leica Ms, You can mount and dismount the VisoIII WITHOUT removing the prism from the mirror box: very useful both for speed and cleaness of the ground glass.

Hope to be useful: all we collectors like to speak a lot on Viso gear...any component, even tiny one, is a little masterwork, deliciously engineered.

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Hi,

please do not hit me for asking "stupid" questions...but can I use every M-mount lens on a Visoflex?

And is it right that I can use only the Visoflex 3 with the M8?

Thanks

Stefan

 

Stefan,

 

I promise not to hit you......;)

 

You can use any M-mount lens on the Visoflex, but only some will focus to infinity. Since the Visoflex in effect acts as an extension tube when used with M lenses, in order to achieve infinity focus you would have to use lenses designed for this purpose.

 

The lenses that will focus to infinity were of a special design - their lens units were removable and could be fitted into special focusing adapters which were shorter than the regular M focusing mounts.

 

Among the lenses that could be used this way were Elmar 3.5/65mm, Elmar 4/90mm, Elmarit 2.8/90mm, Hektor 2.5/125mm, Hektor 4.5/135mm, Elmar 4/135mm, Elmarit 2.8/135mm and Tele-Elmar 4/135. The list of adapters needed is quite extensive; I am in the office and can't post the information sheet, as it is at home...... Have a look at some of the other Visoflex threads on this forum, you''ll get the idea.

 

Lenses longer than 135mm came in Visoflex-specific mounts and could be used directly. I won't go into details as to which long telephoto lenses those were - the information is available on the net should you wish to find it.

Any Visoflex can be used on the M8 (model I, II, IIa, III), but only the III will trip the camera's shutter with its release. Also, since the III is taller than the II, its prism will clear the top plate.

 

All the best,

 

Jan

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  • 2 weeks later...

Both the V II and the V III work on the ‘high-top’ M cameras (M5, M6 TTL, M7 and M8) and all the finders (two pentaprism finders and one straight ‘stovepipe’) are completely cross-compatible on the Viso housings, but only the prism finder for the III will clear the tops of the abovementioned models. The III finder looks clumsier, but is better optically.

 

The best way to mount the most lenses to a Visoflex II or III is the Universal Focusing Mount, code OTZFO, later 16464. The lens heads of the 65 mm Elmar (which had no focusing mount of its own, being a macro lens), late 90 mm Elmar lenses except the collapsible variety, 90 mm Elmarit and 135 mm Tele-Elmarit screwed directly into the OTZFO and focused from infinity to a closer distance than otherwise. Extension ring 16471 made for real macro performance. The 135 Hektor and 135 Elmar lenses, being long focus designs, needed a special extension ring to compensate for their length. The 90 Elmarit is hard to beat for closeup work.

 

The 200 mm Telyt f:4 and early versions of the 280 mm Telyt f:4.8 are screw-thread lenses and were built for the deeper Viso I. To compensate for this you bayonet the adapter OUBIO (later 16466) into the front of the Visoflex and screw the lens into the front of the adapter. These lenses have their own focusing of course, and both are still damn good. Good hunting!

 

The old man from the Age of the Visoflex

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  • 2 weeks later...

The oposite however is NOT true; you cannot put M bayonet Visoflex lenses directly on an M body mount. This is because the lugs are ticker. Leica probably wanted to prevent peiole from mounting the long registry distance Viso on the short regisrty M cameras.

 

regards

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The oposite however is NOT true; you cannot put M bayonet Visoflex lenses directly on an M body mount. This is because the lugs are ticker. Leica probably wanted to prevent peiole from mounting the long registry distance Viso on the short regisrty M cameras.

 

regards

 

Obviously..... There is absolutely no reason why you would want to mount a Visoflex lens directly to an M mount body.......

 

Jan

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Obviously..... There is absolutely no reason why you would want to mount a Visoflex lens directly to an M mount body.......

 

Jan

 

no, it wasm't about an M mount body, but an M body mount. When an M body mount adapter exists (as they do for bellows) where a chain of adapters would allow a large registry distance VISO lens to couple to a high resolution MF(medium format) reflex camera it is annoying that the #$$%% M viso lens mount male can't fit on the M body mount female. I guess it was sort of Leica's version of a "chastity" belt. :-)

 

As it is, it forced me to canibalize a Viso for the mount and get a custom adapter made.

But then each manufacturer has the right to protect their line, so I can't fault Leica.

 

What is curious is they didn't do the same with screw mount Viso lenses!

 

regards

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